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Gerald L. Chan — billionaire investor, Harvard donor, and prominent Harvard Square property owner — is under fire from city officials for the 13-year vacancy of the Harvard Square Theatre.

The theater, which sits on 10 Church St. across from the First Parish Church, has sat vacant since 2012. On Monday evening, the Cambridge City Council will vote on a policy order to invite Chan to present his plans for the property.

Since a March meeting about vacant properties throughout the city, the Council has considered options to reduce the number of empty storefronts — including imposing fines and taxes on owners.

In response, Denise A. Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association, wrote in a public statement that she is opposed to the fines on developing businesses.

“It has always been our preference to partner with property owners and the city to use unleased space in more useful and community-oriented ways until leases are signed or development plans are underway,” she wrote.

In addition, Jillson publicized a letter from her to Chan urging him to revive the theater before its 100th anniversary in 2026.

“Take your investment to the community a step further by leading the restoration of the movie theater and reactivating live performances,” she wrote.

Jillson also recognized the negative economic impact of the vacant theater on Harvard Square.

“Gerald, this once-thriving, now desolate and ignored section of Church Street is unsafe and a blight to our district,” she wrote. “When it was operational, on average 1000 people a day visited the theatre.”

“The loss of entertainment use has had and continues to have an enormous daily adverse impact on the entire district,” she added.

The theater was first opened in 1926, but has been vacant since 2012 after it was sold by AMC. Chan purchased the property in 2015, and proposed a plan two years later to demolish the building and construct a new mixed-use space.

The Cambridge Historical Commission approved the project after a series of public hearings under the condition that the renovations were also supported by the Cambridge Planning Board.

But, according to Charles M. Sullivan, the executive director of the Cambridge Historical Commission, Chan and his team never made it before the Cambridge Planning Board.

“He’s never spoken to us, and he’s never made any public pronouncements that I know of,” Sullivan said.

Dan White, the manager of Chan’s company, Morningside, wrote in a statement that the Covid-19 pandemic impeded initial plans for the theater’s revitalization.

“Our previous plan, which was well received and on its way to final approval, was derailed by the pandemic, requiring us to reappraise what might work best for the site,” White wrote. “We continue to work diligently on these efforts.”

But no changes have been made to the theater since the plan fell apart in 2019. Now, local leaders are seeking action to bring Chan in front of the council.

Chan has numerous property holdings in Harvard Square, including 40 Bow St., 115 Mount Auburn St., and 39 JFK St., all developed sites occupied by operating businesses such as Blue Bottle, Warby Parker and an apartment complex. But Jillson noted that the theater has not seen the same attention from Chan.

“It seems incompatible to many, myself included, that since acquiring the theater in 2014, you subsequently purchased six additional Harvard Square properties while this asset sits fallow,” Jillson wrote.

Jillson added that she hopes to work with Chan and other business owners to restore the theater.

“Let’s work together to celebrate the theatre’s historic importance, resume its reputation as a cultural destination, repair its cherished mural, and restore its value as an economic driver to our district,” Jillson wrote.

— Staff writer Jaya N. Karamcheti can be reached at jaya.karamcheti@thecrimson.com.

— Staff writer Kevin Zhong can be reached at kevin.zhong@thecrimson.com.