The City of Alameda periodically conducts a cost comparison between local cities of various business expenses, such as business license tax, rent, and electricity costs. These comparisons have demonstrated that Alameda can provide an annual savings relative to other locations.
The City recently revised its cost comparisons for commercial office and R&D space. The cost comparisons are with cities that local commercial brokers consider are in the primary and secondary markets in which Alameda competes. The City also did a similar comparison for retail space, taking into account special property tax assessments that have been a concern in the local business community. The retail comparison is with other traditional "main street" retail districts in Alameda County similar to Park Street and Webster Street.
Both comparisons favorably position Alameda, which typically has competitive lease rates and one of the area's lowest business license tax rates.
