One Community Update
June 6, 2024

Source: Brainerd Dispatch

Vacant, unmaintained buildings in Brainerd could soon cost the owners big money.

City Council members are considering a vacant building registry, which would require owners of vacant buildings, as defined in a new ordinance, to register them with the city for a fee of $7,000. That fee could be waived or suspended, however, if the property owner works with city staff to restore the building.

Community Development Director James Kramvik brought the issue to the council last month, asking if the council wanted to pursue it. Council members reviewed a proposed ordinance laying on the guidelines Monday, June 3.

Kramvik told the council residents have consistently expressed that clean, well-maintained neighborhoods and business are a high priority, and the past few years have seen an increase in the number of abandoned dwellings and neglected properties due to maintenance issues or fire damage. Right now, the city relies on complaints from residents to address code violations on vacant properties. Many of the buildings do not meet the standards of condemnation and removal, as the problems are repairable.

A solution could be a vacant building registry. The proposed guidelines Kramvik presented to the council Monday are modeled after Minneapolis’ vacant building registry, which he said seems to be successful.

The proposed ordinance defines a vacant building as one that is:

• Condemned.
• Unoccupied and unsecured for five days or more. Many times unsecured buildings happen after events like fires, when there might be broken windows or doors that are broken and left open.
• Unoccupied and secured by means other than those normally used in the design of the building for 30 days or more. These buildings are typically those that might be missing windows or doors and have plywood over the openings. If an owner is in contact with a city about the work, though, the building may not go on the registry.
• Unoccupied and has multiple housing maintenance, fire or building code violations existing for 30 days or more.
• Unoccupied for more than a year with an order to correct a nuisance.
• A vacant building that is unable to receive a certificate of occupancy due to expired permits or demonstrated work stoppage of 180 days or more as determined by a building official. These cases happen when construction might have started on a building and then stopped for a period of time. Neighbors might complain about debris all over the property.

A building owner would be able to appeal a designation.

If a building is placed on the registry, the owner would have to include details on the expected time it is to remain vacant and a plan for either returning the building to occupancy standards or demolishing it.

The $7,000 annual registry fee could be waived or suspended if the building owner has a written restoration plan with the city and is working to restore the building.

The goal, Kramvik said, is not to stick people with a $7,000 fine but to incentivize property owners to either fix up their buildings or sell them. It’s an ordinance he said many people in the city have expressed interest in.

Mayor Dave Badeaux said he was in favor of the regulations, noting he’s had a few discussions lately with residents about problem properties.

“It seems like we’re getting one or two of them a year,” Badeaux said. “And it’s just an interesting dilemma that has popped up in the last couple of years, and getting ahead of it is good.”

With council members in favor of the proposed ordinance, Kramvik will bring it back to the council at its next meeting for a first official reading.