Jane Kim joined the ABC 10News team in Oct. 2024 as a news producer and multimedia journalist.
ESCONDIDO — Escondido invested millions of dollars into Grand Avenue, and while some businesses report booming sales, several commercial buildings remain vacant. In 2024, the Escondido City Council approved an ordinance to charge property owners of vacant commercial buildings an annual fee.
Mayor Dane White said property owners would have to pay about $4,400 annually. The fee was set to take effect Jan. 1, 2025, but it still has not taken effect. WATCH| Jane Kim talks to local sales associates about vacant buildings along Grand Avenue According to the city, if a property owner does not want to rent out their building, they do not have to.
There is currently no penalty for an empty building, and there is not much the city can do about it. White pointed to a building downtown as an example of the problem.
'Escondido has, and in particular downtown where we're standing right in front of one, it's been chronically vacant for decades, and that's what we're trying to take care of,' White said. Whitney Dodd and Richard Miller are sales associates at the Escondido Antique Mall on Grand Avenue. While their business is booming, buildings across the street sit empty.
'Our sales have been the best they have been in 42 years,' Dodd said. 'They’ve been vacant for years,' Dodd said. 'Most of them are very large, so, to try to find a tenant for that may be a little bit more difficult,' Miller said. ABC 10News filed a public records request asking the city for a count of vacant buildings on Grand Avenue and how long each has been empty.
The city responded in an email saying it is working to collect that information. We also reached out to the Chamber of Commerce about the issue.
'These empty buildings are a challenge we take seriously not just for the look of our downtown but for the economic vitality of our entire community,' a spokesperson said. This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Escondido City Council Escondido Grand Avenue Mayor Dane White Downtown Escondido Business Vacant Commercial Buildings
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mill Avenue undergoes new renovations in 'Refresh Tempe'Mill Avenue in Tempe is undergoing significant infrastructure upgrades, including new paving, wider sidewalks, and 120 new trees.
Read more »
Escondido's Stone Brewing being sold once againOne of the godfather breweries of San Diego’s craft beer scene is being bought for an undisclosed amount of money by Duvel Moortgat USA and Paso Robles-based…
Read more »
David Ellison Makes His Pitch to Madison Avenue: Tech, Movies and Taylor Sheridan ShowsParamount, which has forgone a big-scale upfront in recent years, held a more intimate gathering for one of the large advertising holding companies Tuesday evening in New York.
Read more »
Jeffries calls Trump 'dumbest person ever' to sit at 1600 Pennsylvania AvenueFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »
Trash cleanup on Dickens Avenue in Cleveland after 19 Troubleshooters investigationA Cleveland property has been cleared of trash after months of accumulation, prompting a neighbor to contact 19 Troubleshooters.
Read more »
A museum dedicated to artificial intelligence-driven art opens in downtown LA this summerThe museum, DATALAND, is set to open June 20 at The Grand LA, a Frank Gehry-designed complex in the city’s Grand Avenue Cultural District.
Read more »