Lee County Smart Growth Committee Urban Form and Growth Management

“The Big Box Dilemma”Wednesday, November 17, 2004 Fort Myers, Florida

Bob Mulhere, AICP

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

• Urban Form is about about the shape of our cities and towns:– Design and structure

– Where to development and where to preserve/protect

– What type of developments

– Connectivity and interrelationship of land use and transportation, and particularly in Southwest Florida, water and the natural environment.

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

Sustainable Development - “Development that meets the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

(Bruntland Commission,1987).

Seem to be 3 mindsets when it comes to Big Boxes:

– No way! We don’t need no stinking Big Boxes!– Bring em on! Anywhere ..Anytime!– Their OK, but on our terms!

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

• Typically occupy more than 50,000 square feet, with typical ranges between 90,000-200,000 sq. ft.

• Derive their profits from high sales volumes rather than price mark • Large, rectangular single-story buildings

with standardized facades • Reliance on automobile with acres of parking• Varying market niches; categories include discount department stores, category

killers and warehouse clubs • Profound planning impacts on the character of a community. • No-frills site development that typically eschews any community or pedestrian

amenities.• Seem to be everywhere and unique to no place, be it a rural town or urban

neighborhood

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

•What benefits are achieved by "big box" developments?

–Offer low prices and great convenience for an increasingly time-deprived society (Uhlenhuth, “The Bigger the Better”)

–Localities economies from sales tax revenues to finance local services

•What are the relevant issues and concerns ?

–Big vs. small businesses, i.e. “category killers”

–Long Term development impacts, costs to local government

–Quality and Image - quality begets quality

–future marketability - When/if the store is closed, will a standardized big-box shell and parking lot be a long-term eyesore in the neighborhood?

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

Big vs. small businesses, i.e. “category killers”– terms "value retailers", "superstore," "big box retailer," and "category killer"

are used interchangeably. – For these retailers, size does matter. – Retail model depends on high-volume rather than price markups. For such

volume, they must occupy large amounts of space.

“Typically, they range in size from 90,000 to 200,000 square feet, are located as often as possible near highway interchanges or exits, use the same windowless box store design with several acres of a single-floor layout, and require vast surface parking." (Grantz, Cities Back from the Edge, p. 192.)

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

Long Term development impacts, costs to local government

A fiscal impact analysis prepared in July, 2002 for the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts concludes that big box retail is a financial loser for the town. In fact, a 150,000 s.f. big box store would cost $70,200 per year more than it would bring in for revenue. The new study, conducted by Tischler & Associates, was a "prototype analysis" that examined revenues and costs for four residential types of land use, and eight non-residential uses: business park, office, shopping center, big box retail, specialty retail, hotel, restaurant, and fast food restaurant.

''Understanding the Fiscal Impacts of Land Use'' report by Randall Gross of Washington-based Development Economics, who found that seven of the eight studies in central Ohio between 1997 and 2003 showed an average annual community tax gain of $0.62 per square foot from industrial facilities, $1.34 from office buildings, and some from housing, but a loss of $0.44 from retail space -- $44,000 per a 100,000-square-foot big-box store.

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

Quality and Image - quality begets qualityWhat needs to be addressed

Around the Country literally thousands of communities have developed design guidelines and development standards to address the concerns associated with Big Box Stores. One such concern is appearance. Specifically, communities should address the following:

•Architectural character of the building; •Color and material of the primary structure; •Relationship to the surrounding community, including civic amenities; •Pedestrian flows; and •Parking.

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

Urban Form and Growth Management

Mixed-Use Activity Center

Policy Intent

Concentrate almost all new commercial zoning in locations to accommodate traffic impacts;

To avoid strip and disorganized patterns of commercial development;

To create focal points within the community.”

To be mixed-use in character (originally there was a cap on commercial acreage proposed) , allowing for a residential density of up to 16 units per acre.

Urban Form and Growth Management

Mixed-Use Activity Center

Reality

Little or not enough interconnectivity, attracting huge volumes of traffic to intersections that have or will soon reach capacity. Result: Live with severe congestion or build grade separated overpasses.

Little or not enough mixture of uses (primarily residential). Since the policy was approved without a cap on commercial acreage or a minimum requirement for residential in conjunction with commercial, majority of Activity Center Acreage has been developed commercially (highest and best use).

Little or no master planning for entire activity center. Resulting in piecemeal project-by-project planning, and lost opportunities for service roads and/or loop roads to minimize impacts and volumes to arterials and arterial intersections.

Urban Form and Growth Management

Mixed-Use Activity Center

Reality, Continued

Dissatisfaction with concept (or more accurately results), as well as demand for a different “urban from,” has resulted in GMP amendments to allow numerous additional commercial areas, generally on a smaller scale, serving neighborhoods and smaller communities.

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

Super Wal-Mart Collier Blvd.

About 222,000 square feet;

About ¼ mile south of I-75 interchange

Paid $3,040,000 in impact fees

Were also required to:

Construct dual westbound left turn lanes

Fair Share contribution for signals which are owned and maintained by Collier County.

Construct the entry road for the multi-family behind the commercial AND dedicate to Collier County

Adhere to stringent architectural and site deign standards

Two additional Super Wal-Marts planned in Collier and at least one Super Target

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

People are still coming to Southwest Florida

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

It’s about “quality of life” !

Any Exit I-75

Urban Form and Growth ManagementThe Big Box Dilemma

Questions or Comments?

Lee County Smart Growth Committee Urban Form and Growth Management

“The Big Box Dilemma”Wednesday, November 17, 2004 Fort Myers, Florida