“In the first draft we didn’t really distinguish between vacant and abandon properties and that’s really what we are trying to get at with this code,” said City of Springfield Planning, Zoning and Code Administrator Steve Thompson. “What we are trying to get at with this code is look at proprieties that can be saved and do have a future of being a productive property in this city, and those that are too far gone.”
Under the revised ordinance, an abandoned structure is defined as, “a structure that is unoccupied as the result of relinquishment of possession or control by an owner or other person with the right of possession or control of the structure.”
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“A structure may be deemed abandoned when there is evidence of conditions, taken separately or as a whole, that would lead a reasonable person to conclude the property was abandoned,” the definition goes on to say.
Evidence includes overgrown or dead vegetation, accumulation of newspapers, circulars, flyers, mail, past due utility notices, trash and more.
In the revised ordinance, vacant is now defined as, “a structure that is not lawfully occupied or that otherwise qualifies as ‘abandoned.’”
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Thompson said he wanted to reiterate to the public the importance of the registry and who it would benefit.
“One thing I want to emphasize is that this code is meant to protect the lives of first responders,” Thompson said. “Part of the application you have to list if there are any holes in any floors, missing stairways to any basement or any other structural issues that first responders should know prior to coming into a property.”
The commission will hear the first reading of the vacant property ordinance at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27 in the Forum of City Hall located in downtown Springfield.
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