Three Housing Ordinances To Be Presented to City Council

Three new housing ordinances will be presented to Jamestown City Council‘s Housing Committee tonight.

Jamestown Director of Development Crystal Surdyk had previously advised council in March 2023 that the department was working on a vacant property registration ordinance, a rental inspection ordinance, and a public nuisance ordinance.

The staff report said the three ordinances are to address “ongoing issues created by decades of disinvestment in the City’s residential and commercial properties that have led to the deterioration of quality of life, health and safety for residents, business owners and stakeholders in and of the city.”

The proposed vacant property registration ordinance would require the owners to register the property for a fee of $250. The fee would go toward the administrative costs of registering the building and the costs for the city to monitor the vacant site. The ordinance also calls for additional fees to be levied each January 1 should the property remain vacant.

The rental inspection ordinance would require inspection of the property within 90 days of the transfer of the property’s deed to ensure that the “rental housing complies with all applicable building, housing, and sanitation Codes and ordinances passed by both the State of New York and the City of Jamestown.” Rental housing property owners also would be required to pay an inspection fee of $50 within 60 days of acquiring the property.

The public nuisance ordinance would determine a property is a public nuisance and, thus condemned, after a specific number of arrests within a two year time period for illegal activities.

The Housing Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Police Training Room. Other committees will meet at 7:00 p.m. with the full work session taking place at 7:30 p.m. on the fourth floor of City Hall. All meetings are open to the public with the full work session being livestreamed on jamestownny.gov.