How Boulder Businesses are Staying Ahead of the Chains

Date: 23 Oct 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

If you visit Boulder, Colorado, you can’t miss it. It’s displayed on the door or window of nearly every locally owned business in town: the Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery on Pearl Street, Heritage Bank on 9th, Albums on the Hill. Stop for coffee at Sidney’s Cafe and it’ll be on the side of your cup. At the Boulder Book Store and you’ll find it on the complimentary bookmarks. Open up the Boulder Weekly and you’ll see it in an advertisement for local video and music stores. … Read More

Mamaroneck Zoning Law Survives Court Challenge

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

A New York court has let stand a local law enacted by the town of Mamaroneck governing development outside its borders. Under the law, large-scale developments that abut, adjoin, or are adjacent to the Mamaroneck’s borders must undergo a comprehensive review and obtain a permit from the Town Board. The law covers residential projects of 250 or more homes, facilities of more than 100,000 square feet, and projects involving parking for more than 1,000 vehicles. … Read More

Protecting Historic Buildings From Chain Drugstores

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

Several years ago the major drugstore chains—CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Eckerd—lost interest in strip malls and began to focus their expansion plans on prominent downtown intersections. As Walgreens CEO Daniel Jorndt told the New York Times, the chain’s preferred location these days is "the corner of Main and Main." Often, of course, these intersections are occupied by some of the community’s oldest and most significant buildings. … Read More

Thousands Camp In Big Box Parking Lots

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

Wal-Mart has become one of the nation’s largest campground operators. Every night thousands of recreational vehicles (RVs) set-up camp in Wal-Mart parking lots. The practice, which first began in the late 1980s, has grown rapidly in recent years. In places like Durango, Colorado and Anchorage, Alaska, Wal-Mart parking lots are jammed full of RVs night after night. Parking overnight at Wal-Mart is free, so campers save the $20 to $35 fee charged by traditional campgrounds.… Read More

Sales Tax Fairness Update

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

Efforts to apply sales taxes equally to both bricks-and-mortar and online retailers have made substantial progress since our last update, yet it is likely to be several more years before a level playing field becomes a reality. The Supreme Court has ruled that states cannot compel out-of-state companies, including internet and catalogue retailers, to collect state and local sales taxes. … Read More

Wal-Mart Settles Predatory Pricing Charge

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

Wal-Mart admits no wrongdoing and will not pay a fine in a settlement reached with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection over a predatory pricing complaint filed by the agency last year. The company will, however, face double or triple fines for any future violations, according to the terms of the agreement. The complaint accused Wal-Mart of selling butter, milk, laundry detergent, and other staple goods below cost at stores in Beloit, Oshkosh, Racine, Tomah, and West Bend. … Read More

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

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