HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-11-30 Minutes, City Commission, special
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MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETINGS OF THE CITY COMMISSION
. BOZEMAN, MONTANA
November 30, 2000
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The Commission of the City of Bozeman met in special sessions on Thursday, November
30, 2000. Present were Mayor Youngman, Commissioner Brown and Commissioner Frost for
the noon session; present were Mayor Youngman, Commissioner Frost and Commissioner
Kirchhoff for the 7:00 p.m. session. Since a quorum was present at both sessions, Mayor
Youngman took notes.
Presentation from Ms. Stacy Mitchell
Ms. Stacy Mitchell, a researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance based in St.
Paul, Minnesota, spoke at a noon seminar in the Greater Yellowstone Coalition Conference
Room, 13 South Willson Avenue. In addition to the Commissioners, several City Planning
Board members, members of the Planning Staff, and two members of the public were present.
Mitchell spoke again at the Emerson Cultural Center, 111 South Grand Avenue, at 7 p.m. In
addition to the Commissioners, City Manager Johnson, some City Planning Board members, and
approximately 90 members of the public were present.
. No pending local policy options were discussed and no decisions made at either meeting.
Discussion focused on economic and social impacts of chain stores on communities' economic
vitality, character, downtowns, and locally owned businesses.
Mitchell is the author of The Home Town Advantage: How to Defend Your Main Street
Against Chain Stores and Why It Matters. She's also involved with the Institute's New Rules
Project, providing model policies to help build stronger communities. According to Mitchell,
these policies are in contrast to predominant current policies-including zoning and financial
incentives-that promote big box development in patterns of sprawl.
Mitchell described a dramatic shift in the last decade to non-locally based businesses in
bookstores, grocery, video, office supply, hardware, and other businesses. She described
economic impact studies in many communities documenting net negative effects on local
economies of big box stores. She also commented on the growing number of empty big box
stores (380 empty Wal-Marts alone). She explained they are often left empty by the chain to
avoid allowing another big box store to use the space, causing a drain on the local tax base,
harm to adjacent businesses, and blight.
Mitchell described approaches other communities have taken to support locally owned
. businesses and downtown economic vitality. These approaches include a shared web site
allowing online shopping at many local businesses; information access on everything from
student report cards to library fines, and bill paying; low-interest loans to businesses wanting
11-30-2000 Special
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to buy their downtown buildings; zoning incentives for downtown and small business
development and zoning limits on large stores; big box size limits; a more stringent review
. process for stores bigger than a certain size; economic impact studies required of large stores;
a requirement that an empty big box store go on the market within a certain time frame;
posters promoting 10 reasons to shop downtown; and local currency/scrip to shop in local
businesses. Boulder was given as an example of a city government that gives preference to
local businesses for contracts if within 5 % of the low bid.
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11-30-2000 Special
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