WILLOW CREEK — Second Selectwoman Eleanor Vance presented a detailed proposal at Tuesday’s selectmen’s meeting aimed at filling the seven vacant storefronts that have become a familiar sight along Main Street.
The plan, which Vance estimates would cost the town approximately $28,000 in forgone property tax revenue over three years, would offer a sliding-scale abatement: 50% off property taxes in the first year, 30% in the second, and 15% in the third, for any new business leasing one of the identified vacant properties.
“This is not a giveaway,” Vance told the board, standing at the back of the room as is her custom. “These storefronts are generating zero tax revenue right now. Even at half rate, we’re ahead — and we get an occupied Main Street instead of a boarded-up one.”
The seven vacancies include the former Pendelton’s Hardware & Feed building (now occupied on the ground floor by Northwoods Outfitters but vacant on the upper floors), a former insurance agency, two former retail spaces, and the long-empty building that once housed the Willow Creek Diner.
First Selectman Pendelton, who grew up in the apartment above the hardware store, listened without comment for most of the presentation before asking a single question: “Who’s going to administer it?”
“The town clerk’s office already handles business permits,” Vance replied. “Margaret could handle it with one additional part-time day per week.”
Town Clerk Margaret Hollis, seated at the back of the hall, was seen writing a note in a small leather-bound book. She did not look up.