Vacant storefronts managed by DPH Realty on the eastbound side of Mass. Ave., in the Center, as they looked last August — a scene slow to change.

Landlords who manage vacant storefronts face paying $400 for quarterly inspections, but populating that empty window with public art means the fee is waived.

In addition, property owners must tell how they are trying to fill the vacancy. Violation of the bylaw triggers a $100-a-day fine.

Selectmen agreed to proceed with the measure June 19 after Town Meeting voted for the bylaw last October. Affecting the pace of the effort were two factors: The state Attorney General’s Office had to review and approved the bylaw, which usually takes at least three months, and the Planning Department had to research what would be a fair fee.

“The purpose of the Registration and Maintenance of Vacant Commercial and Industrial Buildings bylaw is to assure that property owners are making good-faith efforts to lease their spaces and maintaining them properly during periods of vacancy,” Ali Carter, town economic-development coordinator, told selectmen. “However, it is not intended to place an undue financial burden on landlords who are trying to lease their spaces but having trouble finding suitable, qualified tenants.

“The $400 registration fee minimally covers the administrative expenses of the town for managing long-term commercial vacancies in Arlington while not imposing any onerous financial penalties on responsible property owners who happen to have a vacancy in their holdings,” she said.

The bylaw is expected to be in effect in July.

Commercial vacancy rates reported to decline

In a directly related matter, accompanying Carter’s appearance was a May memo from Jennifer Raitt, Director of Planning & Community Development. It shows that in the past five years, commercial vacancy rates in Arlington have declined while the cost of commercial rentals has increased. The vacancy rate in May was 1.2 percent compared with a five-year average of 1.6 percent.

Rental rates now average $28.25 per square feet compared to the five-year average of just over $25 per square feet.

“When you walk down the street [in the Center], it doesn’t feel like 1.2 percent,” Selectman Dan Dunn commented.
Carter responded that not all properties reflected in the latest count are in view to the public, but “retail is very visible.”

She declined to attribute the drop in vacancies to the bylaw.

Carter said a majority of the vacant retail storefronts are managed by one property owner.

Who owns the vacancies?

A town Planning Department property listing updated in May shows 14 vacant retail spaces. Managing six are Diane Poulos Harpell of DPH Realty of Cambridge. James Cohen of Marco Realty Trust of Brookline manages three.

Harpell declined repeated attempts last summer to comment. Cohen dismissed a reporter’s request to discuss his properties.

Six other vacancies are for office spaces.

The selectmen’s vote was 5-0.

Sidewalk permit, cut-through

In other business, the selectmen approved, 5-0:

— A request for a permit for a sidewalk cafe for Bistro Duet, 190 Mass. Ave. Co-owner Wayne Duprey said he is working with a neighbor whose property would be affected by some tables;

— Prohibiting vehicle traffic entering Princeton Road and Alfred Road Traffic, at Kelwyn Manor, between 4 and 7 p.m. weekdays, which former selectman Jack Hurd described as a cut-through favored by the Waze traffic app;

— Green Infrastructure Retrofit at of Egerton and Herbert, presented by Wayne Chouinard, town engineer;

— Request for an Oktoberfest at the Old Schwamb Mill, set for Oct. 14, which museum officials hope will become an annual event in the Heights similar to Feast of the East;

— Appointed Dunn to serve as the board appointee to Investment Policy Working Group, which new Treasurer Dean Carman has sought to review how the town invests its funds;

— Referred to the Transportation Advisory Committee a plea to analyze traffic patterns at the Gibbs School;

— Sue Sheffler, reappointed as the Arlington representative to the Minuteman School Committee (term to end June 30, 2020);

— Banners for Arlington International Film Festival, set for October Banners;

— New election worker Eileen Davie, 134 Lake St., Precinct 6.