GAINESVILLE – In a pair of unanimous votes Tuesday evening the Gainesville City Council approved ordinances that will allow for better control and participation in maintaining the appearance of the city.
One ordinance gives the city more opportunity to turn blighted and abandoned properties into attractive and useful development, the second ordinance amends existing city code to cover areas of concern not specified in current code.
That first measure establishes the Gainesville-Hall County Land Bank. City Manager Bryan Lackey calls it “one more tool in our tool belt to help address housing issues.”
“It (the Land Bank) really deals with properties where there is not a private market solution,” Lackey explained. “Where there’s no market value for that property owner to do anything with that house that’s either abandoned or blighted; perhaps there’s difficult title issues surrounding it that can be extinguished or taken care of by the Land Bank, as well as large tax liens.”
State law allows neither a county nor a municipality within the county to establish a Land Bank independently; county and city must establish the Land Bank jointly. Hall County approved the measure in June.
“One of the main advantages that we like about this (is it) will allow us to address housing issues not just in the city but in those neighborhoods on the periphery of the city,” Lackey said. “We’ll be able to work with the county to address those as well.”
In a recent press release city officials said the Land Bank board "will have the ability to acquire, manage, and sell vacant property, which may be sitting idle due to issues such as foreclosure, title complications, tax delinquency, or code violations."
In the second ordinance approved by city council, city staff will have greater clarity and scope in dealing with issues many consider as eyesores, such as: indoor furniture in outdoor locations; blue plastic tarps that seemingly are never removed when used as temporary repair; having a registered contact person at rental sites comprised of six or more units, etc. Click here to read more about the details in this amendment to the Unified Land Development Code.
The ordinance before the council was amended by Councilman Zach Thompson where it addresses donation boxes.
Thompson said numerous constituents expressed concern about losing the service of some of the smaller boxes placed in their neighborhoods. “Specifically the library boxes that are in neighborhoods where you drop off a book and pick up a book,” Thompson said. “They want to make sure those are protected.”
Thompson’s amendment was seconded and the measure was approved unanimously.
