City approves rental registry fees, bright crosswalk at Stafford

PLATTSBURGH | At the Common Council meeting March 7, councilors set fees for the new Short-Term Rental and Vacant Building registries. New laws approved this winter went into effect on March 1. The initial fee to register a Short-Term Rental is $350 with annual renewal at $250. Owners who rent part or all of a property for 30 days or less have to register with the city's Office of the Building Inspector. Short-term rental properties will need on-site inspection for certification, and certificates have to be displayed in or on the property. Vacant Building Registry fees were set "to allow the building inspector's office to operate the vacant building registry in a budget responsible manner." Property owners with buildings left vacant for 30 days or more are required to provide the address and information about the building's condition, any rehabilitation plan and use with the City of Plattsburgh building inspector. The fee to register a one or two-family house is $200 per year; a multi-family house is $400 per year. Commercial and mixed use properties have a $500 registration fee for first year; $1,000 for the second year; and $1,500 per subsequent year. The council discussed how this might impact properties being renovated or sitting vacant on the real estate market. Plattsburgh Mayor Christopher Rosenquest said the registry is not meant to punish folks "who are renovating or selling, but to strongly encourage folks who are sitting on vacant or abandoned properties" to take action. According to the building inspector, there are between 40 and 70 vacant properties in the city. CREATIVE CROSSWALK Councilors unanimously approved a bright, new Creative Crosswalk to be painted at the Broad and Oak Street intersection in front of Stafford Middle School. The crossing zone has three hatched walkways and is one the city's busiest during the school day. The zone on the western side of the walkway will be lined with hornets buzzing above bright orange honeycomb, keeping with the district's hornet mascot. Designed to improve visibility and encourage walking, it is a Complete Streets and Safe Routes to School initiative coordinated by the Clinton County Health Department with the city's school district and planning office. Funding comes through a Creating Healthy Schools and Communities grant. The goal is to create a more safe and friendly route for the walk to school. "It will automatically promote walking to school while providing better visibility and safety to pedestrians in the crossing located in a high traffic area," the agreement says. The buzzing hornet crosswalk will be the first of its kind in the city with potential for other crossing zone enhancements in the future. Materials for painting the street will come from the health department. The city and school district will coordinate the time and road closure to install the crosswalk. The school will hire or provide volunteers to paint it. Maintenance and the special permit for painting will be revisited every two years, according to the memorandum. Common Council unanimously approved the project.

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City approves rental registry fees, bright crosswalk at Stafford

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