ESCONDIDO — The city is attempting to curb its growing number of vacant retail stores and other establishments by adopting a new fee for abandoned commercial buildings.
According to staff, Escondido became the first city in San Diego County to create an abandoned commercial building fee after the City Council approved the ordinance on Oct. 23.
Property owners of abandoned commercial buildings or vacant lots will have to pay a total of $4,474 annually, which includes a registration fee of $1,042 and an upfront monitoring fee for 12 months for $3,432.
The fee will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
City staff began working on the revised code in late 2022 after observing an uptick in business closures, particularly along Grand Avenue downtown. Rising rents, operating costs and a lack of incentives for property owners to quickly find tenants have left storefronts vacant for longer periods than the city would like, prompting officials to take action.
“Empty commercial lots and buildings negatively affect the character and economy of Escondido,” said Jennifer Schoeneck, the city’s economic development director. “These buildings and lots attract unwanted activity such as litter, encampments and crime. They cost the city’s code enforcement and police teams time and money; they create blight, reduce pedestrian traffic, hurt nearby city businesses and city revenue, lower rents for nearby properties and diminish community perception.”
Under the new ordinance, an “abandoned” property is a vacant commercial property not involved in foreclosure or recovery. “Vacant” properties are those not legally occupied, and “commercial” properties include buildings intended for retail, office, industrial, or other business use.
The ordinance requires property owners to display contact information, either their own or for a nearby representative if they reside more than 100 miles away, on a sign posted on their abandoned property.
Owners must also describe how they intend to secure their property from unauthorized entry, declare any future plans for the property, and inform the city of any challenges they face in fulfilling those future plans.
Property owners are also expected to maintain any existing fire sprinkler systems and include centralized and registered fire alarm or burglar systems. Buildings that don’t have any of these systems must provide continuous on-site monitoring of the property in other ways, such as hiring a security officer to patrol the grounds.
According to staff, the city will require monthly reports of these monitoring systems from property owners.
If vacant properties continue to be a nuisance, the city could require property owners to take additional measures to secure their properties, including installing more lights and hiring security.
Councilmember Consuelo Martinez pointed out an abandoned former gas station on East Valley Parkway as an example of a vacant property creating a nuisance in the neighborhood.
“It’s been a problem for years,” she said. “We’ve sent notices of violations after violations but they have done nothing… this is that extra step and nudge that we have to give.”
To further encourage property owners to fill their empty spaces, the city is offering to refund part of the monitoring fee if they secure a tenant.
