9:35am | Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell’s proposal to lower development permit fees has been passed by City Council. The effort, he believes, will foster new small businesses and job creation in Long Beach and the region.
In May, O’Donnell spearheaded efforts to re-tool the City’s Administrative Use Permit (AUP) and Conditional Use Permit (CUP) processes, requesting that staff create a sliding scale, rather than the current large, flat fee, in an effort to bring new businesses to Long Beach. These fee changes were passed as part of the Fiscal Year 2012 Budget.
The City had one of the highest CUP fees in the region, and the fee was the same for all new businesses, regardless of location or type. Development Services staff responded to O’Donnell’s request by proposing lower fees and creating a two-tier modification for CUPs, categorizing them as “Major” or “Minor”. O’Donnell says the changes brought forward were a direct response to working closely with the small business community.
“I truly felt that if we lower our permitting fees, making them more competitive with neighboring cities, we can attract more business and job creation, “ O’Donnell said. “More new businesses will offer the opportunity of training and employment. I heard from the small business community on this issue, and felt that it was my job to help them overcome this hurdle. ”