Kira Erickson reports from the Langley City Council for the South Whidbey Record. Read the whole story.
In the city of Langley, businesses move in and out of the downtown core as the years go by, following the ebb and flow of openings and closings. There are some buildings, however, that have remained empty storefronts for far longer than others, leaving some to wonder if they will ever reopen their doors again.
In recent months, the Langley City Council has taken a renewed interest in encouraging property owners to activate their dormant buildings, with plans to send a letter to at least one of them.
Councilmember Rhonda Salerno, who is helping to lead this charge, pointed out that sales tax is an important source of revenue for Langley.
“It’s hurting our downtown to have empty buildings,” she said.
In 2023, Councilmember Craig Cyr suggested it might be a good idea to adopt an ordinance similar to the city of Everett’s, which regulates vacant commercial spaces.
“It is not okay for someone to buy one of our iconic properties in the downtown business core and let it sit vacant for 10 years,” Cyr said. “And that’s happened.”
“I used to get questions about the old Clyde Motors/Mike’s Place, but I think many folks have just given up hope that anyone will be willing or able to work around the rumored clean-up costs from when it was a garage,” said Brook Willeford, who owns the next door movie theater, The Clyde, with his dad Blake Willeford. [The location is rumored to be the site of underground storage tanks.]
[Ed. Note: Brook Willeford is also the president of the South Whidbey School District board of directors.
