KINGSTON – Mayor Steven
Noble announced on Monday that armed with a state grant, people will have
the ability to buy vacant properties in Kingston.
Noble said one of the key components will be to propose a new local law, and to coordinate efforts between various city departments and his own office.
“The legislation that we’re proposing now will basically allow the city to make sure that anyone who has a vacant building that’s been vacant for more than 366 days, will have to register that building as a vacant building, pay a fee and as that building sits empty each year, that fee goes up,” the mayor said. “And so, it encourages folks that have these vacant building, one: make sure that we have the resources to maintain and keep after them because we’ll be getting more revenue in our building department, but it also is a financial incentive for them not to just sit on the building.”
The city hopes the new law will pass and that it, in conjunction with the grant offering qualified purchasers of vacant properties in the city up to $20,000, will alleviate the detrimental effect the excess of vacant buildings is having on the city.
The proposed legislation is scheduled to go before the Laws and Rules Committee of the common council next week, then, if it is found in order, it goes to the full body in July.
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