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Small Business Action Team

 

Supporting Small and Local Businesses

The Purple Line brings both opportunity for growth and risk of displacement to the thriving network of small businesses along the Purple Line Corridor. Hundreds of small businesses, primarily owned by immigrants and people of color, and many of which are micro-businesses with five or fewer employees, are those most affected by construction disruptions, increasing rents, and rising land costs as a result of the Purple Line. PLCC’s Small Business Action Team has convened partners across sectors since 2019 to support small businesses to survive these threats -- made even more significant as a result of COVID-19 -- and to take advantage of the new customers and economic activity that the Purple Line will bring.

PLCC Small Business Support Action Plan

The 2021-2022 PLCC Small Business Support Action Plan and long-term Small Business Strategy build on a three-phase small business COVID recovery framework developed by Jill Schlesinger, a nationally-syndicated financial columnist. This includes immediate Triage, medium-term Transition, and long-term Transformation strategies that will create vibrant spaces for the existing community and attract new customers. This plan prioritizes six neighborhoods where small businesses are most vulnerable to displacement and where increased community investment can drive racial equity. These areas include Greater Riverdale, communities along University Boulevard including Northern Gateway and Langley Park, Long Branch, Bonifant Street and Fenton Village in Silver Spring, and the Brookville Road Business District in Lyttonsville. There are an estimated 830 micro-businesses within 1/2 mile and 513 micro-businesses within 1/4 mile of these stations.

Strategies within the plan include:

-Place-based management, technical assistance, and service coordination

-Policy and advocacy

-Marketing and promotion

-Research and relationship building for long-term transformation

Small Business Action Team Co-Chairs

  1. Latino Economic Development Center
  2. CASA