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DoingBusinessinCarlsbad

 

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Workforce development &
small-business assistance

Carlsbad Commuter app

Carlsbad Life in Action Recruiter
 

2024 Carlsbad Business Survey is Open

The City of Carlsbad has launched its 2024 Carlsbad Business Survey. This survey is a confidential and convenient way for local business owners and leaders to share feedback about Carlsbad as a place to do business. 

You can take the survey here: carlsbadca.gov/BusinessSurvey 
It should only take about 15 minutes to complete. 

About the Survey
  • The survey is intended for business owners, executive management, and senior leaders who have knowledge of the overall operations and direction of the business.
  • Responses will be anonymized and aggregated with other responses. No individual or business information will be shared or published.
  • The survey asks about different aspects of current business operations, such as workforce and hiring needs, access to clients and customers, and permitting and regulatory concerns. It also asks about future growth expectations and feedback on the business climate in Carlsbad.
  • The survey is conducted every two years to ensure the city understands current challenges and trends in the business community.
  • The City of Carlsbad appreciates your time and participation in this survey. Your feedback will help improve services and support for the local business community.
  • For any questions related to the survey, please contact our economic development team at business@carlsbadca.gov.

Thank you for taking the time to ensure the City of Carlsbad is better informed about the state of the business community!

Doing business

The economic development team is here to serve and support the city’s business community. Whether you are a small business or our largest tech employer, the city wants to make sure your business thrives in Carlsbad. The city team is here to help with getting your business license, bidding on projects and contracts or meeting with our development services team about permits and processes. You can learn more about the benefits of starting or expanding a business in Carlsbad at our Doing Business in Carlsbad story map. If you are a business looking for a new space in Carlsbad, please email economic development staff at business@carlsbadca.gov.

Useful resources 

Looking to start your own business? Our questionnaire is designed to link small businesses with local resources, providing information to tackle some of the top challenges prospective small businesses commonly face.

The Guide to Opening an Eating Establishment provides insight on where you can open an eating establishment in our city and how the process works. Useful information for food truck and sidewalk vendors can be found on our website as well. 

New state and local environmental regulations are being phased in over the next couple of years. Find information on these regulations, as well as resources for your staff and customers, on the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle page. 

Talent attraction & retention

One of the City Council’s strategic focus areas is bringing quality jobs to the city in today’s globally competitive economy. Carlsbad's Life In Action initiative is a resource for employers looking to land that perfect candidate. It provides additional tools, such as a hiring toolkit with media assets, brochures and infographics, to make the case for why the job in Carlsbad is the right one. 

The Carlsbad Job-Readiness Room is a free program that helps residents build job skills and bolster their chances of landing a new job in Carlsbad. The platform is powered by Bendable, a learning marketplace that allows people to discover new knowledge and skills through online courses, in-person events and other learning resources.

Economic Snapshots

Carlsbad Economic Snapshot FY 2022-2023 Q3

Economic Development Strategic Plan

Carlsbad Economic Development Strategic Plan

Biennial Business Report

The biennial business report provides an understanding of specific attributes of Carlsbad’s business climate, including workforce and hiring needs, access to clients and customers, and permitting and regulatory concerns, among other issues for Carlsbad’s business community.

2022 Carlsbad Business Report

Connect with us

Carlsbad has a range of options for businesses to establish, grow and thrive. If you are ready to learn more about doing business along the creative coast or have general questions about doing business in our city, contact the Innovation & Economic Development Department at business@carlsbadca.gov. 

News headlines

Operating outdoors post-COVID

Post Date:06/08/2022

Many restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores and other Carlsbad businesses that moved outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic will keep their expanded operations, according to a report provided to the City Council Tuesday.

To help support local businesses affected by health restrictions that forced them to close or dramatically curtail operations, the Carlsbad City Council voted in 2020 to temporarily suspend certain land use standards. This allowed businesses to either operate on city property such as sidewalks and the street, or private property like parking lots, or both, depending on the location.

Many businesses took advantage of the opportunity to move operations outdoors. The city issued 28 permits for businesses to operate on city property in the Village and Barrio area and 100 permits to businesses citywide who wanted to operate outdoors on private property. Businesses are not allowed to operate on city property outside of the Village and Barrio area. Most of the businesses that moved outdoors were eating and drinking establishments. Other uses include outdoor displays for retail businesses, gyms and personal services.

As COVID restrictions began to lift, city staff sought feedback from businesses and the public about next steps. In 2021, residents and business owners who responded to an online survey generally supported continuing outdoor business activities.

  • 88% of businesses said outdoor operations helped them recoup a portion of lost revenues
  • Most respondents said they enjoyed eating outdoors and did not notice a negative effect on parking. About 40% of respondents thought the reduction in parking was noticeable
  • 51% said they would like Carlsbad to have more private outdoor dining areas.
  • About 37% of respondents did not want to see the city allow more curb cafes, and 19% wanted fewer than there are today.

According to Tuesday’s report to the City Council, city staff will work with local businesses to provide direction and guidance if they want to make their temporary outdoor operations permanent. So far, the majority of businesses with temporary permits have moved back indoors. Most that have remained either already meet the criteria to be allowed once the temporary suspension of rules expires or could meet the criteria with minor modifications. Those operating as curb cafes will need to begin paying the annual fee to offset the cost of parking.

If businesses do not make their outdoor activations permanent, those within the Village and Barrio neighborhoods can continue to operate on city property until the public health orders are repealed, at a date not yet identified. Temporary activations citywide on private property will be able to continue until Jan. 1, 2024.

More information
June 7 City Council staff report
Outdoor space activation for businesses
Eric Lardy, Principal Planner, eric.lardy@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2712

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