Mayor Taveras Announces Initiative to Address Foreclosed, Boarded Homes

Proposed vacant property ordinance will hold landlords accountable for maintaining properties; speed revitalization of neighborhoods impacted by national foreclosure crisis.

Mayor Angel Taveras today announced his administration's initiative to strengthen the city's oversight of foreclosed and abandoned properties and speed the revitalization of neighborhoods impacted by the national foreclosure crisis.

"My administration is working together with the City Council to address the impacts in Providence of the national foreclosure crisis. Owners of vacant and abandoned properties have an obligation to their communities to ensure they are maintained and secured," said Mayor Taveras. "As Mayor and as a former housing court judge, I've seen first-hand how a healthy housing stock acts like an anchor - keeping communities safe and stable."

Mayor Taveras and City Councilors announced plans for passage this fall of Rhode Island's first vacant property registration ordinance. The ordinance, introduced by Councilwoman Sabina Matos (Ward 15) and Councilman Bryan Principe (Ward 13) and co-sponsored by all 15 members of the City Council, will require out-of-state banks and all owners of vacant properties to register the properties in a publicly accessible database and comply with strict requirements regarding their internal and external maintenance and security.

"I thank Councilwoman Matos and Councilman Principe for introducing this forward thinking legislation and their dedication to tackling Providence's housing crisis," said Council President Michael A. Solomon. "Their proposal is a proactive approach to ensuring vacant properties throughout the City are maintained and managed in a more vigilant manner. Hopefully, this increased oversight will stabilize our vacant housing stock and encourage reinvestment in our communities."

Under city laws, trash and graffiti at vacant properties need to be removed within 48 hours, entrances to must be protected by motion activated lighting from dusk to dawn, doors need to be locked with deadbolts, plumbing needs to be winterized and efforts must be taken to rid properties of rodents and vermin.

Non-compliance will result in fines of $1,000 per day per violation, up to $100,000.

The ordinance will require out-of-state banks and other vacant property owners located beyond 50 miles of the city to register a local agent who will be responsible for complying with maintaining their vacant properties in accordance with city laws. Property owners will be required to provide the Providence Police Department and the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services with 24-hour contact information for all abandoned properties.

While state law and city code enables the city to pursue negligent property owners, this ordinance creates a special category of properties for which the city can take faster, more aggressive action. Providence would be the first community in Rhode Island to pass a vacant properties registration ordinance, joining more than 500 cities and towns nationally that have enacted similar ordinances.

Mayor Taveras announced plans for the ordinance standing alongside City Councilors and Olneyville Housing Corporation Executive Director Frank Shea outside of 43 Hyatt Street in Providence's Olneyville neighborhood. The address, which was recently rehabilitated by Olneyville Housing, had been partially destroyed by fire and was one of many vacant houses in the neighborhood covered in plywood.

Earlier today, Mayor Taveras toured the neighborhood with the city's Nuisance Task Force - an interdepartmental effort that brings together staff from the Mayor's policy office, the Law Department, the Police and Fire departments, Public Works, and Inspections and Standards to rapidly identify and respond to vacant and problematic properties that pose risks to public health, public safety and quality of life.

The Nuisance Task Force meets bi-weekly at the Law Department, where individualized action plans are developed to address each property. When possible, the task force brings property owners in to City Hall to connect them with available resources such as landlord training or lead paint safety classes.

When a tougher response is required, the task force refers negligent properties to Housing Court. Properties that represent significant safety concerns in the community can be scheduled for demolition.

This summer, the city's Law Department has conducted a census of abandoned properties in Providence that inventories problem properties and maps them by their locations and their challenges.

Mayor Taveras also announced today the formation of an ad-hoc policy advisory group, the Providence Housing Partnership. Consisting of representatives from our city's community development corporations, advocacy organizations and preservation society, the Housing Partnership will be staffed by the Mayor's policy office and will be responsible for providing input and consultation on all issues related to housing policy.