Vacancy to Vibrancy Storefront Program
The Vacancy to Vibrancy Storefront Program, led by the Department of Economic Development & Opportunity, is designed to promote the revitalization of the City of Long Beach’s key corridors through art window installations to a select number of vacant storefront/commercial buildings as an effort to attract new tenants and improve curbside appearance.
Selected locations will benefit from pre-approved, free-of-cost storefront vinyl window wraparound installations, designed by local artists, with the aims to:
- Attract new tenants to untapped business corridors and dormant commercial spaces
- Improve curbside appearance and deter vandalism
- Fuel visitation and sales at local businesses
- Improve pedestrian comfort and enhance community spaces
- Encourage community engagement through the creative economy
- Impact on Location and Surrounding Area
- Level of Need for Program’s Implementation
- Feasibility of Project
For assistance with this application, please contact BizCare at 562.570.4BIZ (4249) or BizCare@longbeach.gov.
FAQ
Yes! For technical assistance, please contact BizCare at 562.570. (4BIZ) 4249 or BizCare@longbeach.gov.
Based on available funds, a select number of locations will be selected.
A vacant commercial building/storefront located within the boundaries of Long Beach, California that does not hold any of the Program’s ineligible criteria and meets below criteria:
- Must be a vacant commercial building/storefront located at ground-level
- Must be a vacant commercial building/storefront located along a pedestrian pathway
- Must provide proof of ownership (i.e. property grant deed)
- Must be able to submit photographs of current location
- Must be a vacant commercial building/storefront for a minimum of 6 months
- Must be able to submit supporting documentation for vacancy and its length of time
- Vacant plots (i.e. empty land parcels)
- Home-based locations
- Government entities or elected official offices.
- Businesses primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities.
- Churches and other religious organizations.
- Businesses engaged in any activity that is illegal under federal, state, or local law.
- Businesses engaged in any socially undesirable activity or activity that may be considered predatory in nature such as check cashing businesses.
- Occupied storefront/commercial building
All applications will be reviewed for basic eligibility. Once basic eligibility is reviewed, applicants will be selected from a pool of eligible applications by a review panel that assesses the following:
-
Impact on location and surrounding area
-
Level of need for program’s implementation
-
Feasibility of project
No, however selected businesses will be required to provide ID, W-9, location photos, proof of ownership (property’s grant deed), and additional documentation requested by Arts Council of Long Beach.
The application form does not allow editing after submission. To correct any errors or missing information, please contact BizCare at 562.570.4BIZ (4249) or BizCare@longbeach.gov.
Please contact the Public Art Department at the Arts Council for Long Beach by emailing publicart@artslb.org or calling telephone 562.204.6503 for more information on application process for artists. If contacting via email, please include the subject line "Vacancy to Vibrancy Storefront Program RFQ Clarification."
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