Homer, Alaska, Bans Big Box Stores

Date: 1 Sep 2003 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The town of Homer, Alaska, has capped retail store sizes at no more than 20,000 square feet in its central business district and 40,000 square feet in other commercial areas. The measure will remain in effect until the Planning Commission implements permanent regulations setting impact standards and size limits for large-scale retail, expected within six months. … Read More

Carbondale Voters Defeat Shopping Center

Date: 1 Jul 2003 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

On July 15, citizens in Carbondale, Colorado, voted 57 to 43 percent to reject a 252,000-square-foot shopping center anchored by a Target store. The hotly debated referendum produced the largest election turnout in the town’s history. Carbondale is a community of 5,200 people in the Roaring Fork Valley between Glenwood Springs and Aspen. Carbondale has a lively downtown of locally owned businesses, including hardware, book, and clothing stores. … Read More

Taos, New Mexico, Votes to Keep Store Size Limit

Date: 1 Apr 2003 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

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.… Read More

Coconino County, Arizona Caps Store Size

Date: 1 Oct 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In August 2001, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an ordinance barring the construction of stores larger than 70,000 square feet and requiring those over 25,000 square feet to obtain a conditional use permit. The ordinance will apply to all land in the county that lies outside of municipal boundaries. Coconino County is located in northern Arizona and includes the city of Flagstaff. … Read More

Agoura Hills Residents Push Big Box Referendum

Date: 1 Oct 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Hoping to protect their community’s semi-rural landscape and lifestyle, a group of residents and small business owners in Agoura Hills, California are pushing for a ballot initiative that would ban retail stores larger than 60,000 square feet. Agoura Hills is a town of 20,000 people located about 35 miles north of Los Angeles. Citizens for Responsible Development (CRD) began organizing earlier this year after a developer proposed building a 255,000 square foot retail complex south of Highway 101. … Read More

Ireland Bans Superstores

Date: 1 Jan 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The Irish government has made permanent a temporary cap on the size of retail stores in effect since 1998. The new law restricts stores in the Dublin area to 3,500 square meters (38,000 sq. ft.) and applies a 3,000 square meter (32,000 sq. ft.) limit to the rest of the country. The policy also requires that new retail stores be located in town centers. … Read More

More Cities Ban Large-Scale Retail

Date: 1 Aug 2000 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In August, the city of Rockville, Maryland adopted an ordinance barring stores over 65,000 square feet and requiring those that exceed 25,000 square feet to meet design guidelines. The action puts an end to a proposed 128,000 square foot Costco warehouse store. (Wal-Mart stores range from about 80,000 to 250,000 square feet. A typical Borders Books is about 35,000 square feet.)… Read More