The reason this is a good idea is that we will basically say NO to the capricious demands of changing retail through economic cycles and fads. These are a feature of retail, and they invariably leave old shopping areas behing and "unable to compete". The cost of this continuous rennovation is huge, and more and more is being born by cities through TIF.
By capping the maximum size, we will miss out on some retail development, for sure. But that short-term loss is offset by reducing our long-term liability of having unusable real estate sit vacant when the fads and economics change.
Since cities are hopelessly tied to retail development these days, along with the risk we are forced to take should come some control. This is a simple way of doing just that.
Erik Hare [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.comcast.net/~wabbitoid/ Irvine Park, West End, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA, North America, Earth
Fine Amish furniture, cedar chests, and crafts http://www.harmonycedar.com
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