04 Substandard Building Ord - Laserfiche WebLink

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AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET SUBJECT: Consider an ordinance repealing the City's existing ordinance on substandard buildings and consider enacting a new Article III of Chapter 7 of the Paris Code of Ordinances to make it consistent with state law regarding vacant substandard buildings and structures, preservation of historical structures, and the abatement of nuisances, and adding a new Article IV to allow the issuance of secured building permits. BACKGROUND: At a special Council meeting on May 30, 2002, the City Council conducted a second public hearing and engaged in further deliberation regarding a proposed substandard building ordinance. At that time, changes in the ordinance requested by Council in prior meetings were discussed and reviewed. In addition, the Council received comment from the public during the public hearing portion of the meeting. At the public hearing, Council received various testimony requesting the City to include a section in the new ordinance authorized by state law for certain qualified cities (Paris currently is not certified) with regard to a special procedure for considering enforcement actions against dilapidated historical structures. As a result of the special meeting, City Council requested further revisions to the ordinance and those revisions are shown by highlighting in the attached draft included in this package. DESCRIPTION: For changes made to the ordinance prior to this current draft, please refer to the Agenda Information Sheet for the May 30, 2002 meeting. The new changes to the proposed ordinance, are as follows: 1. In Section 7-49, subparagraph (b) and (c) 3, changes have been made to expand the membership on the Building and Standards Committee to seven (7) members, serving staggered two (2) year terms; to include as one of the desired members of the Commission an individual with a background in historical preservation; and similarly setting as a goal for appointing to the commission one member from each City Council District. As a result of expanding the membership to seven (7) members, the quorum is expanded to four (4). 2. A new Section 7-50 is added to the ordinance, and the remaining sections following this new section are renumbered accordingly. The new Section 7-50, entitled Preservation of Substandard Buildings as Historic Property, tracks the language in state law found at Section 214.00111 of the Local Government Code and sets forth additional processes related to preservation of substandard buildings as historic property. As directed by City Council, implementation of this particular section of the new ordinance will occur only when and continue only for so long as the City of Paris is designated as a Certified Local Government by the Texas State Historical Preservation Office as provided by 16 USCA Section 470 et seq. 3. Section 7-50 provides for an initial review of all enforcement cases brought under the ordinance by the City of Paris Historical Landmark Preservation Committee for that committee to identify properties for further review related to potential historical significance. Cases not so identified to be subjected to a more comprehensive review will be referred to the building and standards commission. The process of review will apply to all properties covered under the ordinance including residential structures as well as other structures as per state law. Under Section 214.00111, the only structures not covered by this provision are owner/occupied single family dwellings. As for the rest of the ordinance, this section will apply only to vacant properties. 4. The process of review by the Historical Landmark Preservation Committee will enable that committee to assess whether or not particular properties can be rehabilitated to the point where they can be designated on the national register of historic places, the state register of historic places, or historic designation by the City. The ordinance would allow the Historic Landmark Preservation Committee