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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution #3379 RESOLUTION NO. 3 3 7 9 A RESOLUTION ADOPTING A POLICY FOR EVALUATING DOWNTOWN BUILDINGS REGARDING HAZARDS, SAFETY AND APPEARANCE WHEREAS, protection of the public requires identification of hazardous or unsafe buildings; and, WHEREAS, the appearance of the downtown area is important to the future of the City of Canton; and, WHEREAS, communication with building owners and inspection of buildings would appear to be desirable; and, WHEREAS, a written policy for downtown building evaluation is desirable. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Canton that the following policy be and the same is hereby adopted for evaluating buildings for the downtown area: BUII,DING EVALUATION PROJECT FOR DOWNTOWN CANTON AREA Purpose: To evaluate the downtown community area for the purpose of determining any hazardous or unsafe buildings, inside or outside, to help improve beauty of the downtown area so as to make the area safer and more marketable.. STEP ONE A committee of three non-elected officials meet with building owners to discuss their ideas of the future of their buildings. Committee to meet with owners should ask the same questions of each: 1. Do you have plans for your building? 2. Do you have a buyer for your building? 3. What are your expenses of owning your building yearly? 4. If a buyer was found, how much would you want for your building? 5. Would you build a new building if your building was removed from the site? Meeting with city council, mayor, city attorney to discuss the scope and extent of the project. Questions to Address: How large an area should this project cover? How committed are we? How much money are we willing to commit? What laws, codes, and or ordinances can we use? Do we want to establish a committee for this project? Do we want to bring in the chamber of Commerce? Do we bring in the business groups? What kind of time frame are we working with? Do we need a new ordinance to deal with this? At the end of meeting(s) a clear direction should be given as to where we go with this project. STEP TWO Start with general inspection (not code enforcement) of all downtown buildings, inside/outside, and top to bottom. The reason for this inspection is to identify any problems, potential problems, any unit ready for demolition. Also be ready to offer some form of solutions/recommendations. Inspection should be conducted by the city building officer, the city maintenance supervisor, the Fire Chief and a certified structural engineer. STEP THREE Meet with structural engineer to sort problems into priorities. Set up meeting to discuss individual problems with their owners. Help determine cost! Encourage owners to correct situation ASAP. STEP FOUR For those problems not corrected - make a list of projects and prioritize them. STEP FIVE Research laws, ordinances and codes. STEP SIX Return to council to seek direction. Where do we go with this? Develop a clear cut course of action. Out of a potential list of 10-12, go after 3-4 at the same time. 1. Do code enforcement. 2. Seek practical remedies 3. Failure of remedies, seek court action! 2. That this Resolution shall be in full force and effect immediately upon its passage by the City Council of the City of Canton, Fulton County, Illinois. PASSED by the City Council of the City of Canton, Fulton County, Illinois, at a regular meeting this 3rd day of June, 1997, upon a roll call vote as follows: AYES: Aldermen Shores, May, Nidiffer, Meade, Sarff, Phillips, Mo 11 e ck , NAYS: None . ABSENT: Alderman Hartford, R VED: Donald E. Edwards, Mayor Attest: F . ancy White, City Clerk.