Economic Development
Lakewood is a business-friendly city and we welcome the opportunity for you to join our family of businesses! Built as the largest planned community in America in the early 1950s, Lakewood offered affordable homes to thousands of World War II veterans and others eager to enjoy the American Dream in family-friendly neighborhoods. Attracting new business was key to Lakewood’s original success…and the city continues that priority today.
Lakewood residents give strong support to their community and local businesses. The city is known for having lots of volunteer organizations, strong support for law enforcement and public safety (with one of the largest Neighborhood Watch programs in the region), and the “Shop Lakewood…Stay Lakewood Loyal” effort to promote businesses of all sizes.
The city prides itself on the prompt, professional turnaround of permitting and development requests. Lakewood has maintained its planning and permit staff through the recession, while others had to cut theirs and delay processing times for businesses.
From a regional mall to dozens of neighborhood shopping centers to industrial areas, Lakewood is a city of 21st-century possibilities for your business. The city's economic development gateway offers profiles of selected commercial centers and links to business data sources. The map below shows selected commercial properties that you can explore in more detail by clicking the links to the left.
View Lakewood Shopping Centers in a larger map
For assistance in finding all the possibilities in Lakewood, please feel free to call or visit City Hall, located at 5050 Clark Avenue, Lakewood, California 90712. For questions about our zoning code, call the Community Development Department at 562-866-9771, extension 2300, to speak with a planner. For questions about the building code or building permits, call the Building and Safety division of the Community Development Department at 562-866-9771, extension 2350. For questions about business licenses, call the Administrative Services Department at 562-866-9771, extension 2600. For demographic data about Lakewood, visit our Census Information page.
Feedback is welcome! Please e-mail us. Questions and input about Lakewood's economic development gateway are always welcome. Let us know what parts of this site you like and those that could be improved.