Commercial Closures Are Causing a Ripple Effect Impacting the Residential Sector

When the coronavirus pandemic seized the U.S., Allen Morris had a plan for Maitland City Centre, a 220-apartment community with a 35,000-square-foot commercial space that claims a whole city block in Maitland, near Orlando, Florida. Mr. Morris, who helms the eponymous development company, would not seek rent from the Centre’s restaurants, which included a gelato shop and several concept eateries, if they stayed operational during Covid-19.

“We took the initiative to go to our restaurant tenants on the ground floor,” Mr. Morris…