Many towns throughout New England have faced the question of what to do about so-called big box stores.
Fans say stores like Wal-Mart and Home Depot create jobs and add to the tax base.
Critics argue the mega stores destroy locally owned businesses and the nature of small towns.
In Vermont, lawmakers have tried to come up with State laws regulating the size of these stores.
The Vermont Standard's Kevin Forrest reports:
(sounds of downtown Brattleboro)
Even on a sleepy April Sunday, downtown Brattleboro hums with energy.
Small, independently owned shops line the streets.
Patrons stroll by in the warm spring air.
Traffic lines the town?s main drag.
There?s a feeling of economic vitality.
And a sense of community.
Stevenson - ?There?s a character, a way of life, something, it?s not perfect. I wouldn?t make this some kind of utopia but there is something here that I think a lot of people say ?hey we don?t want this to become just like everything else....?
That?s Tim Stevenson.
He's with an organization called BrattPower, which formed in order to oppose a Home Depot that now sits on the outskirts of town.
BrattPower now works to support local businesses.
And its members support a preemptive move by Brattleboro planners to keep more big box stores out of town.
Such local activism helped changed State Sen. Vincent Illuzzi?s mind.
But in a different way than one might think.
Illuzzi chairs the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs.
He had proposed a bill that would limit the size of big box stores to 50,000 and 75,000 square feet depending on location.
But he withdrew it after hearing testimony from local officials.
Illuzzi - The comments that resonated with me was that one size does not fit all for Vermont.
Personally, Illuzzi believes big-box stores can suck the vibrancy out of a community?s center.
But he's come to realize that each town has to make ups its own mind.
Illuzzi - The goal is to require communities to go into these issues with their eyes wide open.
Recently, voters in Bennington rejected a local proposal to limit the size of big box stores in their town.
Senator Matt Dunne sits on Illuzzi?s committee.
He represents the Upper Valley town of Hartford VT.
He knows a lot of Vermonters like Walmart?s low prices.
But price isn?t the only consideration.
Dunne - You could take that to any extreme. If we wanted the cheapest possible things in the state we could allow for development anywhere and I?m sure you?d see a price point come down. It?s just part of the balance that we need to set. And we need to set it in line with Vermont values.
Gayle Ottman sits on Hartford's Board of Selectman.
She says Hartford officials would welcome a big box store.
Hartford?s Upper Valley neighbor, West Lebanon, NH, is dotted with them.
Of course, says Ottman, the decision would have to undergo local scrutiny.
Ottman - As far as any development of that type and that large it would depend on location, infrastructure, abuttors? opinions. The process works well here.
Bennington?s landmark vote to reject a cap on store size revealed a similar attitude.
And although Senator Illuzzi might have wished for a different outcome, he says he respects the process.
Illuzzi - We learned a lot from the Bennington debate. First of all we learned that the Bennington leadership addressed the issue up front and they get an a-plus for that. There was a large voter turnout. People for and against the cap for that community came out and expressed their views and that?s how democracy works.
No big box store is currently to try in locate in Brattleboro.
Officials there, however, are trying to keep a few steps ahead of any application with interim restrictions.
They also want to hear from residents.
Tim Stevenson of the organization BrattPower:
Stevenson - There?s a very proactive approach to this, to get people?s input so that it?s not perceived the way the Walmart people were successful in making the whole issue appear in Bennington which was an elite group trying to shove a measure through that was at the expense of lower income people.
Stevenson believes that as long as people are aware of the issues and talking, they will make the right decisions for their community.
Stevenson - And I think that?s the virtue of what?s going on right now is that regardless of whether these ordinances are passed there?s obviously more involvement and awareness around this issue and I think that?s important. I think that?s the only way that towns can protect themselves from these rapacious corporations that come in and set up shop and take over.
Senator Illuzzi now sees the state?s role as helping communities through the process rather than dictating the outcome.
Illuzzi - And we?re trying to devise a mechanism that will allow each community to size up its needs, its goals, its desires and then make a decision and they know that they?re going to live with the consequences of that decision, the pluses and the minuses.
Still, Illuzzi plans to redraft his legislation with a default limit.
Illuzzi - We?ll choose some number, maybe it will be 75,000 maybe it will be 100,000, and say to communities this is a default position; however if you go through the planning process in your community and decide how big is enough, how big of a big box store do you want, how big of a big box store do you need, then the community can make that decision.
But the Senator admits it might be too late for a revised bill to receive action in the frantic closing weeks of the current Montpelier session.
For NHPR news, this is Kevin Forrest in Reading, Vt.
