State Of Maryland Intervenes In Local Big Box Fight

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

As part of Governor Parris Glendening’s smart growth agenda, the Maryland Department of Planning has decided to assist Kent County in its nine year battle to block a Wal-Mart store. Under a rarely employed 1974 law, the state has the authority to participate in local land use proceedings. Earlier this year, Gov. Glendening announced that his administration would revive the law to address development that has smart growth implications.… Read More

New Orleans Landmark Saved, But Wal-Mart Still Not Welcome

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

Fierce opposition from preservation and community groups has saved the last cotton press complex in the city of New Orleans from becoming a Wal-Mart parking lot. Now, building on this success, the groups hope to keep the proposed store out altogether. In July, the ironically named Historic Restoration Inc. (HRI) revealed plans to redevelop a 65-acre site along Tchoupitoulas Street in the heart of New Orleans. The proposal includes 1100 units of housing and a 203,000 square foot Wal-Mart supercenter. … 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

Rogue Agencies Gut State Banking Laws

Date: 5 Sep 2001 | posted in: Banking | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The only reason you’re not afraid of the Office of the Comptroller of Currency and the Office of Thrift Supervision is because you don’t know what they do. Called indentured servants to the national banking industry, they are dismantling the state regulatory system piece by piece, with nothing more than a polite scolding from Congress. If … Read More

Back the Dairy Compact

Date: 27 Aug 2001 | posted in: agriculture | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Published by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Midwestern lawmakers are working vigorously to defeat congressional reauthorization of the Northeast Dairy Compact, scheduled to expire in September. Dairy farms in the Midwest are failing at an alarming rate and the compact has been widely blamed for their demise. It’s a tempting scapegoat, but in fact has nothing to … Read More

Hudson Valley Communities Fight CVS

Date: 1 Aug 2001 | posted in: Retail | 2 Facebooktwitterredditmail

A firestorm of protest has swept the Hudson River region of New York in response to CVS’s plans to open stores in nearly a dozen village centers. Having saturated strip malls and highways, chain drugstores in recent years have focused increasingly on Main Street locations. In the Hudson region, CVS has cut deals to lease sites formerly occupied by grocery stores in several village centers. Ten of the sites were Grand Union outlets, a regional grocery chain that recently filed for bankruptcy. … Read More

Brooklyn Neighborhood Defeats Ikea

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

In June, the Swedish furniture chain Ikea dropped its proposal to build a 300,000 square foot store on 9-acre site in Brooklyn. The defeat is Ikea’s second in the New York region this year. In February, organized opposition from small business owners and residents forced Ikea to back out of plans to open a store in New Rochelle. The Brooklyn site is located near Gowanus Canal in a predominantly residential neighborhood. Once the location of a coal transfer station, the land is currently owned by the US Postal Service.… Read More

Belfast Voters Outlaw Big Box Stores

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

In June, residents of Belfast, Maine voted 2-to-1 to ban retail stores larger than 75,000 square feet. They also elected two big box opponents to the City Council by substantial margins. Belfast, located in the fast-growing mid-coast region about two and a half hours north of Portland, has a population of 6,400. It’s 18th century downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. … Read More

1 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 78