Portland City Council approves fines against landlords of vacant storefronts

Fees would range from $250 to $7,500 for landlords whose spaces have been vacant more than six months and who refuse to let the city hang artwork in them.

Hang artwork? This makes no sense.

Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. But why not GO there? Commercial and residential zoning gets a 100% tax when left vacant. That would be a great start on the whole real estate investment property bullshit. And cut that down to three months. Oh, you can't get $3/sq ft? Now you can instead pay into the city's coffers.

There are so many ways to fix these problems, yet the political will is... tepid at best.