Thornton Property Maintenance Code Compliance Inspection Program

Challenge: The City of Thornton, Colorado, adopted the South Thornton Urban Renewal Authority Non-Residential Property Maintenance Code. The purpose of the Maintenance Code is to remediate blighted conditions by requiring property owners and tenants to maintain the exterior of the buildings, parking lot, sidewalks, lighting, etc., as well as the interior of the building through the use of the Maintenance Code. The intent of the program was to conduct inspections of the entire URA to assess the impact of the ordinance and provide an estimate of the cost to remedy all code violations discovered during those inspections.

Solution: HR Green assisted the City with the enforcement of the Thornton Property Maintenance Code Compliance Inspection Program to remediate the blighted conditions. Inspections examined property maintenance, indoors and outdoors, including mechanical and electrical systems, structure frames and building envelopes, sites and site paving, life safety and fire protection, physical security, and interior elements. To date, comprehensive inspections of 282 parcels with 223 buildings and over 600 businesses have been completed. Data collection was done in the field using iPads, GIS applications, and mobile data technology. Reporting consisted of individual inspection reports per parcel, building or suite with violations, repair cost approximations for the municipality, along with letters and reports sent to property owners and businesses.

Upon completion of the contract, the City of Thornton received a comprehensive library of thousands of photographs, which will provide a “snapshot in time” of the physical conditions in the urban renewal area along with a final, comprehensive report. These documents become a valuable resource to staff in a historic perspective to show progress or to document the length of time that a violation has existed.