May 16, 2023
Long Beach City Council
Civic Center Plaza
411 W. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
Subject: Agenda Item #17 Sidewalk Vending Recommendations
Dear Mayor Richardson and Honorable Members of the 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 May 16, 2023, our support for policy recommendations regarding the potential forthcoming regulations of sidewalk vending within the City of Long Beach.
DLBA is a non-profit organization representing more than 1,400 businesses and 3,200 commercial and residential property owners within the two Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Downtown Long Beach. As a leading voice for the Downtown community, DLBA recognizes the benefit of mobile food vendors in certain circumstances, such as private functions, special events where local restaurant food booths are impractical, and locations or areas with very few dining options. However, Downtown is home to over 200 restaurants that provide a range of casual and fine dining experiences and a diverse cuisine offering. Our restaurants have been a cornerstone to creating a vibrant and attractive Downtown entertainment district. After two years of experiencing a dramatic loss of business caused by fewer daytime office workers and conventioneers, the added burden on our community -invested restaurants forced to operate by different standards, wi th mobile food vendors operating outside their front doors, maybe the final straw. And every good operator of a brick -and-mortar business that we lose only postpones the recovery of our city’s main economic engine - Downtown.
We support the following recommendations made by the City Manager’s Office:
• Prohibit Operating Areas: prohibition of sidewalk vending in residential, protected wildlife habitations, and city -leased properties, particularly within the areas of the Long Beach Convention Center, Shoreline Village, and the Pike Outlets. • Distance Requirements: clear pathways and obstructed right of way have proven dangerous to our residents, workers, and visitors. The proposed distance parameters would allow for safe passage for these DTLB stakeholders and offer respectable buffers between our mobile vending community and their brick- and- mortar competitors.
However, recognize that these parameters do not necessarily align with current ADA pathway standards and would also be open to aligning clearance with ADA standards. • Vending in Areas Zoned as Parks: as DLBA continues to support and develop activation efforts for DTLB parks and public spaces, we support the prohibition of solicitation within these green spaces and encourage the City of Long Beach to collaborate with DLBA to control and enforce these recommendations within our shared amenities.
• Operating Requirements: In addition to the proposed hours of operation, DLBA supports the outl ined limitations of sidewalk vendors’ operational size, including the prohibition of café seating. We believe these restrictions allow mobile businesses the opportunity to accommodate all required health and safety equipment while ensuring compliance with recommended distance requirements for safe right of way and access to our DTLB business community. Other major concerns regarding trash collection and refuse disposal and excessive noise congestion have also been addressed. • Permitting Requirements: DLBA supports the requirement and enforcement of visible Business Licenses and Health Permits for sidewalk vendors and requests the City of Long Beach consider the location of the vendor’s established commissary kitchen when granting these mobile food vending licenses and assigning BID assessment fees. We also recognize that all not mobile food vendors are created equal, and a tiered structure for requirements and fees might be considered for stationary vs. non-stationary food vendors.
We appreciate the opportunity to share our support for the City of Long Beach Sidewalk Vending Ordinance.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Austin Metoyer
President & CEO
DLBA Board of Directors
Tom Modica, City Manager, City of Long Beach