As vacant-building ordinance goes into effect, many have not registered

The vacant-building ordinance is now in effect and building owners have been put on notice that they need to register their unused buildings

by Marsha Chartrand 

Manchester’s vacant building ordinance was adopted in early August and went into effect on August 21. As the 30-day registration period drew to a close on September 20, Village Manager Michael Sessions said that many building owners had not yet responded, despite a reminder that went out on Sept. 12.

As of Friday, Sept. 23, Sessions reported that three buildings had been officially registered as “vacant.“ Sixteen properties — commercial, industrial, and residential — had been identified by village administration as “vacant buildings.“ Sessions said he has also been in conversation with building owners who have questioned or disputed whether their buildings can be flagged under the ordinance.

While Sessions said he will continue communicating with those owners questioning their buildings’ designations, for the remaining unregistered vacant buildings, he intends to move forward with the enforcement phase and have the WCSO issue tickets to the building owners for court appearances.

“Village Council has established this ordinance and we need to follow through,“ he said.

Village President Pat Vailliencourt stated, “The intent of this ordinance is to protect the health and safety of our community. The DDA spent over a year researching ordinances of other communities; Council had input from two attorneys to ensure it was appropriate, fair, and legally defensible. We had some success with registrations. We have heard from some owners claiming their property does not meet the vacant building qualifications, which we will address. Some have ignored it.“

She concluded, “I would encourage those that received the notifications to comply. Village Council has every intention of protecting our community by enforcing this ordinance. Noncompliance is a Civil Infraction that is subject to fines and court costs.“

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.