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QUESTION

How does the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) coordinate with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to reduce storefront vacancy rates?

0:31:47

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The Department of Small Business Services (SBS) coordinates with other city agencies like the Department of Transportation (DOT) to address issues contributing to commercial vacancy rates.

When commercial districts conduct needs assessments, they identify challenges like public realm issues
If the challenges fall under another agency's purview like DOT, SBS engages that agency
SBS takes a localized approach by understanding the specific problems in each neighborhood
SBS then works with local partners and the relevant agencies to address the identified issues

Selvena N. Brooks-Powers

0:31:47

And a few different agencies are crucial to the city's efforts to improve vacancy rates.

0:31:53

That includes the Department of Transportation who can help ensure that sidewalks and streets encourage people to patronize local businesses.

0:32:01

How does SBS coordinate with DOT to reduce vacancy rates if at all?

Tian Weinberg

0:32:08

It's a it's a really great question, and I'll let Calvin speak to that.

Calvin Brown

0:32:11

Yeah.

0:32:12

I mean, we we are in coordination with other city agency partners around the public realm and how we can improve those conditions.

0:32:21

Currently, any neighborhood that is doing a commercial district needs assessment, you know, they identify those challenges.

0:32:27

And if they are related to other agencies where they fall under that agency's purview, we engage that agency around efforts to kind of address some of those challenges.

0:32:37

So it's really taken a localized approach to it, just really understand what the problem is, where falls under any of the agencies, whether it's DOT or Apartment City Planning, and then we engage our agency partners to kind of really help with any of our local partners to address those issues.

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Council Member Selvena N. Brooks-Powers on storefront vacancies in her district