ORDINANCE NO. 260401
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Sponsor: Mayor Quinton Lucas
Amending Chapter 56, Code of Ordinances, by repealing Article VI, Registration of vacant properties and foreclosing properties, and enacting a new article of like number and subject matter, including a new Section 56-586, Semiannual fee for chronically vacant nuisance property to expand vacant property registration to unimproved vacant land, add required disclosure of plans or intent for vacant property, establish procedures for investigating and identifying properties with a residential structure or multiple dwelling units that have been vacant for at least six months and have had multiple housing code violations and assess a $200.00 fee for each semiannual period in which the City has investigated and made this determination; establishing policy for disclosure of access permission by Kansas City Police Department and the Office of Unhoused Solutions Triage team; and directing the City Manager to implement a city-wide registration outreach campaign.
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WHEREAS, vacant and foreclosing properties often create health and safety hazards, attract vandalism and other criminal activity, lower property values, and impose extra costs on local governments for additional police, fire and other resources; and
WHEREAS, unimproved vacant land can pose many of the same risks as vacant improved properties, including attraction of illegal dumping, criminal activity, and blighting conditions that reduce property values and degrade the quality of life in surrounding neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, the City has required owners of vacant or foreclosing properties to register those properties with the City pursuant to Chapter 56, Code of Ordinances, Article VI, but the existing registration framework applies only to improved properties with structures, leaving unimproved vacant land outside its scope; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that expanding registration requirements to include unimproved v...
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