Agenda - Council - 01/08/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Community Development Director Gladhill noted that while that was a larger problem in 2008 when foreclosures where high, that has declined as an issue as the number of foreclosed properties has decreased. Mayor LeTourneau used an example of a resident that expressed concerns with a neighboring property that has long grass and home occupation violations. He stated that was a rare example of one of those worst -case scenarios. He recognized how the community has changed over time as the development has continued to change from rural to more developing and the newer residents tend to have less tolerance for some of the violation issues. He stated that it seems as though the standards are more relaxed in the rural areas of the community and stricter in the developed areas because of the resident expectations. He stated that it often seems that some residents know how to "game the system" to get through an entire season without solving the problem. Community Development Director Gladhill stated that originally, the City used certified mail, but residents determined that they could refuse the certified mail and therefore the City discontinued that method. Councilmember Johns agreed that there is a problem on certain cases with the time that it takes to come into compliance, which can stretch over multiple seasons. She was unsure how that could be addressed, suggesting that perhaps the timeline to address the violation shrinks for repeat violations. Community Development Director Gladhill agreed that if there is a reoccurring issue the trigger would be quicker, the ability to grant extensions would shrink, and the administrative fines would increase. He stated that in regards to the rural versus developed areas, the process needs to be equitable. He stated that some zoning standards are more relaxed in the rural areas but noted that some of the more complex violation cases occur in the rural areas. Councilmember Johns stated that she would like staff to review what is allowed as she believes that some of the allowed issues are excessive. Community Development Director Gladhill stated that staff will see how the new approach works in the next season, but noted that it would be dependent upon the development review that is needed in 2019 as well. Councilmember Johns stated that she would perhaps support being more proactive on the main corridors but would support complaint -based reaction for residential areas. She noted that if there are repeat offenders, perhaps staff should continue to follow up on those properties to ensure that violations do not continue to occur. Community Development Director Gladhill stated that there is not sufficient staff to switch to a proactive approach City-wide. He stated that there have been times when staff has done proactive violations on the main corridors, but there was a large pushback from the business community. City Council Work Session / December 11, 2018 Page 4 of 6