LALBC NEWS RELEASE
The Los Alamos Local Business Coalition (“Coalition”) invites public review and input on its “Facilitate Owner Occupied Space” idea, a proposal aimed at boosting the economic vitality of Los Alamos County by providing local businesses with opportunities to own their business space. This initiative is one of six forward-thinking ideas detailed in the newly released “Coalition Idea Book,” now available as a PDF on the Coalition website.
The “Facilitate Owner Occupied Space Initiative” idea seeks to foster a stronger local economy by:
- Empowering Businesses Through Ownership: This initiative aims to address high rents in Los Alamos, which are a barrier to the sustainability of local businesses, by making it easier for landlords to subdivide buildings into smaller ownership parcels. It also proposes to provide tax relief assistance to owner-occupied commercial structures and greater access to financing opportunities for business owners.
- Enhancing Business Stability and Equity: By helping businesses own their space, the initiative provides more direct control over monthly structure costs. It also aims to increase business equity, as commercial space ownership is a valuable tool in obtaining additional loan funding.
- Improving Property and Economic Resiliency: Owner-occupied buildings are often kept and improved at a greater pace than tenant-occupied buildings. Furthermore, diverse ownership provides more resiliency when there is a downturn in one sector of the economy, and can lead to a decrease in vacant buildings in our downtown areas.
“We believe that by enabling local businesses to own their commercial space, we can provide them with greater stability, build equity within our community, and foster a more resilient and vibrant economic landscape,” said a spokesperson for the Coalition. “This initiative is about building a more resilient and sustainable local economy for everyone.”
The “Facilitate Owner Occupied Space Initiative,” idea, along with other innovative concepts like the “Storefront Recapture” and “Local Business Billboard Collective,” were generated through extensive community engagement and forums held since February 2025. These ideas are designed to address the top challenges facing the Los Alamos business environment, including affordable commercial space, complex and opaque regulatory environments, workforce shortages and housing costs, and the perceived lack of support and access to funding for local businesses.
The Coalition encourages all citizens, business owners, and community stakeholders to review the complete set of ideas presented in the “Coalition Idea Book” on our website. Your feedback and engagement on the ideas are invited as we work together to build a more prosperous Los Alamos.
To download and review the “Coalition Idea Book – Imagine,” please visit: https://coalition.losalamos.com/forums/forum-for-improving-los-alamos-local-environment/
About the Los Alamos Local Business Coalition:
The Coalition is a collaborative organization of local business owners and community members dedicated to fostering a thriving business environment in Los Alamos and White Rock. We advocate for solution-focused policies, structures, and accountability that support our local businesses, working in collaboration with key organizations and incorporating input from the community to address shared priorities for the betterment of the entire Los Alamos area.
