Petrolia Councillor Joel Field hopes a new vacant building policy is the “next step for our downtown.”

Council approved the multi-pronged program which encourages businesses to set up shop downtown.

One of the key pieces is the Vacant and Under Utilized Building program. Owners of vacant buildings are required to register with the town and pay a $750 yearly fee. They’re expected to keep up minimum standards including making sure paint isn’t peeling and windows and doors are in good repair. If they don’t, a panel of experts, which would include bylaw enforcement officers, could issue orders for the problems to be fixed.

If they don’t comply, they could be fined $500. There are also $500 per month fines for owners who do not register their buildings.

“With less than five per cent vacancy in our downtown this has recently come to light as a key issue in a couple of buildings in our downtown: entrepreneurs would like to locate to Petrolia but the many of the vacant buildings are not ready to be rented,” says Laurissa Ellsworth, director of marketing, arts and communications for the town in a report to council.

She adds, “the downtown plan speaks directly to vacant buildings or those with ongoing maintenance concerns, “eye-sore” features, disrepair and more. This program will provide clear guidelines for acceptable appearances and maintenance standards for storefronts so that they are rent ready.

“This is not intended to penalize building owners for small concerns, but it is more to prevent future blight, and spur maintenance and work on currently empty and non-rentable buildings.”

The policy also has a number of programs entrepreneurs can take advantage of including opportunity for pop-up shops and micro grants to improve businesses.

Ellsworth first suggested the program in 2016, however council of the day didn’t act on it concerned about the reaction of local businesses.

This time, Ellsworth and town staff held a number of meetings with merchants in the downtown to talk about the program and to make it workable.
Field hopes the policy will help improve some of the buildings including one he believes has been empty for decades.

“I am totally convinced one has been vacant for 25 to 30 years on the main street … that’s not somebody that wants to rent,” he told council Monday as it approved the document.

“An open storefront on our main street isn’t a good thing…I think businesses really want to do this.

“I like to see it move forward to the next steps. I think that they’ve spent a lot of time and I think this is our next step for downtown.”