CC Min 1983-10-25 Jnt - Laserfiche WebLink

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Assistant City Attoney Maloney reported on the status of the E1 Zarape building on E1 Camino Real, which had been declared by Council to be a public nuisance, and ordered reconstructed or demolished. The courts are overseeing progress of this matter for good faith efforts, and the owner given a short remaining time to comply or the building will be razed. Discussion continued regarding the length of time required to take action on dilapidated buildins, and Assistant City Attorney Maloney pointed out that the City must be cautious not to place itself in a position of risking a lawsuit, and therefore every opportunity is given the owner to make corrections. He briefly described the process required by law for proceeding against owners of unsafe properties. Continued discussion related to the unsightly house adjacent to the County buildings, and the fact that in that type of situation, the City can get the County Health Department involved; that in looking at the whole question of housing, another part of the problem is the displacement of the occupants when the building is torn down; whether the problem is serious enough to go after such properties; what can be done to generate pride in being a resident of Redwood City. Planning Director Schroeter commented on the number and kinds of complaints re- ceived by his office within the past eighteen months, which they have followed up and most of which have been corrected; that those who take pride in the appearance of their property are the ones who make the complaints, and not those who have no objection to neglect and disorder; that those who are concerned need to know that the City will aggressively pursue enforcement of the codes. The fact that the City has a greater number of old properties was noted, and the Housing Office was commended on the great progress they have made toward assisting property owners in the area of Middlefield Road in rehabilitating their buildings with grant funds. With regard to commercial and industrial properties, it was suggested that a change in the tax structure, whereby the land alone is assessed on the basis of highest and best use, rather than on the value of the land and structures, would provide an incentive for the owner to improve the property, rather than allow buildings to deteriorate. Among the reasons mentioned for the decline of parts of the City were the numerous old buildings, the economics of maintaining residences, and absentee owners. Assistant City Attorney Maloney noted that one tool being used to encourage bringing property up to Code as required by the Health Department is that if it is not done, there is a cessation of the owner's ability to utilize write -offs for tax purposes if there is a violation. City Manager Smith suggested that perhaps rather than the word "pride ", the term "attitude" might be more appropriate, and that the place to start is with the residents of the community; that there is a great deal of support by the residents for what the City is trying to do. Joint Meeting Council /Planning 10/25/83 Page 2 MINUTE BOOK NO. 44 Page No. 261