I’m writing to connect the dots between your excellent series on challenges facing downtown Northampton and the upcoming City Council elections.
One of the main points in the series was that a few owners of downtown properties are “sitting on” them instead of actively seeking renters. There are economic incentives for these owners to do so.
How to stop this? Clearly, if this situation continues it will contribute to a decline of our city’s vibrant appeal and could snowball into a real decline. While other factors also lead to vacant properties, this one seems like a critical factor, and one we can do something about.
In a letter to the editor on Sept. 14, Christian Hawkins noted that Cambridge has created an ordinance requiring commercial landlords to report properties that have been vacant for more than a year, and then they must show what they’re actively doing to rent the properties. I’m no real estate expert and I don’t know if this is the best solution, but it sounds like a good place to start.
So I’m asking Northampton residents to please ask City Council candidates what their plans to deal with vacant properties, and what they think of Cambridge’s solution. Thank you.
Dave Roitman
Florence