(A) At the time a building is registered as required herein, the owner shall submit a vacant building plan. The Building Commissioner or his or her designee may prescribe a form for the plan. If the owner fails to submit the plan as provided for by this chapter, the Building Commissioner or his or her designee may determine the plan.
(B) The plan shall contain the following as a minimum:
(1) A plan of action to repair any doors, windows or other openings which are boarded up or otherwise secured or covered by any means other than conventional methods used in the design of the building or permitted for new construction or similar type. The proposed repair shall result in openings being secured by conventional methods used in the design of the building or by methods permitted for new construction of similar type with board removed. Boarding shall be accomplished with materials and methods described by the Building Commissioner or his or her designee. The owner shall maintain the building in an enclosed and secure state until the building is reoccupied or made available for immediate occupancy. If the owner demonstrates that securing of the building will provide adequate protection to the public, the Building Commissioner may waive the requirement of an enclosure;
(2) For buildings and/or premises which are determined as being or containing public nuisances, as defined in § 164.05 of this chapter, then the vacant building/premises plan shall contain a plan of action to remedy such public nuisance(s);
(3) A time schedule identifying a date of commencement of repair and date of completion of repair for each improperly secured opening and nuisance identified;
(4) When the owner proposes to demolish the vacant building, then the owner shall submit a plan and time schedule for such demolition;
(5) A plan of action to maintain the building or premises, thereof in conformance with this chapter;
(6) A plan of action, with a time schedule, identifying the date the building will be habitable and occupied or offered for occupancy or sale. The time schedule shall include date(s) of commencement and completion of all actions required to achieve habitability. No plan which fails to provide for compliance with this chapter or, which will not, as determined by the Building Commissioner or his or her designee, achieve such compliance, within three months, in the case of a vacant boarded building, and two years, in the case of a vacant, unboarded and code-compliant building will be approved; except that, the Building Commissioner may approve an extension of the time during which the building will be unoccupied beyond two years to a date certain but then only based upon clear and documented evidence of good cause shown by the owner as determined;
(7) The owner shall conduct, at a minimum, bi-weekly inspections of all premises upon which unoccupied or vacant buildings are located and the exteriors shall at all times be maintained in compliance with this chapter;
(8) Exterior lighting shall be maintained according to standards established by the city; and
(9) All ground floor windows facing street frontage in the Commercial District, including, but not limited to, all display windows in unoccupied buildings or vacant buildings shall be kept in a well maintained and clean condition and shall be covered on the interior side in a professionally finished manner with an opaque window covering material manufactured for that purpose and approved by the Building Commissioner, or in the case of display windows, such windows shall be kept in a well maintained and clean condition and the display area shall be enclosed with a professionally finished backdrop, floor, side walls and ceiling all of which shall be kept in a well maintained and clean condition and shall be well lighted from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. each day. Photographs, paintings and other works of art or other tasteful forms of decoration may be professionally displayed in these properly enclosed clear glass display windows. If opaque window covering material is used, a one inch by one inch clear glass opening through which the interior space is clearly visible shall be maintained at standing eye level along one edge of one such window.
(Prior Code, § 165.29) (Ord. 11-141, passed 8-23-2011)