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Commission plans deeper look at vacant and underutilized storefronts; to brief joint meeting
Summary
Commissioners agreed to expand a vacant-storefronts effort to include underutilized storefronts, research models from Astoria and Main Street Alliance, and bring a coordinated presentation to the next joint city-county meeting for discussion and possible next steps.
Commissioners discussed a pro-active item focused on vacant and underutilized storefronts along commercial corridors and agreed to broaden the scope of the work, gather additional inventory and return with a coordinated presentation at the next joint meeting with the City Council.
Commissioner Jacobson reported preliminary outreach to business owners and said initial, cursory inventories provided by the city showed fewer empty storefronts than expected: "What vacant storefronts? So that's nice," Jacobson said, summarizing conversations with property owners. He told commissioners he had reviewed the Astoria model and materials from Main Street Alliance and plans to prepare a PowerPoint for the next joint meeting.
The commission agreed to change the framing of the project from "vacant storefronts" to "vacant and underutilized storefronts" to allow a broader, more equitable approach that could address blight and business mix rather than focusing solely on vacancy. Commissioners discussed the inventory the city had provided and said they would coordinate with Main Street Alliance materials and possibly set up a joint meeting presentation with staff and local partners. The plaza-square item was tabled until county issues settle.
Next steps and coordination
Jacobson and staff will coordinate outreach to business owners, compile a more complete inventory, and prepare a presentation for the next joint meeting (the commission discussed scheduling and indicated May/June as likely windows). Commissioners also discussed avoiding quorum issues when inviting members of other commissions (for example, Parks & Trails) and recommended coordinating schedules in advance.
