WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Empty parking lots, dark windows and faded signs have become a familiar sight along some of Waco's busiest commercial corridors, and residents say the growing number of vacant storefronts is hard to ignore.
Alvin Jones, a Waco resident of more than 40 years, said the trend has caught his attention.
"It's not a very good look," Jones said.
"Yeah, it's gonna be overlooked, but it just don't, don't look good to me," Jones said.
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For local business owner Chad Trail, the concern goes beyond appearances. Trail said empty storefronts can create questions for both customers and potential investors.
"In the grand scheme of things it doesn't look good to have empty buildings. Attracting new businesses coming in, the question is always why is the building vacant in the first place?" Trail said.
Waco Assistant Director of Economic Development Jeremy Pesina said the city actively tracks vacant commercial properties and uses data to market those sites to new developers and business brands.
"Whether it's a franchisee issue or maybe it's a location issue, we look at those and we try to evaluate what's the best way to move forward," Pesina said.
Pesina described how the city pitches vacant properties to prospective businesses.
"This building is vacant, it's already got a kitchen. You'll have to invest some money, but here's something that we've seen you do in other places in the state," Pesina said.
Pesina also said vacant buildings can become a public safety concern if they are not properly maintained.
"Public safety wise, uh, you know, our planning department does a really good job of code enforcement and those kinds of things. There are projects that maybe we've been a part of or potential that we are a part of like some sort of incentive deal, but our code enforcement will reach out to me and say, hey, you know, we've noticed people are opening this or getting into the building and so they will help us make sure to keep it safe," Pesina said.
City leaders say they are also paying attention to what residents want to see fill those empty spaces.
"We love to hear what the community wants too. Obviously we know Trader Joe's and Costco and all of those brands. We know everyone wants them," Pesina 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.
