In May 2002, the Northampton City Council enacted ordinances prohibiting retail stores larger than 90,000 square feet, and requiring that developers proposing stores larger than 20,000 square feet either construct pedestrian-friendly, two-story buildings contiguous to the street or pay a $5 per square foot mitigation fee. Continue reading

After a long ordeal fighting Wal-Mart, North Elba adopted a size cap ordinance limiting single retail stores to 40,000 square feet and capping shopping centers at 68,000 square feet. Continue reading

In March 2006, voters in the town of Nobleboro endorsed a measure capping stores at 45,000 square feet. Continue reading

In 2006, responding to a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter, the City Council in Neptune Beach, Florida, adopted a size cap ordinance that limits stores to no more than 60,000 square feet. Continue reading

In April 2005, Madison, Wisconsin, adopted a big-box ordinance that imposes some limits on the size of retail stores, but it is quite permissive compared to other examples on this site. The ordinance limits retail buildings to a footprint of no more than 100,000 square feet.Becausethe limit is on the footprint of the building, rather than the gross leasable area of the store, the rules allow stores to be larger provided they are multi-story. Continue reading

Hailey, Idaho, which has a population of 7,500 and is located in the center of the state, three hours east of Boise, limits the floor area of retail and wholesale businesses to no more than 36,000 square feet in the town’s business and limited business zones and 25,000 square feet in other industrial and commercial zones. Continue reading

In March 2006, voters in Damariscotta, Maine, overwhelming approved a measure barring stores over 35,000 square feet (about the size of a medium grocery store). The size cap was approved by a 62 to 38 percent margin in what officials say was one of the largest election turnouts in the town’s history. Continue reading

The city of Charlevoix caps stores at 45,000 square feet, while the surrounding township limits them to 90,000 square feet. Continue reading

In February 2003, the city of Bozeman, Montana, enacted an ordinance limiting retail stores to no more than 75,000 square feet and requiring retail developments between 40,000 and 75,000 square feet to meet design and site development standards. Continue reading

In 2001, after Wal-Mart optioned land on the outskirts of Belfast, Maine, a community of 6,500 in the fast-growing midcoast region, the city council adopted a temporary moratorium on large stores and placed an initiative permanently banning stores over 75,000 square feet on the ballot. On election day, voters endorsed the size cap by a 2-to-1 margin. Continue reading