Staff Writer

 When Seth Harkness looks around the Bacon Street neighborhood, he sees an area on the upswing.

While property owners invest in their buildings, residents are dedicating time to revitalize the neighborhood that overlooks downtown. For the past several years, city officials have championed the neighborhood and provided funds to stabilize it.

A proposed disorderly housing ordinance would be a positive step in creating a more peaceful area while at the same time helping landlords protect their investments, said Harkness, who owns four apartment buildings in the Bacon Street neighborhood.

Community Development Coordinator Linda Hardacker said a committee comprised of city staff, property owners, members of the Southern Maine Landlord Association and Portland’s neighborhood prosecutor worked during the past six month to develop the ordinance.

The policy committee will consider the proposed ordinance 7 p.m. June 13 at city hall. The ordinance needs city council approval to be enacted.

The purpose of the ordinance is to protect the health and safety of residents by eliminating the proliferation of properties with tenants who repeatedly disturb the peace, Hardacker said.

Hardacker said the ordinance is needed to further stabilize downtown neighborhoods. During the past several years, city officials and residents of the Bacon Street and South Street neighborhoods have worked to clean up and invest in the area.

“These are really good neighborhoods and people are trying,” she said.

The ordinance will address loud music, boisterous gatherings, excessive or loud noise, public intoxication, public urination, fighting, disorderly conduct and other activities that disturb the neighborhood. Disorderly activities also include building code violations, including improper disposal of garbage, graffiti not cleaned up in a timely manner and building deficiencies that create a public hazard or eyesore.

Harkness said Portland has had success with a similar measure. The ordinance would ensure landlords don’t “wash their hands” of problems in their buildings, he said.

“It makes landlords take responsibility for the maintenance, management and the effect their building is having on the neighborhood,” he said.

Harkness said disorderly behaviors affect the quality of life in neighborhoods and is frustrating for people looking to live in a peaceful area.

“It drives out the very people we want to attract,” he said.

The ordinance also allows property owners to protect their investment and backs up landlords who deal with problem tenants, Harkness said.

“It gives you some weight in saying ‘it’s not just me telling you to clean up,’” he said. “I see it as protection for all the hard work people put into their buildings. I think it will encourage more investment and be to the benefit of the neighborhood.”

Under the ordinance, a disorderly house would be defined as any building that has three or more qualifying disorderly events in a 60-day period, four events in a 120-day period, five events in a 180-day period or six events in a 360-day period.

If a building has been visited by police more than two times in a 60-day period, the building owner will be notified by police it is considered a “hot spot.” If a building is designated a disorderly house, the owner will be required to meet with city representatives within five days to identify ways to eliminate the problems.

The ordinance allows city officials to impose fines of $100 to $1,000 for violations.

Hardacker said the ordinance is intended to provide a mechanism for enforcement, not as a way to go after landlords who are actively trying to eliminate problems.

“It’s not aimed at those who are trying to control tenant behavior,” she said.

Police Chief Roger Beaupre said he supports the ordinance because it will help address issues in buildings that receive frequent calls for police attention.

“It’s a mechanism to use against those who continue to disrupt neighbors and neighborhoods on a regular basis,” he said.

While police are called frequently to a handful of buildings and houses, Beaupre said there is not a widespread problem in the city. The problem houses, however, sometimes require officers respond two or three times per night, he said.

Beaupre said frequent calls tie up resources and are frustrating to both police and neighbors. He said his department already works closely with the code enforcement office to deal with housing issues.

Saco Police Chief Brad Paul said his department is working with existing laws to address disorderly housing issues in the city. He said the police department has a longstanding policy of working with landlords who want to know how often police are called to their buildings.

“Let’s face it, everyone lives in fairly close quarters. It seems we visit some places time and time and time again,” he said. “People are entitled to some degree of peace in their neighborhoods.”

Hardacker said residents can download a copy of the proposed ordinance from the city’s website, www.biddefordmaine.org.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.