I think everyone would agree that empty buildings can have several negative effects on communities. I’m currently working on a grant for tax credits. The grant gives the town tax credits that they can use as incentives to get businesses to move into buildings that have been vacant for more than 6 months. Different states have different programs. It doesn’t just apply to empty shells with all the windows broken out. Ideally, you don’t want to let things get to that point. In most communities, it starts with one building not rented right away. And then another, and pretty soon you’ve got a problem. This can almost be worse in small communities because a single vacant building will be noticed and felt by the community.
Remote work was part of the problem in some areas, and it can be part of the solution in others. Office vacancies have continued to rise since Covid, and people are going elsewhere. While some people think that if workers would just come back to the office, the problem would go away, it doesn’t work that way. It’s like saying if people went back to using typewriters, it would bring back administrative jobs. Remote work would have happened eventually even without COVID-19. It’s just one of many trends which changed where people work and live. While some areas are left to find new purposes for their buildings, many remote workers are moving to communities that might not have had people working and living there the same way. This creates new patterns and new opportunities. I moved to a small mill town where the mill went out of business years ago. There are a handful of vacant storefronts. But it’s noticeable because there aren’t a lot of storefronts to start with. By having more people present during daytime hours, it creates opportunities to bring life and business to these communities.
Urban Decay
Empty buildings contribute to blight and decay, often becoming targets for vandalism, squatting, and illegal activities. This can lead to declining property values and deter potential investors or residents from moving into the area.
Surrounding properties may experience decreased value due to the presence of empty buildings. This can create a cycle of disinvestment, where property owners struggle to find buyers or tenants willing to pay fair prices. Communities need to get creative. Even buildings without a roof can be reused. Maybe you create an outdoor living room or a pop-up restaurant. Perhaps a market for farmers, street vendors, and artisans?
Safety Concerns
Vacant buildings can pose safety hazards to the community. They may become structurally unsound over time, increasing the risk of collapse or causing accidents. Additionally, they can attract pests and become fire hazards, posing dangers to nearby residents.
There’s also the Broken Windows theory, which discusses visual cues that indicate reduced social controls and therefore attract criminal activities. Ideally, even if buildings are vacant, you want to keep them looking good because that will be a visual reinforcement that the property is being maintained. Once it is clear that a building isn’t being kept up, it opens the door to lots of negative activities.
The presence of empty buildings can create a negative perception of the neighborhood or city as a whole. It may deter tourists, investors, and businesses from visiting or establishing themselves in the area, further exacerbating economic decline.
Economic Losses
Empty buildings represent wasted resources and potential economic opportunities that are not being realized. They generate no income for property owners, contribute little to local tax revenues, and may require public funds for maintenance or demolition. Many companies have resorted to Return to Office (RTO) mandates to try and force people back into offices, but this isn’t the answer. People have had 5 years to get used to working remote or hybrid environment, and going back to the work practices of 2019 doesn’t make a lot of sense. CEOs and commercial real estate owners need to realize they need to find other ways to monetize their real estate.
There are plenty of other options besides office space, such as retail, art space, medical, entertainment, pickleball, co-working, urban farms, battery storage, AI data centers, etc. The bottom line is, don’t expect the usage of the property to remain the same. Look beyond the obvious to keep your buildings occupied.
Loss of Community Spaces
Vacant buildings often stand as reminders of lost community spaces or historical landmarks. Their neglect can erode the cultural fabric of a neighborhood and diminish residents’ sense of pride and belonging. Depending on the area, you could have a massive building shell that takes up a large portion of the landscape. Chances are, a comparable business is not going to fill that space. We have lots of mills in our area that are being converted to mixed-use. They are typically beautiful buildings with high ceilings that are great for galleries, performance spaces, and even a recording studio. The key is that you generally have to think small in terms of who is going to fill spaces. And then work on getting lots of them. Becky McCray is a great source of ideas for bringing back community spaces.
Addressing the issue of empty buildings requires proactive strategies such as adaptive reuse, incentivizing redevelopment, strengthening property maintenance regulations, and fostering community engagement to revitalize neglected areas and mitigate their adverse impacts on communities. And remember, you don’t have to bring Google or Microsoft to your town. Maybe you just need more local businesses.
