As it reviews options for supporting small businesses in West Hollywood, City Hall is seeking input from small business owners through a survey.
The survey, which is available online, will be open through next Sunday, Feb. 26.
In an announcement of the survey, the city said it will help to “prioritize initiatives that are most important to the small business community. Examples of prospective initiatives that the city’s Economic Development Department and the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Small Business Task Force have identified as being potentially useful to small businesses are:”
— Issuing business licenses that allow of extended hours of operation beyond 2 a.m., thereby superseding the need for conditional use permits that are costly and time consuming to obtain;
— Streamlining the permit process and reducing permit fees to help reduce the overall costs associated with opening or expanding a businesses, and a scaled fee structure based on the operating budgets of small businesses;
— Reducing parking requirements where it makes sense to do so, based on walkability and access to alternative forms of transportation, such as bicycles, transit and taxi or ride sharing options;
— Revaluating the criteria for special event permits, such as potentially removing the need for such a permit for lower impact activities, such as a sidewalk sale; and
— Updating and expanding the technical assistance that the city already offers to those seeking to start a business, those needing help with troubleshooting operational issues, and those wishing to expand an existing business.
For additional information about the small business survey, contact Jackie Rocco, the City of West Hollywood’s business development manager, at (323) 848-6547 or jrocco@weho.org. For people who are deaf or hearing impaired, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
