Officials from the Planning Commission, Code Enforcement office and Redevelopment Authority plan to join forces with the Blair County Chamber of Commerce to answer questions from concerned business people.

A series of three meetings will be held, and the information obtained there will ultimately help the city create a business recruitment plan.

At least one downtown merchant said it's not so bad, but the city could use some fine-tuning.

Devin Mullen owns "Your Jewelry Box" in downtown Altoona. He opened his business nearly three years ago and moved into the former Altoona Trust building. Mullen said even though the city did what it could to attract his business to downtown, he still had to wait over six months for city officials to approve his occupancy permit that changed the code from a bank to a retail store.

He said he's concerned that other entrepreneurs won't wait like he did.

The first of three meetings will be held March 20. Participants are asked to pre-register by calling the Blair County Chamber of Commerce at 943-8151.