Macomb, IL – Macomb will not turn to what's described as a tool of last resort to enforce zoning codes in single family neighborhoods.
The Planning Commission voted against recommending the use of amortization. That process would have allowed the city to eventually eliminate rental properties that are currently grandfathered in to single family areas.
Community Development Coordinator Ed Basch says amortization posed too many questions. He says there was no plan for what would happen to the homes that had been used as rentals.
Basch also says it's not known what amortization might do to the overall real estate market in Macomb.
It's also possible the city would have been required to reimburse landlords who lost rental properties under the plan.
You can listen to more of Basch's comments by clicking on the audio button.
Additional information:
*The Planning Commission suggested the city intensify enforcement of the ordinances already on the books. Basch says the city is prepared to do that.
*Basch says the city has been operating with just a part-time code enforcement officer since mid-March because of an injury to the full-timer. He says the city is now about to hire a new full-time code enforcer.