By Joshua Joiner
Editor’s note: Answers to Sidewalk Talk questions are generally short. This reply to the question “How would you bring more business to Seal Beach,” was unusually long and for that reason is being published as a guest column.
I would attempt to convert a building/area into something that generates income for the city from tourists/neighboring cities.
1. Sports. It sucks to think about because of all the traffic and whatever it brings along with it – however sports stadiums and arenas generate a boatload of revenue and tourism. Where to put it? … idk … behind Gum Grove Park? Outskirts of town over where the Pumpkin Patch used to be? Make a deal with the navy base for the old Boeing buildings that would sometimes open where they used to work on those big Ship Engines. One-time massive build, but long term revenue / revenue from business partnership.
2. Tech/entrepreneurship. Partner with a poplar tech business (like Boeing once upon a time) and convince them to create a satellite office somewhere for a few hundred people. Petition the government to get incentive breaks for new businesses?
3. Culture Center. It would be great to have an actual museum, or something regarding city history – but I don’t think it will generate revenue.
Not sure what profit margins are on museums, and Huntington Beach already is competition for surfing – but something that makes Seal Beach more of an international tourist culture spot (like going to see LACMA or the Getty). The city definitely has enough culture. Just hard to distinguish from Surf City USA HB.
4. A nicer Hotel/Resort building. Requires large investment/business partnership, but could have the potential to make Seal a more desirable spot for tourism. Potentially surf/tropical themed.
5. Increase Property tax by $20 per month. @ trash fees by $5. @ 14k housing Units = $350k per month = $4mil per year. Same cost as everyone’s Netflix.
Call it the “Save Seal Beach Fee” or something to get local buy-in. Hire 20 person construction team @ 17.5k per month (or way cheaper lol) and build something to generate passive revenue for city.
6. More Large Events like the Car Show / the Peddler / the Fish Fry / races like half marathons / events that utilize the beach / music festival-like thing? Partner for large cultural festivals? Something that utilizes the green belt and allows free pedestrian walking down electric on both ends?
7. Get more famous people to come to the city. Leverage the bay theater. I think there’s big potential here just for seal beach to have branding / marketing w/ a unique cool thing.
8. Parking structure. Generates revenue passively AND allows more outside business access from neighboring cities.
Also augments current locals quality of life with traffic. Getting all the cars out of main-street and really making it a pedestrian friendly area(like the parklet era) would be legendary and set Seal Beach apart more.
9. Put a high end fine dining restaurant in town somewhere. Truly high end. Gets lots of free advertising from people searching for food online. Great for city marketing.
10. Partner with travel companies and to promote seal beach internationally as a tourist spot. Invest as $ into bloggers vloggers agencies whatever.
“11. (I’d have to look more into this which I haven’t done at all but-) relaxing business regulations and/or timelines for new business?”
Please consider adding an RV park. Hellman properties has large un-developed land near PCH and Seal Beach Blvd used for oil wells. But there is a large amount of space between the oil wells. More than 200 spaces could be added without impact. This would bring in 50-80/night/space ~$2,000,000 per year. Additionally when someone visits, they spend money. Probably more than the space rent.
Of course Seal Beach does not own the land, but Hellman Properties may want to get along with the city of Seal Beach since they want permits to install new equipment. They make requests from time to time. Maybe they would be open to the idea of leasing land to the city.