HomeMy WebLinkAbout0205.094rMarch 31, 1994
HOnORABLE CITY COUIICIL
Palo Alto, California
.,,4 Residential Clean-up Pro~
Members of the Council:
Rft!;) art 10 Witt
'J'~!.s is an informationa.l ,,:rf,port on a property maintenance progl."am
to be carrfed out by thi 5l' .T:nspection Services Division and no City
council action is requizec;J,I' This program is a citywirle residential
clean-up canpaign intcn1tHl ,to improve the quality of property
maintenance, thereby enh1;\\~jng the overall appearance of Palo 11.1 t.().
It is timed to coincide wh.:".\ the City's centennial celebrations and
the World Cup soccer qame~ at Stanford Stadium.
piscussi2n
]I.. similar and very succes~i~J program was conducted in 1982. That
program employed two tempora ... ~y ell1ployees, who rode bicycles and
inspected residential property in the City~ Notices were left at
locations where violations were found, and reinspect,ions were
conducted approximately two weeks later to verify that the
violation 's) had been corrected. When not correcte<i, a second
notice was issued. If a third inspection revealed thClt the
violation had still not been corrected, the O~dinance Compliance
Inspector took over the case and beqan abatement proceedinqs. In
the 1982 program, approximately 91 percent of the violations, noted
at the time of the first inspection, were corrected by the, time of
the second inspection.
It has been almost tw~lve years since the conclusion of the earlier
program. During thi~ period" the Inspection Services 'DivisionIs
ability to enforce property maintenance standards has decreased due
to reduction of 1/2 staff position and an increase in the number of
complaints ann Planning issues handled by the Code Enforcement
Officer. As a 'result, the qua;J.ity of property maintenance in
va:r;ious noiqhborhoods has diminished at a time when greater
regional, national and even international attention will be focused
on the City of Palo Alto because of the Centennial and the World
Cup soccer games. It is for these reasons that the current program
is being conducted at this time.
CMR:205:94
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f.t...Q9Iam Scope
The: current program will utilize four temporary employees to
conduct the l>:toperty' inspections and issue the correction notices.
As in the 1982 program, they will ride bicycle~ and inspect
residential properties in the City. The inspection process "',ill
be'1~n by mid-April. The intent is to begin the program on April
18 1 1994 and complete the first round of inspections by June 17,
1994, which is just prior-to the first World Cup game at stanford
on June 20th. Because of this time-,frame, using four temporary
inspectors is proposed instead of two as in the 1982 program.
The types of property maintenance violat.ions to be addt:essed by
this program are:
• Bike lane encroachments * Bushes on sidewalks
• High and dry weeds on private property
"" J...eaves and debris swept from private prop~rty into public street * Hign bushes in public parking strips * Inoperable vehicles in the front setbacks of private property
-j; Debris, garbage, litter, rubbish in the front setback
.. Dilapidated fences and shetis v.:J.sible from the street
~ Thorny plants and bushes growing into the public sidewalk
.. lIns",,'ept sidewalks (leaves, pine needles, dirt, etc.)
"" Storaqa of \I'ood, boxes, i\,uto parts, junk in the' fl'ont setback * PiJ.es of wood, leaves, b.1 '~mches, etc. in the front setback
it Low branches overhanging the public, sidewalk or street
"* D&ad, dry trees in the front setback
.. Other general conditions which are in violation of MunicipClil Code
property maintenance standards
IX29ram Tirnet~
1.. Personnel' equipment acquisition .... , ••. 3/1/94 -4/8/94
2. PUblic relations &: involvement phase •.. ,3/1/94 -4/15/94
3. Inspector training/orientation ...•..... 4/11/94 -4/15/94
4. Conduct initial inspections ..... ; .... ,.4/18/94 -6/17/94
5. Follo,,-up inspections •...............••. 5/9/94 -7/29/94
6.· Terminate program .• , .•. , .••..... , ...... ,., ..• , .•. 7/29/94
F'UndLnq
The costs for this program will be from the City Managerls
Contingency Fund and the RefUse Fund.
CKR,?,05:94 03/31/94
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It is anUcil'atod that the rea.1dent. of Polo Alto will welcome this
program and voluntarily partIcipate as. a matter of community spirit
and ciyie pride. TOo fos-tar that attitude, wo intend to publicize
tho proqram in the Palo Alto Weekly and Mercury ~lews and to
distribute flyers at val'tous City facilities' such as libraries,
cOllmunity centers and City Hall. We 'Will also be contacting each
.neighborhood or9anh:~tlol1 to request their endol·sement and ask them
to participate by conducting their own neighborhood clean-up prior
to our J.l1speotion~
Tho Inspection Services Division will provide detailed statistical
reports after tho proqt'dQ b~9ins~
Respectrully ~ub~itted,
/;~ IjtA1,)'~-
FHt:D HER.'iA1I
Chief Building Official
KENNE1'1I R. SCIIREIB!,;R rfr. of. P.l a /z /~. -9~ CO""lImity
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J,'u FLEIHNG/"7
( '!ity Man"gor V
VCHR.20S.94
Environment
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03/31/94
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