A roundtable for business owners to navigate the City of Long Beach’s Conditional Use Permit (CUP) process will be hosted by Councilmember Jeannine Pearce, it was announced Thursday.
CUPs give residents a say in the types of businesses that operate in their neighborhoods, but can cost up to $10,000 and involve a lengthy and complicated process with no guarantee.
In December 2016, Pearce’s proposal to streamline the CUP process was unanimously approved by the Long Beach City Council. This small business roundtable meeting will give local businesses and community members a platform to provide recommendations.
The discussion will feature remarks from Pearce, a presentation on the CUP process by city staff and a panel discussion featuring local business owners and community members who are familiar with the current process, according to the release.
Panelists include Downtown Long Beach Alliance CEO Kraig Kojian, Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association Executive Director Blair Cohn, Social List and Lola’s Mexican Cuisine owner Luis Navarro, Berlin Bistro and Portfolio Coffeehouse owner Kerstin Kersteiner and PAC Design owner Paul Collins.
“When we propose making changes to the Conditional Use Permit process in Long Beach it is important to bring all stakeholders to the table,” said Pearce in a statement. “The goal is to listen to what concerns the community has so we can best serve them while we investigate the process.”
Alongside Pearce, Councilmembers Lena Gonzalez, Stacy Mungo, and Al Austin will also join in hosting the roundtable, as well as the Long Beach Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB), DLBA, Long Beach Council of Business Associations (COBA) and the 4th Street Business Improvement Association.
“I want to thank Councilmember Jeannine Pearce for looking at our city business practices and making this a priority,” said Navarro in a statement. “I think this is an important opportunity for us to take a look at our CUP process, try to understand it, and see if we can make it better.”
The roundtable will take place on Monday, March 13 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM at the Long Beach Convention Center in the Seaside Ballroom. There will be complimentary parking and refreshments for those in attendance.
The Long Beach Convention Center is located 300 East Ocean Boulevard.