The Champaign City Council discussed regulation of vacant buildings Tuesday night, an issue that proved to be controversial among many in attendance.

Many vacant buildings in the area, commercial and residential, have remained empty for several years.

“There needs to be something done about these empty buildings,” said Susan Salzman, property maintenance supervisor for the city. “They bring about the issue of public safety and neighborhood decline, while providing a negative impact on property values.”

Salzman proposed that there be a vacant buildings ordinance in order to reduce the amount of these buildings and to encourage timely reuse, rehabilitation, consistent maintenance or demolition of the buildings.

“With a vacant buildings ordinance, we could reduce the time and cost of inspections and we can decrease the tremendous burden that these buildings propose,” said Kevin Jackson, neighborhood services director. “Not only do these buildings decrease property value, but they also have been attributed to increased crime rates in the area.”

With the ordinance, abandoned properties will need to be registered as abandoned within a period of time after receiving notice from the city. Next, a vacant building plan must be issued, which includes time milestones for building repairs, compliance with the property maintance department and the proposed reuse of the building.

“I am pleased with the idea of this ordinance, because it includes both residential and commercial buildings. We need to set an example for our community,” said Dist. 3 Council member Vic McIntosh.

Staff was told to develop the ordinance for the next meeting.