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City councilor proposes fining landlords to cut back on empty storefronts

BOSTON — No matter where you are in Boston, you'll find empty storefronts plastered with signs advertising space for rent.

City Council Matt O'Malley represents Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury and parts of Roslindale and Roxbury. He says storefronts are being left empty for longer by landlords holding out for higher paying tenants.

He's proposing a unique solution - fining owners who leave storefronts empty for long periods of time.

The details are still being worked out, but he says the idea would be to fine the owners based on how long the space is empty and how big it is.

"We have certain storefronts vacant for years; 5, 6, 7 years in some cases and that has a very detrimental effect," said O'Malley. "We've seen fires break out in these empty buildings, obviously a drain on public safety, far reaching ramifications that exist."

O'Malley is also proposing starting a registry of storefronts left empty. One of the longest running and vacant spaces in his district is in the heart of Hyde Square, which has been empty since 2008.

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O'Malley made it clear the issue is citywide.

"This is something that affects every block of every neighborhood in Boston," said O'Malley.

Executive Director of West Roxbury main streets says the number of vacancies fluctuates in her area, but the number of long-term empty storefronts is slowly increasing over time.

"When you have a storefront that's boarded up, you don't want to be there... you don't want to be on that street. It makes it so the community as a whole...brings down," said Danielle Joseph.

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O'Malley said he's not looking to punish anyone, but more so hoping to motivate the owners to fill the spaces.

"We'll talk about length of vacancy potential fees, what that would look like... hesitant to have timeline but hopefully by end of year," said O'Malley.

A hearing is scheduled for June.