Auburn property owners, city staff weigh vacant-building ordinance and alternatives to revive Old Town and Downtown

Jonathan Wright, Auburn economic development director, convened a workshop of property owners, chamber representatives and elected officials to gather feedback on a previously proposed vacant-building ordinance and alternatives for filling commercial vacancies in Old Town and Downtown.

"If everybody's familiar with the vacant building ordinance that we originally proposed," Wright said, outlining the draft’s components: a requirement to report a vacancy within a set window, submit exterior photos and a business plan, register the property and pay a fee. He said the original draft had much shorter reporting windows and recurring fees, and that the council later asked staff to seek owner input before moving forward. "Originally, it was every month. I I tried to make it cumbersome on property owners... I was trying to motivate," Wright said of the earlier approach.

Why it matters: long-term vacant storefronts and boarded properties were cited throughout the meeting as deterrents to foot traffic, a disincentive to new businesses and a negative signal to visitors. Owners and staff said downtown and Old Town vacancies have disproportionate effect on nearby small, tourism-dependent retailers that typically occupy smaller…