The city of New Rochelle introduced a new program to track vacant retail spaces and help property owners looking to secure new tenants.
The Vacant Storefront Registry, implemented via city ordinance in October, has a multi-pronged purpose — it’ll serve the continued revitalization of downtown New Rochelle by reducing long-term vacancies, while acting as a matchmaker of sorts between empty properties and businesses looking for space.
“The vacant storefront registry is a way for the city to be proactive with our property owners and our business community in our downtown in particular, to really understand what are the needs preventing lease up, preventing the opportunity for some businesses to open,” said New Rochelle Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert in an interview this week with The Journal News/lohud.
By collecting data on vacancies as they emerge, the city aims to better understand vacancy patterns. It’s designed to foster connection between property owners and city leadership, while helping support the growth of small businesses.
“So once we see that a storefront is vacant, we’re going to be able to sit and have conversations and provide guidance and even resources to help really just mitigate anything that’s prohibiting opening of businesses,” Ramos-Herbert said.
“The goal is to activate those first floors,” she added. “As I like to say, we want to turn on the lights of our ground floor businesses.”
The registry is part of the city’s Vanguard Initiative, which seeks to strengthen the local economy and revitalize the retail landscape with a particular focus on downtown New Rochelle.
How New Rochelle’s new Vacant Storefront Registry works
Under the new law, owners with ground-floor storefronts that meet the criteria for vacancy for 90 days or more must register their properties with the city. Registration is completed through a simple online form and must be completed within 30 days of the property being designated as vacant.
“We want to support when a prospective business wants to come here,” Ramos-Herbert said. “We want to give them a list of potential sites that meet their needs.”
Owners will be required to register as of Jan. 1, 2026. The city is focused on educating property owners during the first year, teaching people how to use the registry and the resources it can provide.
However, property owners who fail to comply with the ordinance or maintain their properties could face warnings, violations, citations or fines for non-compliance starting in January.
Starting in the second year of the program is the annual $1,000 fee that’s required for property owners to renew their registration. The fee will cover administrative and technology costs for managing the registry. The first year of the program is a grace period for the fee.
“The goal is not to penalize,” Ramos-Herbert said. “The goal is not to become more of a burden. It is mostly about establishing relationships so that we can activate our downtown in a robust way.”
All vacant retail properties across the city are required to be registered, but there’s going to be a particular focus on supporting downtown properties where approximately 70% of New Rochelle’s vacant storefronts are located, according to city officials.
Learn more about the Vacant Storefront Registry
The city is hosting online information sessions to educate property owners and others who are interested in learning more about the registry. Those sessions are planned for:
To sign up for the virtual sessions, check out the registry on the city of New Rochelle’s website at newrochelleny.gov/1927/Vacant-Storefront-Registry.
(This story was updated with new information.)
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New Rochelle launching new vacant storefront registry. What it means for businesses
Reporting by Samantha Antrum, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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