The Campbell Reporter

News

Campbell wants to crack down on blight, banners, below-par homes

By Koren Temple

City officials are looking to clean up Campbell by improving its code enforcement system.

"We've had a backlog of complaints, and that makes the city look unattractive," said Sharon Fierro, Campbell's community development director.

Most of the violations pertain to the illegal posting of signs, overgrown weeds, construction violations, problems with trash enclosures and blighted property.

One example of code enforcement violations that have city officials raising an eyebrow are all the illegal banners throughout the city. Some of the most noticeable locations are at the corner of McBain and Bascom avenues across from the Pruneyard Shopping Center, where banners hang from the Prunegate building, and at Camden and Curtner avenues on the building that houses a Starbucks. A huge Verizon banner is visible from nearby Highway 17.

The signs are illegal if the business owner does not obtain a sign permit from the community development director. An application for a sign permit is $297. Temporary signs, when approved, can be displayed for 30 days during any 180-day period.

Michael Zamai, owner of the Prunegate building, said he falls within the city's temporary sign ordinance and is not violating the law. He says the banners hanging from his building are not illegal. Zamai says he has a permanent permit for a "For Lease" sign.

"There are nine tenants, and they each put their sign up for the 30 days during a six-month period," Zamai said.

In some instances, based on the size and location of the sign, such as a freeway banner, approval must come from the Campbell Planning Commission. The application cost for a freeway banner is $3,000.

"These people are slapping up banners. I understand they need to let people know where they are, but it wreaks havoc with the look of the city," said Campbell Planning Commissioner Bob Alderete, a strong proponent of cracking down on offenders.

While there are a few cases where businesses are unaware they need a sign permit, most know signage is a cost of doing business, Alderete said.

The Starbucks and CopyCo businesses located on Camden Avenue are working jointly to obtain a permit for their permanent signage.

"We did not know the banner was illegal. The city said nothing to us," said Sean Murphy, the owner of CopyCo.

Illegal sign abatement is just one citywide issue Campbell officials are working to address. City planners, however, have placed safety concerns such as substandard housing at the top of the code enforcement list, Fierro said.

Alderete said the planning department and planning commissioners need to develop a long-term strategic plan to clean up the city. He would like to get civic groups, volunteer organizations, even perhaps the Boy and Girl Scouts working together to adopt a park or clean up a block.

"It makes your city look crummy when we have these violations. It would be nice if we all can work toward making Campbell a clean city," he said.

City officials want to brainstorm ways to educate property and business owners about city regulations. They also want to inform the public about ways to report violations. The city's goal is a more comprehensive plan once all the safety violations have been addressed.

The backlog of complaints began to grow last summer while there was a vacancy in the code enforcement department. Steve Prosser, code enforcement officer for Campbell, was hired as a city planner to fill a vacancy, yet still handled many of the complaints.

Now the city has hired a new code enforcement officer, Susan Morgado-Gray, who worked for the city of San Jose for 10 years. So far Morgado-Gray says she has just received calls dealing with property maintenance, but she says in order to address the backlog of cases, there are various ways residents can assist.

"Citizens who file complaints can really help me by giving me as much information as possible about what they are specifically concerned about, and the exact address of the property in question," she said.

Additionally, she says for those who made the initial complaint, they should call back to report if the violation was eradicated. This enables the department to close the case and move on to the next one.

"There's an old saying, 'It takes a village to raise a child,' and I believe it takes a neighborhood to eradicate code violations," Morgado-Gray said. "The more assistance I get from the residents who actually live near the violation, the faster and more efficiently I can take care of it, and improve the neighborhood."

For more information on Campbell Code Enforcement, call 408.866.2760 or visit www.cityofcampbell.com.