by The Long Beach Music Council | Before we begin, we would like to thank the Downtown Dining and Entertainment District Taskforce for their hard work in putting together recommendations to improve the Downtown Dining and Entertainment District. It is important we work together to ensure the best possible solution for residents, visitors, and business so that our Entertainment District is vibrant.
We have read through the proposed recommendations by the Downtown Dining and Entertainment District Taskforce and wanted to make our recommendations clear to the public as we have profound concerns about the future of our Entertainment District. We firmly believe that a win-win solution is necessary in order to move the Long Beach Entertainment District forward with optimal success.
What we agree with:
- We agree with the core recommendation by the Downtown Dining and Entertainment District Taskforce that a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) is a better solution than a one size fits all Entertainment Permit. A Conditional Use Permit will ensure that the permit is tailored to the use of the business mutually agreed upon by the establishment and the City of Long Beach. It will also ensure that sound insulation measures are put in place to address potential noise issues of nearby residents in a mix use environment. A good example of a successful sound insulation modification was the sound insulation wall which Bo-beau installed on its rooftop to mitigate noise impacts in a nearby residential community.
- We agree and appreciate the Taskforce’s recommendations to allow amplified music on patios from 10AM to 10PM Sunday to Thursday and 10AM to midnight Friday and Saturday. This is a use not previously allowed and will go a long way to help create a more vibrant atmosphere.
- We agree on a reasonable sounds standard and continuing the tiering system for all entertainment and conditional use permittees in the area to mitigate issues related to bad operators.
What we oppose:
- We oppose imposing a conditional use permit fee of $5000 in addition to the already required entertainment permit fee. Traditionally, entertainment permitted establishments within the entertainment district have only been required to pay the entertainment permit fee. We feel that by adding the additional conditional use permit cost, the City of Long Beach will severely inhibit new investment into our Downtown Entertainment District, something that goes against the push to make Long Beach a business friendly city. We also understand San Diego has been used as an example, but until we reach that city’s success, we need to find a solution for our particular city. It is important to note that opening an establishment in Downtown Long Beach can be very costly due to the high price of tenant improvements in old and new spaces which may include full build-outs, adding kitchens, adhering to and implementing fire safety improvements, and more. By lowering permit fees, we will have a better ability to attract businesses by minimizing their start up costs.
- We oppose the amount of time proposed for the City of Long Beach to complete a Conditional Use Permit which per the public meeting was stated to be 6 months. Shorter processes allow for businesses to open up and generate both revenue and sales tax dollars quicker to the benefit of our city.
- We disagree on a conditional use permit review of existing entertainment permitted establishments as these establishments have already done their due diligence when obtaining their entertainment permit originally.
Our proposed recommendations:
- We recommend conditional use permits and entertainment permits should be packaged financially together in an amount no higher than $1,000 above the required entertainment permit fee which currently exists. We also suggest the City of Long Beach look to comparable cities such as Austin, Denver, Baltimore, Seattle, Downtown Santa Ana, and Portland to discover costs. Austin, TX in particular has been very successful in cultivating a vibrant music and entertainment culture to the benefit of its city.
- We recommend the streamlining of existing establishments into a conditional use permit as long as they follow common rules related to the reasonable sounds standard and tiering system.
- We recommend writing clearer definitions and guidelines on ambient music and the allowed uses of ambient music inside and outside an establishment with a conditional use permit.
- We recommend providing clear information on the time it will take to conduct both a conditional use permit and entertainment permit application which should be no longer than 90 days.
- We recommend the City Manager’s Office and PD have a list of possible surveillance models and costs so that businesses understand upfront costs to help maintain Public Safety in the Entertainment District.
The Long Beach Music Council understands the need to balance the interests of residents and businesses while making sure the City of Long Beach is financially viable and safe. We understand there have been issues related to excessive noise in the past and that is why we support the reasonable sounds standard and ensuring sound insulation measures are put in place.
We also understand however that Downtown Long Beach and Long Beach in general is still evolving and growing. Policies need to be fair and encourage investment which will in turn build our reputation as a business friendly city. The City will receive economic benefits when Downtown Long Beach continues to become more successful with thriving entertainment businesses bringing new customers to town creating additional sales tax revenue.
Let’s move forward together and create a reasonable win-win-win for residents, businesses, and the City of Long Beach.
The Long Beach Music Council was formed in 2013 with the mission of making Long Beach a music friendly destination and to advocate for the benefits of incorporating live music as a major economic driver for our city. The council consists of Eric Gray, Shea Newkirk, Joshua Fischel, Tokotah Ashcraft, Jewell Faamaligi, Aaron Keith Stewart, Mike King, Nicolas Zart, Mark Delgado, Jody & Judy Timmerman, Vaughan Risher, and Freddie Joseph Dilworth.