Higher fees and fines could be coming for the owners of vacant and nuisance properties in some parts of the city.
City officials are considering stronger enforcement measures in its vacant building program while also looking at ways to use such properties to bolster the affordable housing supply.
Almost 1,000 buildings are listed in the city’s Vacant Building Program Inventory.
But that only accounts for homes and commercial structures in certain parts of the city, including the central business district and city-initiated Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones, areas around historic landmarks and within the city’s designated historic districts, and in buffer zones surrounding military bases, schools and child care facilities.
Councilwoman Teri Castillo (D5) asked city staff in 2025 to take a closer look at toughening vacant building policies.
“The goal of the council consideration request [CCR] is to ensure that we’re meeting the public safety needs with our residents, and we know that oftentimes the vacant structure turns into a vacant lot, which then serves as a host of so many other public safety concerns in our neighborhood,” she said.
During a recent meeting of the city council’s Planning and Community Development Committee, staff brought a proposal for how the program could be strengthened.
In 2015, the city launched a pilot program with the goal to spur economic redevelopment through the rehabilitation and reuse of vacant and blighted structures.
Expanded in 2017 and 2023, the program also sought to hold property owners accountable and help create a safer environment for residents that live near vacant structures.
Properties registered for the program are mapped here.
One such vacant building is the River Walk’s historic Book Building on Houston Street downtown and its companion structure facing Soledad Avenue, a cluster of structures unoccupied since 2015.
Owners of vacant single-family homes are required to register for the program and pay an annual fee of $400. All others pay $900.
They must also submit a maintenance plan and do upkeep, including protecting the building from pests, weather damage and trespassers.
Owners are fined for not keeping buildings maintained as was the case recently with the Book Building and pay abatement costs incurred by the city.
Castillo’s CCR recommended increasing the number of registered properties along with several other measures meant to reduce vacant buildings but also rehab them.
One proposal would involve establishing an interlocal agreement with Bexar County to get vacant properties that owe back taxes foreclosed. The city is prohibited by state law from foreclosing on properties but the county can — due to delinquency in property taxes.
“I’m supportive of the work that you have been doing in terms of the interlocal agreement, and really eager to see that move along,” Castillo said. “I think there is value in expanding the program beyond the downtown district, beyond historic districts, because that’s the expectation that my constituency has.”
The city’s Code Enforcement can place liens on properties for abatement costs, such as cleaning, securing, or demolitions, but not foreclose on a property, per statutory law.
The request also asked staff to look at instituting a sliding-scale fee for properties that remain vacant over longer periods, a tactic other cities use. But Amin Tohmaz, director of Development Services, said that idea is not always practical as properties could turn over to new owners who would then inherit those fees.
City staff also evaluated the potential for creating a receivership program, which would involve a court-ordered legal process allowing a neutral third party (the receiver) to temporarily take custody of a property. The City of Dallas has used this tool, Tohmaz said.
But staff said that finding individuals or organizations willing to serve as a “receiver,” and expend money upfront to repair structures without ownership, has been the biggest obstacle to that route.
The city has tried unsuccessfully to identify potential receivers since 2007, and the city cannot by law serve as a receiver.
The idea of using housing bond funds to incentivize receiverships or acquire properties was also floated by council members, with property transferred to a land trust or qualified housing agency or nonprofit, like Merced or the Mexican American Unity Council.
Councilman Edward Mungia (D4) proposed the city consider increasing fees for vacant commercial properties with the funds going toward more frequent inspections and abatements.
Kaur said the city could come up with a better plan than what was presented Tuesday.
“I feel like a lot of our neighborhoods are really facing this important issue,” Kaur said. “I think there’s more that can be done, and I would push us to think beyond what has been recommended here, which to me feels a little bit like let’s keep doing exactly what we’re doing.”
Kaur suggested a technology solution that overlays data for the public to use in learning more about the status of a property, including zoning and crime data, and providing council staff and the public a list of the violations that could lead to a lien of citation on a vacant property.
“When you do live next to a vacant property, it can be the worst thing, and it just feels like we’re not doing anything that we don’t care about those streets,” she said.
