1327.03 GENERAL BUSINESS (G-B) AND LOCAL BUSINESS (L-B) DISTRICTS LANDSCAPING AND MAINTENANCE; INSPECTION, NOTICE AND COMPLIANCE.
(a) The owners of General Business (G-B) and Local Business (L-B) Districts real estate within the corporate limits of the City are required to perform whatever acts of maintenance and general upkeep for their properties as are necessary to keep the same in good condition and to insure that all commercial neighborhoods in the City are free from unsightly and run-down commercial properties in a state of disrepair.
(b) Undeveloped vacant property in all General Business (G-B) and Local Business (L- B) Districts shall be landscaped with grass and/or other seasonable appropriate vegetative ground cover as approved by the Building Commissioner and Landscape Architect of the City.
(c) Any General Business (G-B) and Local Business (L-B) District property on which improvements have been demolished, for which no permits or applications for redevelopment are pending, shall be appropriately landscaped. For the purposes of this subsection, appropriately landscaped shall consist of grading to prevent water run-off on adjacent properties, two inches of topsoil, and grass or other vegetative groundcover, as approved by the Building Commissioner of the City.
(d) The Building Department of the City is hereby authorized and directed to make whatever inspections it deems necessary and proper to determine that all General Business and Local Business property owners are in compliance with subsection (a), (b) or (c) hereof. Should the Building Department find that a nuisance exists on said property which is not properly maintained and cared for, written notification of such findings and an order to landscape said property in compliance shall be sent to the property owner within ten days of the date of inspection, by either certified mail, addressed to the property owner at his tax mailing address, or hand delivered to the property owner; and each property owner shall be given a reasonable period, not to exceed thirty (30) days, from and after the mailing of said notice, to correct whatever defects have been found by the inspection. The Building Commissioner has the discretion to extend the deadline to comply by an additional fifteen (15) days. If the address of the owner is unknown, it is sufficient to publish the notice once in a newspaper of general circulation within Cuyahoga County.
(e) If the owner of the property referred to above, fails, neglects or refuses to comply with the notice to abate the nuisance and landscape the property, issued in accordance with this section, the Service Director shall cause such property to be brought into compliance with subsection(s) (a), (b), or (c), and may employ or contract the necessary labor to perform such task. The expenses for the foregoing, after first being submitted to and approved by the Legislative Authority, shall cause a notice to be served upon the owner, requiring such person to pay the cost of such work in accordance with a statement of cost enclosed with such notice. The notice shall be sent in the same manner as provided in subsection (d) hereof. If the statement of costs is not paid within thirty days after mailing of such notice and statement, the Legislative Authority of the City shall make a written return to the County Auditor of its actions taken hereunder with a statement of the charges for such service, the amount paid for the performing of such labor, and a proper description of the premises. Such amounts shall be entered upon the tax duplicate, shall be a lien upon such lands from the date of the entry and shall be collected as other taxes and returned to the City with the General Fund.
(Ord. 14-2008. Passed 7-29-08.)