Business Owners Demand Change from DTLBA as Budget Season Approaches

For those who’ve had the chance to visit, Downtown Long Beach is considered as a vibrant and thriving area of the city that brings a mixture of local businesses and residential neighborhoods. From its East Village Arts District to its local attractions like the Aquarium of the Pacific and Queen Mary, there’s something for everyone to enjoy or discover.

However, in recent days, local business owners and managers in Downtown Long Beach are demanding that the Downtown Long Beach Alliance (DTLBA) Executive Committee make changes in its annual budget, as vacancy rates in storefront business lots begin to rise out of control.

According to an official press release, areas of Downtown Long Beach are experiencing an increase in vacancy rates, with some areas like Pine Avenue a high as 35% and other corridors such as 1st Street between Linden and Elm in the East Village being around 15%. These are considered alarming numbers in Long Beach, which has an average vacancy rate of 5% with comparable neighborhoods such as Bixby Knolls and 4th Street/Retro Row holding at around 10%.

Beachcomber got to speak with Clay Wood, a DTLBA board member, owner of Long Beach pottery store Clay on 1st and one of the petitioners seeking for the DTLBA to make the major changes in their budget to help reduce the vacancy rates in the city. When asked how often it is to see Downtown Long Beach experience high vacancy rates like in Pine Ave and East Village, Wood says he’s never seen it get this bad.

“I’ve been in business in Long Beach for 15 years and I’ve never seen this happen before,” said Wood. “Maybe during the Great Recession of 2008. Maybe some neighborhoods during the pandemic but 35% is astronomical.”

Wood continued: “For reference people are losing their minds in Los Angeles over the third street promenade in Santa Monica at a 25% vacancy rate. It’s all over the news and everywhere. They have one stretch that’s at 38%.”

According to Wood, high vacancy rates in an area like Downtown Long Beach can negatively impact local business and business owners – causing storefronts to see less traffic from customers and consumers.

“Vacancy rates make an area feel less active and leave people with a negative impression and they’re less likely to return to an area if it doesn’t feel lively,” said Wood. “Additionally, high vacancy rates there are less business owners invested in the community. Business owners take pride in their storefronts, sidewalks, customers and neighborhood. They keep things clean, they keep things safe, they keep things fun and they keep things enjoyable. Without them you lose all of that and negative elements are more likely to move in and take their place.”

Currently, about 50 local business owners in Downtown Long Beach have signed the petition, asking the DTLBA to reassess their annual budget’s priorities and to reallocate 20% of their funds to help reduce vacancy rates in the Downtown Long Beach area and help support local businesses in said area.

According to a document shared with Beachcomber by Clay Wood, these demands issued within the petition are broken down into three main priorities:

Reallocating $3.2 million that is spent on operations to get more police patrols, to improve public safety.

Increase the communications/marketing budget from $450k to $1m. Reallocating funds to focus primarily on social media marketing. Professionally managed marketing and social media PR campaigns with the goal of combatting and addressing the negative image of downtown and highlighting the diverse neighborhoods, positive events, changes and activations within the community.

Increase events budget from $450k to $1.25m. Establish a recurring monthly event which reflects the general nature and soul of downtown. Take existing name recognition events and fully revamp and reimagine them. Bring back nostalgic events such as Buskerfest, Thunder Thursday, nye, etc. in a robust and overwhelming way to make a statement. Potentially one per year for the next 3 years.

For local business owners in Downtown Long Beach, they hope their petition will get enough support to push the DTLBA to make the necessary changes. Not just to lower the vacancy rates in the area to a more manageable number, but to also help support and promote the local businesses that make Downtown Long Beach the shopping/entertainment district it is.

“Small businesses owners make neighborhoods; they really are the lifeblood,” said Wood. “They come every day; they take care of their neighborhood; they create sales and events that activate people and add value to the community. Without them the community is dead”

“While we need investment from city leadership, we also would like to see more residents visit downtown,” said Riley Hodges, co-owner of Shannon’s Corner in Downtown Long Beach and a fellow petitioner. “Community comes from gathering and there are plenty of places here to choose from.”

For more information about the vacancy rate petition, as well as how to get involved, community members can send an email to lbcoalition908@gmail.com. Organizers of the petition encourage those interested to voice their concerns and ideas for discussion.