For Immediate Release: June 29, 2007 Contact: Daphne Loring, Maine Fair Trade Campaign, (207) 777-6387; Stacy Mitchell, Institute for Local Self-Reliance (207) 774-6792 Maine Enacts Landmark Law Requiring Economic Impact Studies of Big-Box Projects Augusta, ME – Maine has become the first state in the nation to require cities and towns to evaluate the impact of … Read More
This DVD features ILSR’s Stacy Mitchell giving a talk in November 2006 about the hidden costs of big-box retail and what communities can do to rebuild local businesses. The event was sponsored by Local First Utah and filmed by Salt Lake City Television. (1 hr, 4 min).… Read More
The Maine legislature has given its approval to a bill that requires cities and towns to evaluate the economic effects of large-scale retail development and to approve only those projects that will not have an adverse impact on jobs, local businesses, and municipal finances. The legislation is the first of its kind in the nation.… Read More
In a unanimous decision yesterday, the California Supreme Court fortified efforts by cities across the state to restrict the development of big-box stores, favor small-scale retailers, and protect the vitality of downtowns. The ruling (Hernandez v. City of Hanford) upholds the authority of cities to adopt planning and zoning ordinances that have a direct impact on economic competition and that treat businesses differently based on the scale of their stores.… Read More
While many parts of the country are overrun with chain stores, San Francisco remains a stronghold for locally owned businesses, according to a new study, which also found that those local stores generate sizable benefits for the city’s economy.
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State lawmakers are now considering a bill, the Informed Growth Act, that would give all Maine communities a process for evaluating the costs and benefits of large retail projects.
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Many local officials would undoubtedly reconsider big-box projects if they knew that a new mega-store would eliminate more jobs than it creates, or that it would cost the city more in public services than it generates in tax revenue . But most cities do not assess the likely economic impacts of retail development. They assume that these stores expand the local economy and approve them blind to the potential costs. Legislation under consideration in Maine would remedy this by stipulating that cities may approve stores over 75,000 square feet only after an independent economic analysis is conducted.… Read More
This session on regulating big-box retail was presented at the American Planning Association’s 2007 conference. Presenters were Thomas Jacobson, Stacy Mitchell, and Julie Tappendorf. The CD-ROM includes audio synchronized with PowerPoint, transcripts and slides, note sheets, and reading materials.… Read More
Q: A major retail development is proposed for our town. The developer is insisting that big-box stores do not harm small business. He references a study called “Has Wal-Mart Buried Mom and Pop?” which was published in an academic journal. Is this study valid? How do we respond? – Resident of New Scotland, New York Q: … Read More
