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Portland council adopts vacant-storefront ordinance tied to PAD overlay after amendments
Summary
The City Council approved an ordinance creating a commercial vacancy registry and temporary-activation program for storefronts in the Pedestrian Activities District (PAD), including a requirement that the city may provide and install temporary art and a revised fee schedule. The measure passed after several amendments and hours of public comment.
The Portland City Council approved an amendment to the City Code to address long-term vacant ground-floor commercial spaces in the downtown Pedestrian Activities District (PAD). The ordinance creates a registry for storefront vacancies, authorizes the city to provide and install temporary art in vacant windows, and establishes a tiered fee schedule for property owners who do not participate in activation efforts.
Council supporters said the measure is a targeted tool to make sidewalks and storefronts look active while staff and property owners pursue longer-term leasing solutions. “The only thing that it really does is a registry… the only thing that it really does, is the city will pay to put art in your windows,” Councilor McNevich said during debate, summarizing the ordinance’s core function.
The ordinance ties a commercial-vacancy program to the PAD overlay in Chapter 14 of the city code so the rules…
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