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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Apr 1, 2003

Iowa Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Activists, Against Wal-Mart

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/iowa-supreme-court-rules-favor-activists-against-walmart/

Years of fighting a Wal-Mart supercenter slated for a flood plain in a rural area of Decorah, Iowa, have finally paid off for a tenacious group of residents and small business owners.

On April 2, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the Decorah City Council acted illegally when it approved a Wal-Mart supercenter in the Upper Iowa River flood plain.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | 1 Comment | Updated on Apr 1, 2003

Cincinnati Planning Department Abolished at Behest of Big Box Developer

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/cincinnati-planning-department-abolished-behest-big-box-developer/

In an effort to reduce a budget deficit and make the city more "developer friendly," in the words of Mayor Charles Luken, Cincinnati has abolished its planning department.

Eight staff members and the remnants of the city’s planning activities have been transferred to the community development department. The department will carry out state-mandated functions, such as zoning and historic preservation. Planning will largely be subordinate to economic development.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Apr 1, 2003

Missouri Coalitions Works to End Big Box Subsidies

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/missouri-coalitions-works-end-big-box-subsidies/

In Missouri, a coalition of independent businesses and union members are backing a bill that would reform the state’s tax increment financing (TIF) law and put an end to subsidies for suburban big box stores, shopping malls, and other sprawling developments.

TIF allows a municipality to issue bonds to pay for part of the costs of a new development. Future tax revenue from the development is then diverted from the public coffers to pay off the bonds.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Apr 1, 2003

Big Box Proposal Tests Regional Planning in Pennsylvania

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/big-box-proposal-tests-regional-planning-pennsylvania/

Wal-Mart wants to build a 150,000-square-foot supercenter in Upper Hanover Township, a rural corner of Pennsylvania about one hour northwest of Philadelphia. The supercenter would anchor a large shopping complex, including twin strip malls on opposite sides of the highway.

Two years ago, Wal-Mart would have needed no more than an okay from Upper Hanover officials to proceed.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Apr 1, 2003

Taos, New Mexico, Votes to Keep Store Size Limit

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/taos-new-mexico-votes-keep-store-size-limit/

Cheers greeted the Taos, New Mexico, Town Council last month when members voted 3-2 to reject a proposal to allow construction of retail stores as large as 200,000 square feet. The vote reaffirms an ordinance adopted in 1999 that prohibits stores over 80,000 square feet.

The issue has been hotly debated in this community of 7,000 for more than three months. It began when a handful of residents organized under the banner La Gente ("the people") and petitioned the Town Council to lift the store size limit.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

Small Businesses Pay Their Employees. Wal-Mart Doesn’t.

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/small-businesses-pay-their-employees-walmart-doesnt/

In December, an Oregon jury found Wal-Mart guilty of forcing employees in eighteen stores to work extra hours without pay. A separate jury will determine damages in the class-action lawsuit.

Employees testified that store managers used a variety of tactics to extract unpaid labor, including requiring employees to work after they had punched out for lunch, locking the doors at night to prevent off-the-clock employees from leaving until certain tasks were complete, and manipulating employee timecards.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

Wal-Mart’s Purchase of Puerto Rico Chain Challenged

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmarts-purchase-puerto-rico-chain-challenged/

Puerto Rico’s Department of Justice has asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to block Wal-Mart’s acquisition of the island’s largest grocery store chain, Supermercados Amigo Inc. The outcome of the case could affect the ability of states to review and challenge mergers.

Wal-Mart already operates 19 outlets in Puerto Rico, including eight Sam’s Club stores and one supercenter.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

British Government Rejects Big Box Sprawl

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/british-government-rejects-big-box-sprawl/

In a move that could derail big box development projects throughout England, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has rejected a bid by the furniture chain Ikea to build a 300,000-square-foot store (seven times the size of a football field) outside the city of Stockport.

In a letter explaining his decision, Deputy Prime Minister Prescott said the proposed store violated several provisions of both national and local planning policy.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

McDonald’s Defeated in Oaxaca, Mexico

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/mcdonalds-defeated-oaxaca-mexico/

Officials of Oaxaca, Mexico, have turned down an application by McDonald’s to open an outlet in a 500-year-old plaza at the center of town. "There are values that we have to preserve, such as our traditions and culture," city leader Gabino Cue Monteagudo said. A local ordinance allows local officials to reject development projects that endanger the city’s cultural heritage. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

Midcoast Maine Residents Oppose Coastal Home Depot

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/midcoast-maine-residents-oppose-coastal-home-depot/

Residents of the midcoast region of Maine are petitioning the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the US Coast Guard to deny permits to a planned Home Depot store in the town of Rockland.

The 100,000-square-foot store is slated for a 24-acre site along the coast near Route 1. The project was approved by the Rockland Planning Commission in October. It still needs permits from the DEP, which is accepting public comment through February and is expected to issue a decision in March.

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