Corporate Chains in College Park
September 11th, 2006 | by Rob Goodspeed | Published in Businesses, General College Park | 1 Comment
This week’s Gazette has a good article about the increasing number of corporate chains in College Park. The story reports that since 2000 three small businesses have moved out of the College Park Shopping Center and with the recent closure of Paperworks Balloons and Gifts, very few independent businesses remain.
There are a variety of public policy options available to local leaders to protect small and local businesses. The city of Washington, D.C. is requiring at least 30% of the retail space in the redeveloped old convention center site be businesses with less than 6 locations, and other communities provide tax credits and other incentives to protect a healthy mix of businesses. Some have even banned them completely from downtown districts. In addition to protecting the character of the city, local businesses may make good economic sense: studies have shown more money spent at local businesses stays in the local community. What approach should College Park take?
> Gazette: “Small shops a dying breed in Downtown College Park“
November 1st, 2006 at 3:55 pm (#)
[...] Because of the limited amount of retail spaces in the city, rents are exorbitant and only ’sure thing’ business models like national burrito and sandwich chains seem to be able to survive downtown. More net retail space in College Park should alleviate high rents, but still we think some sort of provision for independently owned businesses is in order. This could take the form a strict percentage requirements like those in the Washington Convention Center and other cities or the intentional inclusion of small and odd size spaces in building designs. 9) Require LEED Certification [...]
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