Burlington’s legal department has proposed a couple of rule changes that could fast track the renovation or removal of dilapidated homes.
Sherri Childress, Burlington’s assistant city attorney, presented these potential tweaks to the city council last week in response to suggestions that were recently broached by councilman Ian Baltutis.
Among other things, Childress suggested a potential deadline on the owners of homes that have been rendered unlivable by fires. Under this recommendation, the property owner would have 60 days once all investigations have been completed to obtain a permit to either renovate or demolish the fire-damaged residence.
Another proposal that Childress brought before the council would require the owners of substandard homes to board up or secure these structures from trespassers. Under the assistant attorney’s recommendation, property owners would have 30 days to board up ground floor-windows and patch up openings in roofs with weather-resistant materials.
In the meantime, Chris Marland, the city’s chief code enforcement officer, has provided Burlington’s city council with an overview of the enforcement process for substandard housing.
During a city council work session last week, Marland explained that the city automatically holds administrative hearing for any dwelling that receives multiple housing violations or whose state is poor enough to constitute a “life safety issue.” During such hearings, property owners may present demolition or remediation proposals, which they will then have 90 days to implement – with the potential for a 9-day extension at the city’s discretion.
Marland nevertheless noted that the enforcement process can sometimes be dragged out indefinitely in the event that a home’s title holder isn’t readily apparent to the city’s legal department.
“That takes time,” the city’s chief code enforcement officer conceded, “and it really jams us up sometimes.”
