City Councilman Dan Holloway remembers a time when businesses interested in property hit road blocks and red tape that caused them to stay away from La Puente.
Now, city officials say they want to cut the tape and do anything possible to fill vacancies.
“I think word is getting out that La Puente is a place where businesses can come and be successful, I don’t think we had that in the past,” Holloway said. “After being down for a long time, things have started looking up.”
Their push might be working. In the past year, La Puente went from 802 businesses to 915, according to City Manager David Carmany. Starbucks, Walmart Neighborhood Market, Menchies Frozen Yogurt and Smart & Final have all opened in the past year. McDonalds, Harbor Freight Tools, Waba Grill and Pizza Hut are not far behind, Carmany said.