Neglected eyesore buildings need to be taxed at a higher rate if the city wants to improve Stony Plain Road, according to a group dedicated to revitalizing the area.

“Landlords shouldn’t be able to sit with derelict buildings for a period of time,” said Diana Kereluk, executive director of the Stony Plain Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ).

“I mean, that’s just wrong.”

The BRZ asked the city’s executive committee to consider creating the vacancy tax Tuesday.

The group also wants the land owners to pay into the area’s revitalization levy, which is used for neighbourhood improvements. Kereluk says the owners are already reaping the rewards of the fund.

“They’re just waiting for their money to grow. And because they’re not being penalized in any way, including paying into a BRZ levy. They’re getting away with it,” she said.

The Municipal Government Act forbids the city from charging different rates of taxation for different types of commercial properties.

Mayor Don Iveson said the city has asked the province to change that provision, and he suggested using Stony Plain Road as a case study in their submission.

Registry would name neglectful land owners

Coun. Michael Walters said derelict buildings are major problem for mature neighbourhoods undergoing revitalization, especially considering the city’s push for more infill development.

“We talk a lot about making our core communities more vibrant. One of the impediments to that is vacant buildings, vacant lots, derelict properties that actually drag down everyone else around them,” he said.

In March, he requested a report looking in to ways the city can deal with nuisance properties, such as creating a registry of vacant buildings that include the names of the owners.

“They’re often able to be protected by anonymity,” he said. “Nobody knows who they are, therefore they can never be held accountable.”

Council will review a follow-up report looking in to the cost of such a registry this fall.

City will examine its own vacant buildings

Two of the derelict buildings along Stony Plain Road are owned by the city.They’ve stood vacant for years, with windows and doors boarded over.

Coun. Andrew Knack said the buildings came to his attention shortly after he was elected in the ward.

“It was disappointing that it has been derelict for as long as it was,” he said.

City administration says they are planning to refurbish the buildings, and are reviewing other city-owned properties, not just along Stony Plain Road, but it other parts of Edmonton as well.