Benicia, a town of 27,000 people located about 40 miles northeast of San Francisco, has adopted two ordinances, which stipulate that retail stores larger than 20,000 square feet and formula restaurants will not be approved unless they meet certain criteria. Continue reading
The comprehensive plan in Caroline, New York, calls for "[e]ncouraging locally owned businesses that integrate with the rural residential and agricultural nature of the town, and discouraging commercial development that would negatively affect local agricultural, business, and residential communities." Continue reading
The comprehensive plans requires that the city work to "maintain a low unemployment rate and promote diversification of the local economy" and"support existing businesses and industries and the establishment of locally owned, managed, or controlled small businesses." Continue reading
The town’s plan states, "Rather than establishing competing shopping centers in the Town to provide basic goods and services, the Village commercial center. . . should remain the center for shopping in the community." Continue reading
The comprehensive plan lists among its objectives "support [for] small, locally owned businesses" and "prevent[tion of] commercial sprawl outside the county’s existing traditional commercial centers." Continue reading
When making procurement decisions, many cities and states give preference to local businesses as a means to nurture small businesses and local economies. Some of these jurisdictions give a local preference only in the case of tie bids, but others give preference if a bid from a local business is within a certain percentage of the lowest non-local bid. Washington D.C., for example, by administrative practice gives a five percent preference to local firms. Continue reading
A growing number of cities and towns are enacting policies that restrict the proliferation of “formula businesses” — stores and restaurants that have standardized services, décor, methods of operation, and other features that make them virtually identical to businesses elsewhere. Having saturated malls and other shopping areas, many formula retailers and restaurants are increasingly locating… Continue reading
Over the last twenty years, cities and counties have provided massive public subsidies to finance the construction of big-box stores, shopping malls, and, most recently, Amazon.com warehouses. Continue reading
In January 2007, the town of Moab, Utah, adopted the following ordinance which temporarily prohibits the construction of stores larger than 40,000 square feet. Continue reading
In 1994, Fort Collins adopted a six-month moratorium on development of stores larger than 80,000 square feet. The city used the time to review the design, transportation, and other planning issues posed by big box retailers, and to make changes to its planning and zoning rules. Continue reading
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