A report concluding that ordinances for vacant commercial spaces haven’t produced significant results will be up for discussion at a Board of Supervisors’ Land Use and Transportation committee hearing on Monday.
The study, commissioned by Supervisor Norman Yee (District 7), shows that since the Board adopted a Vacant or Abandoned Building Registration Ordinance in 2009 and a similar measure in 2014 for commercial properties, the number of empty storefronts hasn’t been substantially reduced.
“In my district and across the city, storefronts left vacant for not only months, but years, have a terrible impact on surrounding businesses, the feel and even safety of a neighborhood,” said Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer in a statement.
The vacant and abandoned building registration program is managed by the Department of Building Inspection (DBI), but many owners don’t comply, and it’s not strictly enforced, according to the report.
