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'Big box' ordinance has look of a winner
© St. Petersburg Times, The Hernando County Commission will have an opportunity today to pass a law that sends a strong, enduring message that our community has big expectations of those who wish to do big business here. In doing so, the commissioners will set a community standard that makes the commercial landscape more aesthetically pleasing and shopping a more pleasant experience. The commission is expected to make a final decision about the proposed "big box ordinance," so named because it affects large retail stores in excess of 25,000 square feet. It will have the greatest impact on stores like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's and Target, which typically are more than 100,000 square feet. The law would require the stores to attractively landscape the buildings and parking lots, provide covered walkways, and include canopies or columns on the buildings' facades. In short, the intent of the law is to require retailers to deviate from their monolithic construction template by using more attractive architecture and engineering that is friendlier to consumers and the environment. Retail mega-merchants such as the ones mentioned earlier are familiar with the practice of conforming to local governments' aesthetic guidelines and usually do so without reluctance. They realize that the added up-front costs are merely an investment that will not affect their bottom line over the long run. Considering the pace of growth in this region, it is implausible to speculate that the big stores won't move here because of those added expenses. And complying with the county's wishes breeds good will. A Home Depot spokesman told a Times reporter last fall that "It is incumbent upon Home Depot to work with communities where it wants to locate. ... Obviously, there is an added expense to doing that, but the goodwill you incur from your neighbors who are then your customers, that's the trade-off." That cooperative attitude is ideal, and one the commission should demand from those who wish to do business in the county. The few people who have opposed the big box ordinance appear to be more concerned about government overregulation and interfering with the marketplace, than they are about the actual construction and design stipulations in the proposal. Some also have suggested that more trees, covered walkways and lights lower to the ground will invite muggers and jeopardize shoppers' safety. Those fears are overstated, improbable and lack statistical integrity. In fact, we are hopeful that after the commission passes this ordinance it will instruct its staff to research an amendment that would include strip shopping malls that have several stores under one roof. They, too, should adhere to landscaping and facade requirements. Ordinances such as this one are effective in ensuring that commercial corridors along major highways, such as U.S. 19 and State Road 50, do not become immense, linear expanses of concrete. It is discouraging that a majority of the county Planning and Zoning Commission members did not recognize that when they recommended against the proposal last month. Fortunately, the County Commission has the final say -- and the foresight, we trust, to put this progressive idea into practice.
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From today's Hernando Times |
