iStock illustration
Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne supports tougher penalties for owners of vacant storefronts and properties, following a study that determined the current ordinance is ineffective.
Only seven property owners have registered with the Somerville’s vacant property database since it was established in 2019, according to city records. The current ordinance requires owners of vacant properties, or properties with vacant storefronts, to pay a $50 annual registration fee.
“An accurate and comprehensive understanding of the vacant properties in Somerville is important to our efforts to maintain vibrant business districts. But as written, the current ordinance has not led to enough uptake,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.
The city’s inspectional services department is working on a proposal to make the ordinance more enforceable, spokeswoman Victoria MacGregor said in an email.
As currently written, the ordinance includes fines of $100 per violation.
It requires that owners of vacant properties register with the inspectional services department in writing within 90 days. Owners of properties with vacant ground floor commercial space are required to register with the planning department, and state the owner’s plan for the property.
A city task force recently spotlighted the ineffectiveness of the current ordinance during a study of protecting residents, small businesses and creative enterprises from displacement.
Following 20 months of study, the Somerville Anti-Displacement Task Force this month released its recommendations on responding to shifting real estate demand and rising rents across the city.
The current vacant storefront ordinance was enacted in 2019, but needs stronger penalties for property owners that keep leasable space vacant, Senior Economic Development Planner Ted Fields said in a presentation following the report’s release.
The report also suggested incentives to encourage leasing of ground-floor spaces. Developers could be given density bonuses in exchange for providing affordable commercial space to tenants, Fields said.
The Davis Square Neighborhood Council was formed in 2024 to lobby officials on issues including rising storefront vacancies. The neighborhood currently has 15 retail vacancies, according to member and former Alderman Jack Connolly Jr.
Charlotte, North Carolina-based developer Asana Partners has been offering short-term leases at its Davis Square Plaza property on Elm Street, while it prepares to submit a new multifamily housing proposal to replace its existing approval for a lab project.
Across the street, leases for The Burren pub, McKinnon’s Meat Market and Dragon Pizza are scheduled to expire at the end of the year, according to Andrew Flynn, CEO of property leaseholder Copper Mill Development of Boston. Copper Mill is preparing to submit a proposal for a 25-story, 500-unit apartment tower on the block of retail properties at the corner of Elm and Grove streets.
