Small business owners and neighborhood activists were elated in November when Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy decided to drop his controversial downtown redevelopment plan. The $522 million project involved demolishing 60 historic buildings and condemning 120 mostly locally owned businesses. In their place, Murphy sought to build a massive retail complex, anchored by a Nordstrom department store and several dozen national chains. … Read More
After a 1989 earthquake destroyed virtually all of its central business district, the city of Santa Cruz, California adopted the Downtown Recovery Plan (DRP), a comprehensive policy for rebuilding the downtown in accordance with several community goals. A decade later, many of these objectives have been met. Downtown Santa Cruz is a healthy, pedestrian-oriented mix of commercial, residential, and public uses. … Read More
As corporate chains have taken over much of the retail economy, they’ve left the American landscape littered with dead malls, vacant strip developments, out-dated outlet centers, and empty big box superstores.… Read More
Local activists and business owners in Pittsburgh are fighting Mayor Tom Murphy’s plan to use eminent domain to destroy 60 buildings and condemn 125 mostly locally owned businesses. In their place, Murphy wants to build a massive retail complex, anchored by a Nordstrom department store and several dozen national chains such as The Gap, FAO Schwarz, and J Crew. … Read More
The town of Mamaroneck, New York recently took steps to protect its character and environment from large-scale developments that abut, adjoin, or are adjacent to its borders. Under a zoning ordinance enacted in April, the town now requires these developments to undergo a comprehensive review and obtain a permit from the Mamaroneck Town Board. … Read More
Salt Lake City officials now routinely consider how their decisions might impact locally owned businesses, thanks to the work of a new independent business coalition and the election last year of Mayor Rocky Anderson. … Read More
