The District Five Insider is a newsletter about the big decisions making their way through the City Council, what they mean for District Five, and how you can get involved. Enter your email and click subscribe to receive this newsletter in your mailbox.

Friday, September 5 2025

ONE BIG THING:

This week, the City Council passed a Commercial Vacancy ordinance that will put us one step further toward helping Congress Street live up to the name “Arts District.” Here’s what it does:

If a ground-floor commercial space in the Pedestrian Activities District sits empty for six months or more, the property owner is required to:

  • Register the space with the city
  • Put art in the window (provided and paid for by the City!)
  • Or, if they don’t want to do that, pay a modest vacancy fee

The registry lets our Economic Development team stop playing defense and start shaping a future. By tracking vacancies and building relationships with property owners, the City can connect artists, entrepreneurs, and cultural groups with space and support.

Some people have said that window art won’t solve anything, but boarded-up windows don’t just make a city feel sad; they make it vulnerable. They say, nothing is happening here. No one cares. This ordinance gives us another tool to revitalize the downtown.

QUICK HITS

Rent Increases Capped at 2.2% for 2026
Thanks to Portland’s rent control law, tenants will be protected from large increases next year. The cap is based on the local cost of living.

STRs Reforms Have Kicked In
The City has finalized the limit for non-owner-occupied short-term rentals on the mainland: 293 units citywide for 2026 (down from 400 in 2025) and will continue to be capped at 1.5% of our long-term rental stock. That’s how we preserve housing for actual residents.

ksykes@portlandmaine.gov 207-558-5764

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