To prevent vacant lots from continuing to be a problem for citizens, an initiative to amend the Urban Code was approved to support owners of abandoned properties in returning them to a good state. If they fail to do so, they will be penalized by the municipalities.
The objective of the initiative to amend Article 85 of the Urban Code of the State of Querétaro is to create clear rules so that the municipality and the owner understand the implications of having an abandoned property.
“We want to establish clear rules regarding what constitutes vacant land and give the state’s municipalities the tools to provide cleanup services, at the public’s expense, through the Municipal Services Secretariat. If the owners refuse to fix their vacant lots and put them in order, the municipalities may impose a fine.
Urban and infrastructure decisions passed through the hands of various officials during Manuel González Valle’s three-year term.
“The purpose of this regulation is to respect private property, but that does not exempt all Querétaro residents from a public duty,” stated the member of the Urban Development, Public Works, and Communications Commission of the LXI Legislature.
The proposal seeks to prevent vacant lots from becoming red flags for the population, as it aims to ensure that all abandoned spaces with owners are rehabilitated.
“In the municipality and throughout the state, there are vacant lots with owners. Land owned by someone who has abandoned it, overgrown with weeds, is used as a dump, becoming a dumping ground, and this poses dangers to the population.
“We have detected in the metropolitan area that these types of properties are a hotbed for crime, because they are where dead people have been found, they are places where robberies occur, and even sexual abuse crimes have been committed. In other words, they become no-man’s-land. But when we examine what’s happening with these places, we realize that there are owners, and they’ve simply abandoned it, and it’s become a public problem,” said Representative Paul Ospital.
Without wishing to offend the owners of these properties, the legislator pointed out that the landowner must be held accountable, since the lack of interest in their land can affect the general population.
“Private property ownership doesn’t exempt you from your public duty, because, at the end of the day, you’re causing harm to others by abandoning their properties.
“Furthermore, during wildfire season, they also become a problem for those around them, in addition to promoting the proliferation of harmful animals such as rats, tepocatas, and all kinds of animals that put children at risk,” the legislator warned.
Source: oem
