Round Lake Beach targets vacant, foreclosed homes

Round Lake Beach officials are targeting vacant and foreclosed properties with a new local law described as a key tool in ongoing efforts to revitalize neighborhoods.

Approved by the village board Monday, the action calls for creation of a program to identify, register and regulate properties considered to be public nuisances that hurt neighborhoods and the village in a variety of ways.

The village over the years has acquired and rehabbed or demolished more than two dozen homes through its Housing Acquisition and Rehabilitation Program, but the pending registry would be broader and more comprehensive.

"The impetus is that we know from data out there that we have at least 500 foreclosures at any given time," said Lisa Pugliese, the village's neighborhood services director.

Homes that may be vacant or abandoned for various other reasons, called "zombie" properties, also are on the village's hit list.

Altogether, the properties to be registered represent about 8 percent of the village's 8,000 housing units, said Pugliese, the former executive director of the Affordable Housing Corporation of Lake County.

"The village wanted to address its housing issues. That's why I was hired and I saw this (registry) as a critical first step in getting a handle on these properties," she said.

The village's goal is to see the homes upgraded by the property's owner or acquired and demolish or rehabbed.

"What we're looking to do is map those units, get a feel for where they are and use strategies to improve neighborhoods," Pugliese said.

The 13-page amendment to the village code outlines a number of guidelines. Properties for the registry include any that have been vacant or unoccupied for more than 30 days.

Any occupied or vacant property with a mortgage in default, subject to a pending foreclosure or that has an application for a tax deed or lien sales also will be registered.

Some of those properties can be found on the 1200 block of Juneway Terrace, a quiet street lined with century-old trees.

Julian Corona said that when he bought his home out of foreclosure about a year ago, five homes on the block were vacant.

He welcomes any program to deal with empty houses.

"It would bring up property values," he said. "It would make the neighborhoods look a lot nicer."

Village officials say vacant properties not only look bad but can foster criminal activity and create an unsafe environment for children and emergency responders. It also can diminish neighbors' sense of well-being, officials say.

Corona suggested the village "pick a house and start there," but Pugliese said dealing with foreclosures is complicated and time-consuming.

"Just identifying the properties is the first step, and it's a lot of boots-on-the-ground research," she said.

The village intends to hire a private company to get the ball rolling with foreclosures, and the village staff will be compiling the others and sending notices to owners.

An owner of a property determined to be eligible for the register can appeal the finding. Failure to register carries a fine of $25 per day.