April 11 2023
Long Beach City Council
Civic Center Plaza
411 West Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
RE: #21 - Support for City Manager to Develop an Official City of Long Beach Legacy Business Registry
Dear Honorable Mayor and Members of the Long Beach City Council,
Please accept this correspondence on behalf of the Downtown Long Beach Alliance (DLBA) Board of Directors and enter into the public record for the City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 11 , 2023, our support for the development of a City Legacy Business Registry.
DLBA is a non -profit organization that represents more than 1,600 businesses and 4,000 commercial and residential property owners within the two Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Downtown Long Beach. As an economic development organization, part of DLBA’s mission is to provide business support services that contribute to a healthy local economy.
DLBA support services include access to grant funding, business education, and marketing support for small businesses in the Downtown footprint.
While supporting emerging businesses is vital, ongoing business retention is equally as important. According to the 2023 Downtown Business survey, 45% of businesses surveyed had been operating in Downtown for more than 10 years. Established businesses help to anchor the local market of office spaces and ground floor retail, providing a reliable base of customers who routinely visit the area. M any long-term business owners also serve as excellent Downtown advocates – their established relationship with the community and knowledge of local market dynamics makes them an invaluable partner to DLBA.
The proposed Legacy Business Registry is an excellent opportunity for the City of Long Beach to take inventory of historic businesses and fortify their benefit to the local communities they serve. As a clearinghouse of information for Downtown, DLBA looks forward to providing any pertinent information on businesses that may qualify for the program.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Austin Metoyer, President & CEO
Board of Directors
Tom Modica, City Manager, City of Long Beach
1.38 Un-Square Miles