The New Brunswick City Council believes cleaning up homes will help clean up the city's streets.
An abandoned house on Hassart Street, in New Brunswick, that caught fire in December 2013. NEW BRUNSWICK -- The city council believes it can help clean up the streets by first cleaning up busted homes that have not been repaired by their owners.
Earlier this month, the city council unanimously passed the Abandoned Properties Rehabilitation Ordinance, which allows it to take control of derelict properties negatively affecting "the quality of life of adjacent property owners," according to the ordinance.
The measure -- which will only affect residential properties -- aims to motivate property owners to perform the necessary repairs, according to a statement from the city.
In the absence of action, however, the ordinance allows the city to "take possession of the properties and make them available to developers to rehabilitate and ultimately offer as new homes."
The city says converting these abandoned properties into occupied homes will help fend off "illegal or unsavory behavior," improve neighborhood conditions by providing more housing opportunities for residents, prevent fires and the risk of potential health hazards.
Additionally, the city says leaving properties in an abandoned state will negatively impact" neighborhood stability and revitalization."
"Abandoned houses can be an eyesore and a limitation to our neighborhoods," Mayor Jim Cahill said in the statement. "This ordinance will allow us to have a more active role in taking properties that need intervention and reverting them into new homes for residents."
The city will issue Cahill a list of abandoned properties every six months. The list will also be published in the newspaper and notices will be sent to all affected property owners, the statement said.
Affected property owners or lien holders "may submit a plan of action to rehabilitate any properties that are identified as abandoned," the statement said. "If the plan is determined to be sufficient, and a bond is posted to cover the projected rehabilitation costs, the property can be removed from the list.
Any disputes would be handled by a Superior Court judge.
It is unclear when the ordinance will go into effect as the city is still compiling its first list of properties it believes meets the ordinance's definition of "abandoned."
But once completed, the list will be available to the public at the city clerk's office.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.