Richfield has joined a growing number of communities around the country that require owners of vacant properties to pay a fee and register them.
An ordinance passed Tuesday night by the Richfield City Council imposes the requirements once a property is vacant for 90 days. The city originally had proposed 30 days, but that plan met heavy resistance from some property owners and real estate agents.
Similar ordinances are popping up all over the country as communities grapple with the challenges of a rising number of vacant buildings, especially buildings that have gone through foreclosure. Minneapolis and St. Paul have long had similar rules.
As Richfield and others have discovered, an empty house or storefront can become a troublesome eyesore.
Aaron Dickinson, a sales agent with Edina Realty, said he opposed the ordinance because it left people who were trying to sell their homes and had already moved out vulnerable to fees and what he considers onerous regulations -- including demolition if the building is vacant for more than a year.
Richfield Council Member Sue Sandahl said modifications to the ordinance were made in response to concerns from the community, and that the intent was not to harm responsible property owners. For example, she said that there are now provisions that allow those who buy and rehab houses to present the city with a compliance proposal to get a waiver from the new restrictions.
The ordinance also includes a break for snowbirds.
Sandahl said that Richfield wants to encourage rehabilitation of its vacant buildings.
