On August 25, 2020, the Sweden Town Board adopted a Local Law establishing a Vacant Building Registry to help monitor abandoned buildings and bring them to a level of safety and code compliance. One year into the program, the town has had 10 different buildings on the registry; some have been removed, others are in various stages of rehabilitation or monitoring.
The town has begun working with the Monroe County Planning and Development Department, which is assisting other communities with the vacant building issue. The county is looking for ways that a shared registry and perhaps shared software could help across communities.
Sweden’s year-old local law is being studied by some other towns as they look at creating their own local law. “Sweden moved ahead with a vacant building registry last year,” said Supervisor Kevin Johnson. “We are pleased to share our insights with other municipalities and to work together with the county on developing a system and technology that may improve the process for all of us.”
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