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Comments to Elk Grove City Council
Proposed "Big Box" Ordinance
February 22, 2006
Janet Toppenberg
The Chamber represents over 800 businesses in Elk Grove that
provide over 20,000 jobs -- jobs that directly contribute to the
standard of living in the City through wages to residents and
taxes and fees to the City government. Therefore, Chamber has a
real interest in the discussion of government actions that
impact business.
The staff report (as Ms. Johns reported) and background
presented for this agenda topic and the information presented to
the council last year graphically illustrate that this is not a
simple issue to address. Even the definition of ‘big box’ is
not the same in each jurisdiction, and a careful review of the
research on the subject will show a variety of contradictory
conclusions. Therefore, we urge the council to move carefully on this issue.
With this in mind, we have a few thoughts to put on the table
for consideration in any discussion of the regulation of ‘big
box’ stores or any type of business.
First, and foremost, is the question as to why – What are the
concerns that would lead the Council to discuss regulating ‘big
box stores’? These should be carefully framed to direct any
discussions. Secondly, what impact would regulations have on
the community, business in Elk Grove and our quality of life?
Thirdly, what is the appropriate vehicle to address the
concerns?
For instance, if the concern is appearance - The City has
new design review standards that set forth rigorous standards
for large commercial and retail projects, including those that
would be considered ‘big box’ stores. Is more regulation
necessary and if so, why?
And if the concern is location, the City is in the
process of creating its own zoning code that designates
appropriate areas for specific types of development and requires
rigorous review of large retail projects. Both of these
regulatory mechanisms are the result of a process that included
public input.
One of the Chamber’s core values is the protection of the free
market (enterprise) system. We would want to carefully look at
any proposed regulations to determine the impact they may have
on this concept and a business’s ability to grow and create more
jobs.
To be valid, government regulations must be general in nature,
so any action taken by a government agency will impact other
businesses as well as the target business. A discussion about
rules that impact business should not be about one retailer or
one site.
As you go into your discussion this evening, we all need to keep
in mind that regulations have the potential to result in
unintended consequences such as the perception of an
anti-business atmosphere, limitations on consumers’ choice, and
unintended impacts on the local economy. We look forward to
working with the community and the City in developing any
regulations that will impact local business and the local
economy to ensure that they are fair and in the best interests
of the whole community and result in a strong and vibrant local
economy.
Thank you for your consideration of these comments. |
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