Daria Ilgen Proposes The “Put Property Back to Work Act”

Put Property Back to Work Act would give communities a new tool to address long-vacant big-box properties and encourage redevelopment

POULSBO, Wash. [September 5, 2026] — Daria Ilgen, Democratic candidate for State Representative in Washington’s 23rd Legislative District, today proposed the Put Property Back to Work Act, legislation that would give cities and counties a new local option to address major commercial properties that remain substantially vacant for years.

For smaller communities, a large vacant building is more than unused real estate. It can mean fewer jobs, fewer opportunities for local businesses and a prominent part of the community sitting dark year after year.

“When a major property sits empty for five or ten years, it stops being just a real estate issue and becomes a community issue,” Ilgen said. “Property rights are important, and markets need time to work. But communities should not be powerless forever when an important property remains dormant year after year.”

Poulsbo’s former Albertsons illustrates the challenge. The grocery store closed in 2015. The 31,153-square-foot property remains an Albertsons-owned surplus asset and has been continuously marketed through its current Commercial Brokers Association listing since February 2020 - more than six years.

Ilgen developed the proposal with input from former Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson, who worked extensively on the Albertsons issue while serving the city.

“After years of working on this issue as mayor, I know firsthand how limited a city’s options can be when a major property owner simply does not move,” Erickson said. “That experience matters, because good state policy should be built around what communities actually face on the ground. Daria understands that. I’m excited to work with him on a practical solution that gives local leaders a real tool while still respecting property rights.”

Washington law already gives communities tools to address unsafe buildings and public nuisances and provides incentives for some commercial-to-housing conversions. Olympia also considered House Bill 2573 during the 2026 legislative session, which would have created new local authority focused specifically on vacant former grocery stores and pharmacies. The bill did not pass.

Ilgen’s proposal would address the broader gap: major commercial properties that remain legal, maintained and substantially vacant for years, regardless of what business once occupied them.

“This problem is bigger than one Albertsons and bigger than grocery stores,” Ilgen said. “In smaller communities, some of our largest commercial properties are owned by corporations headquartered somewhere else. They have every right to own those properties, but they do not always have the same urgency a community has when a major site sits empty for years.”

Current Commercial Brokers Association data shows approximately 1.4 million square feet of non-land commercial space being marketed for lease across Kitsap County, including more than 835,000 square feet of retail space.

Under the Put Property Back to Work Act, state law would authorize cities and counties the ability to establish a local commercial vacancy assessment on qualifying properties that remain substantially vacant for more than five years.

The five-year threshold would give owners substantial time to lease, sell, renovate or redevelop a property. Any assessment would begin gradually and could increase only as prolonged vacancy continues.

The proposal would also protect owners actively working toward a solution. Properties undergoing redevelopment, construction or permitting could be exempt, along with delays caused by infrastructure constraints, environmental remediation, litigation or government action.

“Accountability has to work both ways,” Ilgen said. “Government cannot delay somebody’s project and then penalize them for that delay. If an owner is genuinely trying to lease, build or redevelop, government should be helping them get there.”

The legislation would be a local option, not a statewide mandate, and would not dictate what ultimately occupies the property.

“Government should not decide what belongs in the building,” Ilgen said. “It could become another large store, five small businesses, housing, mixed-use development or something nobody has thought of yet. The goal is not to choose the answer. The goal is to create a reason to find one.”

Any revenue generated could remain local and support redevelopment, infrastructure, economic development and small-business growth.

“This is about accountability and solving problems that have been allowed to drag on for too long,” Ilgen said. “I don’t think the answer is more government. I think it’s making government work better, staying focused on practical problems, and stepping in only when there’s a clear reason to.”

Source note: Commercial Brokers Association current listing data, accessed Sept. 2, 2026; countywide totals via Beyond Real Estate’s CBA data feed; individual property totals independently reviewed against current commercial listings. Washington State Legislature, HB 2573 (2026); Chapter 82.59 RCW; RCW 35.21.955.