Villa Park eyes regulation to secure vacant houses

Villa Park leaders are eyeing new local laws to crack down on vacant properties.

With foreclosures on the rise, the village board Monday unanimously directed the village attorney and village manager to draft the necessary paperwork so the municipality would have authorization to board up and secure a vacant home. A lien then could be placed on the property to recover the village's costs.

"Our goal is not to have buildings boarded up in town," Trustee Albert Bulthuis said. "It's an eyesore to the community if the property is not maintained properly. We believe these (proposed ordinances) could be another tool for the village to clean up ... and get people back into these homes."

The village has encountered juveniles vandalizing and even starting fires in vacant homes, officials said.

Villa Park plans to draft local laws similar to other area municipalities, such as Oak Park and Gilberts, that recently enacted local regulations dealing with vacant properties.

Village officials hope the regulations, which would include the creation of a registry of foreclosed homes, could help the village to track down property owners. Then staff could encourage responsible individuals to expedite whatever is necessary to get new tenants as soon as possible.

"I think this ordinance could do just that," Village President Joyce Stupegia said.

Several suburban municipalities are eyeing similar local laws due to the ongoing housing woes and anticipated foreclosures in 2009, Villa Park officials said.

Villa Park trustees still need to review and vote on its own local regulations during meetings in January. If approved, the laws could go into effect in six weeks at the earliest, officials said.