- In June, Fresno council approved an ordinance to compel Tower District property owners to get tenants for vacant buildings or sell.
- After one year, the pilot program could expand to city-wide.
- Some property owners say the ordinance punishes them while ignoring the core problems of homelessness and vandalism.
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
In June, Fresno City Councilmembers enacted an ordinance to clean up blighted buildings in Tower District, with an aim — if successful — to expand the rule citywide.
“What we’ve seen is that sure enough, a lot of these vacant, blighted buildings are attracting other nuisances to that specific area. We’re seeing an increase in homeless-related calls, in illegal dumping, in graffiti, in literal broken windows.” — Fresno City Councilmember Annalisa Perea
The new legislation implements hefty fines for owners of dilapidated properties that stay vacant longer than 120 days. It also implements fines for owners who don’t keep up their property, fining them up to $10,000 for violations such as boarded-up windows…