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2019 Council Budget Priority Submission Form <br />for consideration as part of the 2020 Budget <br />Finance Committee <br />Due date: Tuesday September 3rd 2019 <br />Title of Project or Policy Priority: Expanded Commercial & Residential property inspections <br />Submitted by: Bullock, O'Leary <br />City Departments to be involved: Housing & Building <br />Potential community partners: LakewoodAlive <br />Which of the Community Vision focus areas does your priority address? Check all that apply: <br />Commercial Development <br />W] Housing <br />RCommunity Wellness <br />FJ Safety <br />0 Mobility <br />F] Education & Culture <br />1. Provide a brief narrative description of your idea: <br />The Housing Forward strategy in 2020 should be implemented at an incrementally faster pace for residential properties so that the schedule the City is <br />working on now is completed more rapidly - -and therefor more is accomplished for housing quality during this time of significant residential market <br />activity (transfers, renovations). This proposal supports creating more financial capacity for Housing Forward if further enhancing the pay scale for <br />exterior property inspectors would put the City in a position to further improve our effectiveness. <br />In addition, a "Commercial Properties Forward" strategy, analogous to the residential strategy (with analogous benefits), should be initialed for the first <br />time for commercial properties (for all types: multi - family residential, office, retail, and mixed use). This proposal envisions that at least two new staff <br />would be required to implement Commercial Property Forward (at an increased cost of $150,000 - $200,000 annually, based on a $75,000 + - per -FTE <br />estimate). To limit cost, the City could put time limits on the strategy and FTEs (for example, commit only to 2 -3 years needed to make a full pass on all <br />commercial properties). However, this is probably is not advisable - -since any building quality gains attained via will need to be maintained. <br />2. Briefly explain how this will benefit the community: <br />The growth Lakewood is experiencing presents the City an opportunity to leverage private investment to achieve progress on backlogged maintenance and to update designs far buildings <br />constructed 100 years ago to contemporary needs. It is important to "strike while the market iron is her' and to have skilled inspectors of sufficient capacity to ensure quality and safety of the rehabs <br />and new builds while at the same time raising quality standards of the least-maintained, poorest - quality buildings. <br />For the commercial property side, all the benefls of building quality that have seemed to residential properties are likewise Important to commercial properties —but the City has not implement a <br />systematic, proactive exterior rating strategy to prioritize enforcement and spur maintenance by property owners. In addition, more inspections by the City times ere betterin a lease maintenance haand more stuck <br />updates by property owners. Finally, business tenants are experiencing cost pressures due to recent property value increases passed along to them, y some <br />property owner who invests little to none In improving the tenant or common spaces. City action could help business tenants get their needs met while improving safety and building quality. <br />3. Estimated expense (provide a range): <br />$150,000 - $250,000 annually for Commercial; up to $50,000 for residential. <br />4. If applicable, describe any past proposals or discussions that are related to this priority. <br />Housing Committee deliberations throughout the years. <br />5. If applicable, describe any preliminary discussions you have had with colleagues, the administration <br />and /or your constituents about this priority. <br />Informal discussions with Planning, Building and Housing, Councilmembers, and LakewoodAlive. <br />042 <br />