The historical buildings in downtown Warrenton will be held to a higher standard of appearance after passage of stricter maintenance codes last week. 

Some property owners are concerned about how those new rules will be enforced. 

Warrenton aldermen voted 4-1 Jan. 21 to approve new property maintenance standards for Main Street buildings from Highway 47 to Elm Street.

Aldermen Bob Delaloye, Scott Schulze, Gary Auch and Gary Miller voted in favor of the new downtown maintenance rules. Ward 1 Alderman Cheryl Dyer voted against. Ward 1 Alderman Mike Shilharvey was absent.

“The changes are typical property maintenance items, and will certainly enhance the look in our downtown area as we all work toward bringing the downtown area back to a vibrant district,” City Administrator Terri Thorn said in a letter delivered to the downtown properties.

However, several property owners addressed the aldermen Jan. 21 to share concerns or outright condemn the new rules. They highlighted “vague” wording, such as what it means for a building feature to be in “good condition.” The penalties for violations, possibly including fines or jail time, were also a subject of complaint.

“What prevents the administration or employees from selectively ‘misapplying’ what I consider kind of unclear requirements?” asked property owner Gary Scott. “The violation and penalty seems a little excessive. ... The property owners this will affect probably don’t have the money to make those repairs.”

City Attorney Christopher Graville responded by explaining that building owners won’t be penalized if they work with the city to create a property improvement plan.

“Somebody could come in and say, ‘I want to do a property improvement plan. It’s going to take me six months to scrape and paint my building. Will the city give me six months?’”  Graville commented. As long as such as plan is in place, he said the owner would not be considered in violation.

The new property maintenance rules deal specifically with the exterior features of downtown buildings. They generally require structural elements to be kept in good repair, and other features to be maintained to a higher standard than before.

Wood and metal surfaces will have to be coated with weather-resistant paint or treatment that isn’t flaking or deteriorating. Siding and masonry joints must be kept in watertight condition, without any loose material. Windows have to be kept in good repair, rather than being left boarded up if they get broken.

Ward 2 Alderman Gary Auch said the higher standards will boost confidence in the value of investing in and revitalizing a downtown building.

“The person who has maintained their property (has a) right to hold market value,” Auch said. “If you’re maintaining your downtown property ... you have a certain investment in that, there’s a certain value in that,” which can be hurt by having a deteriorating property next door.

Cindy Burke with the Warrenton Downtown Association, a private business group, said the WDA supports the higher standards. 

“In order for us to improve downtown, some of these absentee landowners, who are doing nothing but letting that building fall apart, need help bringing that up,” Burke commented.

The new rules were first proposed in October 2019 and opened to a 90-day public comment period. City officials said several revisions were made to the final rules based on feedback from property owners.