What do you think of the empty storefronts that reap a tax break by remaining empty?
All those conversations are happening at the Partnership for New York City, which I was invited to join in September. My fantasy for the landlords who own the buildings and can afford to leave them empty: how about if they get more creative with all those small businesses that want to open. There are designers or smaller restaurants with a huge amount of promise. The landlords could offer them low rents, and these landlords could have a stake in these businesses. They could be thoughtful about how they share the profits. Everybody benefits from a neighborhood that’s populated with businesses and not boarded up.
