Ridgefield's Blight Oridinance Differs from Danbury's

Danbury has been fighting blight for nine years, since Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton created the Illegal Apartment task force. Ridgefield is considering an ordinance to join the fight.

Back in 2004, Danbury's main blight issue, although Danbury didn't call it blight, was illegal apartments in basements, attics and hallways. Some were in garages and sheds. The extra people living in a house parked extra cars in driveways and along streets. That led to complaints and fear a fire might kill people trapped in a basement or attic apartment.

Since them, Danbury's anti-blight efforts as the illegal apartment task force evolved into the Unified Neighborhood Inspection Team. The UNIT includes two full-time staff people, Shawn Stillman and Rich Antous, but similar to the proposal in Ridgefield, the UNIT shows up on a blight call, and it calls in other departments as needed.

In Ridgefield, Mayor Rudy Marconi is considering a four-member anti-blight board that would be made up of the town's zoning enforcement officer, health director, fire marshal, and building official.

The idea is if a complaint comes in about garbage, the health director might take it, but if it's an illegal apartment, the zoning enforcement officer might take the complaint.

In Danbury, blight enforcement is similar. It won't be the Health Director who shows up for garbage, but someone from the Health Department would show up. For an illegal apartment, the zoning enforcement officer, plus a building inspector might show up.

"It has evolved over time," said Permit Center Director and Zoning Enforcement Officer Sean Hearty. Hearty was working on the Illegal Apartment task force in 2004.

Before Ridgefield adopts a blight enforcement ordinance, the proposed ordinance must be published and approved by town voters