1 May 2002

Arcata Prohibits Forumula Restaurants

by | Date: 1 May 2002 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In mid-May, the city council of Arcata, California voted 4-to-1 to enact a citywide cap on the number formula restaurants. The measure must pass a second reading on June 5. It will become law 30 days later. The ordinance defines a formula restaurant as one that shares the same design, menu, trademark, and other characteristics with twelve or more other establishments. The ordinance bars a formula restaurant from locating within the city unless it is replacing an existing formula restaurant at the same location. … Read More
1 May 2002

San Francisco Mayor Vetoes Big Box Law

by | Date: 1 May 2002 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown vetoed an ordinance to require greater scrutiny of big box development. The measure passed the Board of Supervisors on a 7-to-4 vote in March. Eight votes are needed to override a mayoral veto.

The citywide ordinance would have required retail development projects larger than 50,000 square feet to undergo an impact review and obtain a conditional use permit before proceeding.

… Read More
2 Mar 2002

California Bill Aims to Quell Quest for Big Retail

by | Date: 2 Mar 2002 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In every region of the country, chain store developers have successfully played neighboring communities against one another to gain approval for their stores and to exact the biggest tax breaks and public subsidies. But nowhere have city officials been as desperate for sales tax revenue—and thus big box stores, shopping malls, and auto dealerships—than in California, where the competition for retail development has been especially costly and destructive. … Read More
1 Dec 2001

San Francisco Supervisor Calls For Big Box Impact Review

by | Date: 1 Dec 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

San Francisco Board of Supervisor’s President Tom Ammiano has proposed a citywide ordinance that would require retail development projects larger than 50,000 square feet, with the exception of supermarkets, to undergo an impact review and obtain a conditional use permit before building. The ordinance notes that large retail stores could impact traffic, reduce the diversity of the city’s economic base by eliminating smaller businesses, and preclude higher value industrial development on the few sizable parcels of urban real estate available. For these reasons, according to the ordinance, large retail stores warrant added scrutiny. … Read More
1 Dec 2001

Voters To Decide On Size Cap In Agoura Hills

by | Date: 1 Dec 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Citizens for Responsible Growth, a grassroots group in Agoura Hills, California, has collected enough signatures to put a measure before the voters that would limit retail stores to 60,000 square feet. The vote will be held March 5. The city council vehemently opposes the ordinance, contending that it will reduce future sales tax revenue and invite legal challenges. Dozens of communities have enacted size caps, which have consistently been upheld by the courts as a valid use of local land use authority. … Read More
1 Dec 2001

Home Depot On The Ballot In Mountain View

by | Date: 1 Dec 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The Mountain View City Council voted to place a ballot measure before voters next March that would authorize rezoning land to allow the construction of a 125,000 square foot Home Depot store. Mountain View is a community of about 30,000 located north of San Jose, California. After failing to win approval from the city council, Home Depot has been gathering signatures to put the matter directly to voters. … Read More
1 Dec 2001

California Ruling Forces Borders.Com To Collect Sales Taxes

by | Date: 1 Dec 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In a decision that may galvanize action in other states, the California Board of Equalization (BOE) has ruled that online bookseller Borders.com must collect state sales tax. Under a 1992 Supreme Court decision, Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, states cannot compel out-of-state companies to collect sales taxes unless the company has a physical presence, or "nexus," in the state.… Read More
1 Oct 2001

Agoura Hills Residents Push Big Box Referendum

by | 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

1 … 18 19 20 21 22