Nearly half of Portland’s vacant downtown buildings haven’t registered with city
PORTLAND — As the sun rises over Congress Street, the once‑bustling corridor between Monument Square and Congress Square Park now bears a striking mix of boarded‑up windows, vibrant murals, and a few newly opened storefronts. The scene reflects the city’s evolving strategy to breathe life back into its downtown core, a strategy that has sparked both optimism and controversy over the past few months.
The catalyst for the change is a citywide ordinance that took effect last month, requiring owners of vacant retail spaces to either register the property, pay a fine, or replace a “for lease” sign with a piece of local art. According to the city’s tracking dashboard, 19 of the 39 vacant retail properties failed to meet the May 1 registration deadline. Those owners will now face a $500 penalty, the first tier of a sliding scale that escalates to $1,000 after a year, $2,000 after two years, $5,000 after five years, and $7,500 after a decade, with an additional $1,000 added for each year beyond that.
City officials say the goal is to turn empty storefronts into assets for the community. Nancy Martin, the business programs manager for Portland’s Department of Housing and Economic Development, reported that the ordinance has already produced some tangible results. Two properties that were empty when the law was enacted have been filled. At 620 Congress Street—formerly the home of Model T Coffee—plans are underway to open a secondhand clothing store called Thrift Me. Meanwhile, Maeson Maine, located at 200 Middle Street, secured a temporary use permit allowing it to operate as a pop‑up design studio for 180 days.
Art has emerged as an alternative to fines for a number of property owners. Fifteen owners chose to display vinyl reprints of local artists’ work instead of paying the fee, and 84 pieces have been selected by a jury for installation across the downtown area. The pieces vary in size, with some covering entire windows and others sharing space with the accompanying “for lease” signs. Artists retain ownership of their original works and receive a $300 stipend for each piece displayed. Kaleigh Anderson, one of the featured artists, said, “The fact that I got, I’ve had two pieces of art displayed and they paid me, and I still own the original piece. Bonus to me. Like, they paid me basically what I was charging for the piece.”
The city has allocated $25,000 for the art program and has spent $6,000 so far, according to Martin. Property owners are not responsible for any costs associated with the installations. Some prominent buildings have opted to pay the fine. The owner of 477 Congress Street, home to the iconic Time and Temperature building, chose to pay the fee rather than display art. The structure is currently undergoing a large‑scale renovation that will add hotel rooms on the Congress Street side and 41 units of senior housing in the annex.
The ordinance is part of a broader initiative to revitalize the downtown and the adjacent arts district, an effort the city calls the “pedestrian activities district.” In addition to the vacancy rules, Portland has launched a constables program and a downtown ambassador initiative aimed at connecting unhoused individuals and those dealing with mental health or substance use challenges to services.
Support for the ordinance has been mixed. Three city councilors voted against it when it was approved in September, and the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce called the measure a “gut punch” for property owners already grappling with post‑pandemic leasing difficulties. Some critics argue that the focus on vacant windows overlooks deeper issues affecting the area. “Some see the ordinance as ignoring what they believe to be the area’s true problems,” noted one observer.
For now, the downtown skyline presents a mosaic of empty spaces, artistic expressions, and new businesses. While the city’s fine structure and art program have generated both praise and pushback, they illustrate Portland’s attempt to confront a lingering challenge: how to repurpose hundreds of vacant retail properties that have become a visible reminder of the economic strains brought on by the pandemic.
