Order for a hearing to discuss reinforcing fines or implementing funding for distressed privately owned buildings and vacant lots.
Kolkata Council. Flaherty. Consultation Council here. Councilor Murphy, please have the chair. Dawkins 0636 will be assigned to the Committee on City Services and Innovation Technology. Mr. Clerk, please read Docket 06370637. Councilor Fernandes Sanderson offer the following order for a hearing to discuss reinforcing fines or implementing funding for distressed, distressed, privately owned buildings in vacant lots. Thank you. The chair recognizes Counsel Fernandez Anderson. Counsel Fernandez Anderson. You have the floor. So I just got a note from my count, my colleagues it to read it. I'm kidding. Here we go. Listen. Look. How did I end up talking so much today? So I've been talking with Ice-T in different departments and really looking into this issue in Roxbury and particularly. And we you guys hear me talk a lot about the decrepit sort of, you know, abandoned looking and neglected properties in Roxbury. Right. And seriously, as we all know, there are dozens of lots around the city, particularly 87 and in surrounding predominantly black and brown working class communities. These lots offer space where exciting and innovative ideas could be occurring. And so also, you know, with a lot of these buildings to some some of it some of the issue is we know that of from poor families, they're not able to actually afford to repair their property and some of them fall in different category and there's different technicalities that prevent them from repairing their property. So I think it's it would be a good idea for us to start talking about what programs already in place funding that is left or not left. From what I'm hearing from different departments is that the funding is actually very low at this point and the program is always at almost at its end. So if we can actually discuss bringing in back reinforcing fines to those who can afford it without disproportionately impacting black and brown or poor families, obviously. And I would like to also add, as an original co-sponsor, Councilor Laurel, I know he's not here, know how that applies, but in council allusion to this order. Thank you. The chair recognizes. Counsel. Counsel Eugene at this time. President. Thank you, President Flynn, and thank you to Councilman Dennison for offering this. We know that we have an incredibly impossible real estate market right now. But still, Boston finds itself with a lot of buildings that are vacant or abandoned or blighted. And this has happened. This has been going on for years and years and years. Sometimes the reason is in part because speculators are land making and they're holding on to land and letting the prices rise while investing nothing and forcing neighbors to live next to properties that are in desperate need of repair. Many times, however, there are times when it's because the owner just doesn't have the money to keep up. It's really expensive to get work done. The cost of labor is increasing, so we need to continue to find ways to tell the difference between those opposed to the land making by the investors and the homeowner who just can't afford to make the improvements necessary. The other category of land owners who can't afford you should be supported with resources that Catherine Anderson was talking about. We need to make sure that we're uplifting, uplifting and supporting the neighbors in the neighborhoods to be able to do something about the property that everyone can be proud of. I was on the phone yesterday and today with a constituent who is dealing with this very issue. Banks, grants, consulting and programs all play a role in revitalization. And I know that there is a problem task force, problem property task force here. But how they work with community groups, neighborhood associations, see programs and grants still leave a lot to be desired. We, the city can do better to help connect the resource, connect resources and create them where necessary, especially in neighborhoods that have been historically disinvested. To make sure that each neighborhood is somewhere where, you know, we have we're building thriving neighborhoods where we all feel like our neighborhoods affirm our dignity. So thank you for having me as original co-sponsor and I look forward to the work. That you council. Mr. Kirk, please add Council John as an original co-sponsor. Unfortunately, we're not going to be able to add council. Where else, since he's not here. The chair recognizes Council of Bach. Council? Bach. You have the floor. Thank you so much, Mr. President. Thank you to the sponsors. And I just wanted to strongly say, please add my name. I was out walking with property management in Mission Hill yesterday, talking about graffiti and just in general, all these places where we see buildings that, you know, again and again, residents are reporting them. And it's coming back with that answer of either an investor owner who's absentee and can't be reached or in some cases a small business owner or a residential order that just the owner that just doesn't have the money. So I totally agree with the sponsors that we have to we need a program that better distinguishes between those folks and that is providing support for the folks who need the resources and I think is providing more substantial penalties and penalties that really bite for folks who are intentionally leaving their properties until an investment like a development opportunity arises and letting everyone else live with it. In the meantime, I just wanted to strongly second this and please I mean my. Thank you counsel block that she recognizes counselor Brad and counsel Brad and you have the. Floor. Thank you, Mr. President. Please add my name. I thank you so much for bringing this issue forward. Councilor Fernandez Anderson, the the business. The other issue that I know, my predecessor and councilor, Madam Ali, raised the issue about vacant shopfronts and storefronts in our business districts and our main streets. It's a similar sort of issue that may or may not be rolled into this conversation, but it's very detrimental to our Main Street districts to have vacant shopfronts and premises left vacant for long periods of time, years in some cases in our district, because an absentee landlord, landlord is just waiting for a more. Profitable opportunity, then perhaps a small local business that might use the premises. So please have my name. Thank you. Thank you, counsel. Anyone else like to speak on this matter? The chair recognizes. Counsel me here. Counsel me here. You have the floor. Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you to the sponsors. Please add my name. I'm really super enthusiastic about this, and I'd like to echo my colleague's sentiments, Councilor Breeden. And last year I believe it was council and I embarked on another journey to really address the commercial vacancies that are happening in our community. Those are all often distressed as well, and I think we have an opportunity to open up those storefronts and allow small businesses to incubate in those spaces. So I think that there's some room in this discussion if the chair allows through the chair to also add commercial vacancies into this conversation, because I think that is part of the whole community. So I wanted to just offer that as something that we can include. Thank you. Thank you, councilman. Here. Would anyone else like to what? Anyone like to sign on? Please raise your hand. Mr. Carter, please had council. A Royal Council. A Baker Council. A council. Brighton Council. A council. A celebrity. Council may hear. Councilor Murphy, please have a chair. Docket 0637 will be assigned to the Committee on City Services, Innovation Technology. Mr. Clerk, please read Docket 0638.