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 footprints.

Key ideas discussed

- Categories and scope: Staff proposed distinguishing "never-open" storefronts, boarded/unavailable properties, spaces that are available but not attainable for most prospective tenants, and "available but never rented" listings to target responses to the underlying cause.

- Aesthetic treatments: Multiple attendees urged low-cost visual improvements for long-term vacancies. Michelle Tagore, CEO of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, suggested partnering with the arts commission or local schools to display reproductions, historical photographs or student art in vacant windows so storefronts "look alive" and better reflect Old Town’s historic character.

- Centralized listing: Property owners proposed a city-hosted, downtown-focused registry or "tear sheet" of available commercial spaces with landlord contact information. Staff said the city could post a curated list specific to Old Town and Downtown to reduce search friction and help economic development make targeted referrals.

- Parking and streetscape: Owners repeatedly identified parking availability and the quality of sidewalks and night lighting as constraints on leasing and pedestrian activity. Staff noted an existing streetscape plan for High Street and urged pursuing incremental capital investments and grants to implement improvements.

- Costs and permitting barriers: Participants described high tenant-improvement costs for subdividing large footprints, changes in insurance and tax burdens, and building-code or change-of-use requirements that can substantially raise upfront costs. Staff responded that while state-mandated life-safety requirements (for example, sprinkler systems for assembly occupancies) cannot be waived, the city can explore fee deferrals, payment plans and proactive staff shepherding to reduce the initial capital needed to get tenants open.

- Incentives vs. penalties: Many owners urged incentive-based approaches—marketing support, fee deferrals, streetscape improvements and a proactive registry—rather than punitive recurring fees or short mandatory reporting windows for the majority of local owners. Staff said an ordinance could be tailored to focus on a small subset of highly visible, long-term, nonresponsive properties while using incentives for most owners.

Details from the meeting

- Time windows discussed for registration ranged from 30 days in earlier drafts to proposals for 60, 90 or 120 days and even a year; staff said the council had asked for more owner input before advancing a specific timeframe.

- Participants discussed subdivision and tenant-improvement costs for large former-bank spaces, including utility separation and fixture work that can make splitting large footprints costly; staff and owners agreed this constrains redeployment of big spaces.

- Owners cited operating-cost pressures such as sharply higher insurance and tax changes and said those burdens affect willingness to lease or invest in improvements.

Staff next steps and outlook

Wright said staff will compile the workshop feedback and present an overview to the city council at an upcoming meeting (staff indicated a likely December 8 briefing). Proposed follow-ups discussed at the workshop included a downtown-focused registry of available properties, guidance and low-cost aesthetic treatments for long-term vacant windows, continued pursuit of streetscape grants and small-scale capital projects, and possible fee-deferral programs or payment plans to lower upfront tenant costs.

The workshop did not produce a final ordinance or formal action; owners and staff agreed to continue refining options with an emphasis on combining incentives and targeted enforcement for the smallest share of nonresponsive properties.