Nuisance ordinances: Committee seeks to make them tougher in Gentry
Posted on Wednesday, May 7, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/gentry/News/2430/
GENTRY ó A newly formed committee met April 30 and discussed plans for toughening city ordinances governing nuisance and unsightly properties within the city.
The nuisance ordinance review committee hopes to bring back to the city council new ordinances and changes in old ordinances which would require property owners in the city, whether in commercial or residential districts, to maintain their buildings and properties and not permit them to be hazards or cause a blighting influence in the area.
Community members and business owners also attended last Wednesdayís meeting and suggested the city adopt ordinances and zoning policies which would help clean up Gentryís Main Street and open up commercial buildings and housing in the city for intended uses.
The consensus of those in attendance was that existing ordinances need to be toughened and new ordinances need to be drafted and adopted which would require that commercially-zoned properties be used for either retail or industrial purposes and residentially-zoned properties be used for housing.
Gentry business owner Justin Osteen said there are a limited number of buildings in commercially zoned areas and they need to be available for retail and industrial use. He also suggested that commercially-zoned properties failing to be used for such purposes should, after a certain time period, be considered abandoned, which would make them subject to seizure and sale. ì A symptom of abandonment, î real estate agent Dan Rader said, ìis no utilities. î
At issue for the group are buildings on Main Street boarded up and used for storage rather than as a place of business. Also of concern are houses and buildings within the city which have been allowed to fall into disrepair and disuse. The buildings and homes were viewed as hazards and also as causing a blighting effect on the neighborhood.
In addition to current ordinances which require grass to be mowed, weeds to be cut and unsanitary or hazardous buildings or lots to be cleaned up, the group hopes to require property owners to keep the exterior of buildings painted and in good repair and free from signs of deterioration or dilapidation such as broken glass, loose shingles, crumbling brick or stone and peeling paint.
ì We need definitions of nuisances and blighting in our ordinances, î said council member and committee member Janie Parks.
Without specific definitions, enforcement of ordinances regarding nuisance properties becomes difficult.
The group also discussed ways of dealing with complaints and gathering information from residents. A suggestion box ó or possibly two of them, one at city hall and another moving from business to business ó was proposed so that residents can just drop off complaints and suggestions to improve the city for the committee and council to consider.
The possibility of making Gentryís entire Main Street a historic district was discussed, and it was suggested that the city could declare downtown Main Street a historic district even if part of the area did not meet all the criteria to be included on the national register of historic places.
Currently, only a portion of Gentryís Main Street is considered likely to qualify for listing on the national register because of changes in building fronts on a number of Main Street structures ó though council member and architect Jim Kooistra said many of the original fronts are still there but covered over or painted. While a local designation would not qualify property owners for the same incentives as a national or state listing, the local community would retain more control over uses and restrictions if the designation were made at a local level.
Signs promoting Gentry and Gentryís downtown district, both locally and along U. S. Highway 412, near the Arkansas Highway 59 junction were discussed at the meeting.
The committee intends to take draft proposals for ordinance changes to city attorney Jay Williams for review and then meet again at 5 p. m., May 14.