Small Business Anti-Displacement Toolkit: A Guide for Small Business Advocates

Abstract

The Small Business Anti-Displacement Toolkit is designed to equip small business advocates with tools to preserve small businesses in gentrifying neighborhoods. First published in 2021, the toolkit outlines seven strategies: commercial preservation and property improvement, local hiring and entrepreneurial support, tax credits and incentives, zoning and form-based codes, commercial tenant protections, community ownership, and place-based management. It details nearly 30 tools for implementing these strategies, provides examples of anti-displacement efforts in neighborhoods across the country and abroad, and discusses how advocates can push policies to keep small businesses in place. The second edition (2024) includes updates on place-based management, tax credits, and community ownership tools. It draws on what SBAN has learned from its network of more than 150 members about how municipalities and community-based organizations are supporting BIPOC- and immigrant-owned businesses.