City of Stockton considers hefty fees against vacant buildings
STOCKTON -- Pinkie Sagote is one of the newest business owners in Downtown Stockton. She wanted to start her business across the street from the courthouse to get more foot traffic.
After a few months, that slowed, and she said that being next door to vacant buildings doesn't help.
"Not a lot of people know too much about shopping downtown," Sagote said. "A lot of people don't come downtown because there isn't too much stuff down here for them to come down here and see if there is something for them."
It's not just an issue for local businesses. Fires have erupted inside these vacant buildings, gutting or destroying structures. One just happened around five months ago at the old YMCA.
After decades of struggle, the city is now taking action.
"There's so many things we could be doing with these vacant properties that we can't because the owner is derelict in their duties, so it just sits there and rots," Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi said.
A recent survey found there are 250 commercial buildings sitting vacant in the city of Stockton. These buildings have been sitting empty for 180 days or more.
In order to revitalize and bring business back to downtown, the city will now charge owners of vacant buildings that have no plans to rent, lease or develop the property.
Here is how it is currently broken down:
- $250 per month for the first year.
- $500 per month for the second year.
- $1,000 per month for the third year.
But that's not all the city is doing to fight the blight.
"Now the other thing that we need to make sure happens is that the property owner has a no trespassing permit on that property, so that if police do see somebody on that property, they're able to remove them," Mayor Christina Fugazi explained.
With this, the city hopes it will be the start of a thriving downtown, helping residents and business owners like Sagote.
"Don't be scared. Don't give up. When you do, go for it," she said. "Let's get downtown Stockton booming."
Mayor Fugazi said the money generated from these fines would go towards enforcement to make sure these buildings aren't compromised.
Next, the city council will vote on the final fee structure.
