Consultants flag casino reliance and propose "protect, modernize, transition" framework to diversify Bell Gardens' revenue
May 27, 2026 | Bell Gardens City, Los Angeles County, California
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Consultants from MIG told the Bell Gardens Planning Commission on May 26 that land use decisions are tightly linked to municipal finance and stressed the city must diversify revenue without undermining affordability.
Eric Strand (MIG) framed the policy problem: Bell Gardens is largely built out, catalytic development sites are scarce, many commercial properties are aging, and the city currently relies on a limited set of high-performing land uses. "The card club fees alone that the city pays are about a third of the city's revenue every year," Strand said, and consultants noted roughly a $30 million portion of the budget is being supported by the casino and a few large-format retail anchors.
The consultants proposed a strategic "protect, modernize, transition" approach: protect high-value and community-stabilizing uses (for example the casino and production-oriented light industrial employers), modernize aging commercial corridors and industrial parcels to attract higher-value tenants, and plan for thoughtful transitions at underperforming strip malls, storage facilities and select vacant parcels when opportunities arise.
Near-term recommendations included conducting a deeper fiscal inventory of the casino's contributions, compiling a centralized vacant-parcel registry that lists ownership and development status, creating an external funding/partnership tracker to pursue grants and CDBG-style assistance (already used for façade programs), and beginning feasibility work on catalytic sites such as parcels adjacent to the casino parking and the Southern California Edison right-of-way.
Consultants emphasized that protections for parks, neighborhood shops and other community assets would remain a priority; they advised the city to be proactive about outreach and to create policy tools that facilitate redevelopment when property owners or market conditions change.
The Planning Commission voted to receive and file the staff report; staff and consultants will return with a more detailed fiscal analysis and draft implementation tools for commission review.
Eric Strand (MIG) framed the policy problem: Bell Gardens is largely built out, catalytic development sites are scarce, many commercial properties are aging, and the city currently relies on a limited set of high-performing land uses. "The card club fees alone that the city pays are about a third of the city's revenue every year," Strand said, and consultants noted roughly a $30 million portion of the budget is being supported by the casino and a few large-format retail anchors.
The consultants proposed a strategic "protect, modernize, transition" approach: protect high-value and community-stabilizing uses (for example the casino and production-oriented light industrial employers), modernize aging commercial corridors and industrial parcels to attract higher-value tenants, and plan for thoughtful transitions at underperforming strip malls, storage facilities and select vacant parcels when opportunities arise.
Near-term recommendations included conducting a deeper fiscal inventory of the casino's contributions, compiling a centralized vacant-parcel registry that lists ownership and development status, creating an external funding/partnership tracker to pursue grants and CDBG-style assistance (already used for façade programs), and beginning feasibility work on catalytic sites such as parcels adjacent to the casino parking and the Southern California Edison right-of-way.
Consultants emphasized that protections for parks, neighborhood shops and other community assets would remain a priority; they advised the city to be proactive about outreach and to create policy tools that facilitate redevelopment when property owners or market conditions change.
The Planning Commission voted to receive and file the staff report; staff and consultants will return with a more detailed fiscal analysis and draft implementation tools for commission review.
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