# Pasadena Economic Development and Technology Committee Meeting: August 27, 2026

The Pasadena Economic Development and Technology Committee held a special meeting on August 27, 2026. Staff presented proposed actions to improve retail occupancy, including streamlining permitting, strengthening commercial-market data and partnerships, and connecting businesses with support services. Planning and building staff described completed and ongoing process improvements, such as electronic permitting, updated land-use tools, and faster restaurant plan reviews. Staff also said the city is in the process of procuring services from a company transcribed as “Archiear” to provide automated plan-review feedback; no contract award or dollar amount was reported. Potential tenant-improvement assistance and additional commercial-market studies would depend on future funding, and staff did not recommend pursuing a commercial vacancy registry or tax at this time. No spending or procurement vote was taken; the committee unanimously approved its June 16 and July 21 minutes.

The committee also received updates on Pasadena’s business-attraction marketing, business openings and closures, and commercial district needs assessments. Staff reported 199 new businesses from January through July, with 65 closures identified through water and power account data. Members discussed potential future agenda topics related to dynamic pricing and in-store tracking, but took no action on them.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Information Technology
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** August 27, 2026

### Sources
- [Pasadena Economic Development and Technology Committee Meeting: August 27, 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-fniSKtV1A) - Pasadena Media