Nanaimo city staff will be studying ways of making owners of vacant buildings more accountable for what happens at those properties.
The issue was raised at a city council meeting Monday, June 17.
Nancy Mitchell and Karen Kuwica of the Newcastle Community Association made a presentation on the subject, with Mitchell saying the issues surrounding vacant properties are numerous and obvious.
“They’re subject to general social disorders, squatting, fires and even explosions," she said. "In many cases the owner is not easily accessible or willing to correct any issues. The result is not only a serious risk to public safety, but also a growing and highly visible sign of urban decay, of which there’s plenty of that in Newcastle.”
Mitchell said the association’s objective is to find ways to make owners accountable for what happens on their vacant properties and how to contact them when there are problems. She noted several B.C. communities have also needed to pass vacant property bylaws attempting to hold owners accountable.
Kuwica said the community association keeps watch over properties to assess safety risks to the community.
“In order to reach a property owner when there is a problem, to be preventative, it’s really arduous, it burdens us,” she said. “I have to somehow call in a favour, find a way to do a property search to try and find an owner and then do an exorbitant amount of research to try and find a phone number to call someone and then begin some kind of a dialogue with the property owner and solicit their support in mitigating the risks that their vacant property represents.”
Kuwica said sometimes the contact is beneficial, citing an empty lot on Caledonia Avenue that she said was riddled with encampments, dangerous situations and violence, but through collaboration with the property owner, the association was able to have fencing put up around the property and the area patrolled.
“What we would like to do is ask council to pass a motion asking staff to prepare a report evaluating the experiences of other B.C. communities, addressing the legal issue and recommending a course of action with respect to regulating vacant properties, which could include the status quo, a new bylaw, additions to existing bylaws or seeking approval from the province to resolve the legal issue,” Mitchell said.
Coun. Sheryl Armstrong suggested Nanaimo already has the necessary bylaws in place.
“It just isn’t called a vacancy bylaw,” she said. “It’s under the fire bylaw and ... maintenance of property, so we actually have what you’re asking for already.”
Coun. Paul Manly recommended keeping in contact with the city's bylaws department, which can call for a nuisance property designation for problem properties.
“We recognize that is a tool, but it’s a reactionary tool. It’s not a prevention tool and it also comes at a great expense to man hours to the city ... to have it declared a nuisance property, the amount of service calls required; it means a lot of time and energy is being spent and the neighbourhood is being terrorized,” Kuwica said. “If we could focus on a prevention method then we could save on a lot of time and resources for everyone.”
Coun. Hilary Eastmure tabled a motion to have council direct staff to provide a report on options to regulate vacant properties. She said she expected the report to evaluate the experiences of other B.C. communities and make recommendations.
The motion passed unanimously.
