Community Vitality Act UpdateThe original Community Vitality Act proposal itself follows this update.Pick up a free copy of the latest Spring 2001 BIBA Guide with information on the new Community Benefit Card today!! You can contact the BIBA office at (303)402-1575 for a location near you if you are not yet familiar with many BIBA members. Part I of the CVA, which would establish a local purchasing and contracting preference for city expenditures, is our priority at this time. We expect passage sometime during 2001, but do not yet have hearing dates. Please contact BIBA directly for the latest status of these proposals. We encourage you to voice your support for these important steps in the City of Boulder enacting policy to support independent businesses. Consider writing to local papers and City Council--commending Council for passing this first step, while prodding them to further action. Please cc us a copy of letters to Council members or local newspapers. A Critical Time in Boulder's Development Demands Conscious Action to Maintain Our Community Character Unrestrained proliferation of absentee-owned chain stores threatens to change Boulder into Anytown, USA. We can choose to prevent it! I. City of Boulder Local Purchasing Preference
* Require the city of Boulder to enact an official bidding preference to local, independent contractors.
"Local" in the first component is proposed to encompass Boulder County-based businesses.
* Contractors for City projects shall consider bids from local, independent sub-contractors.
Columbus, OH, Ketchikan, AK, Santa Fe & Chicago are among more than two dozen cities and 37 states have purchasing preferences. Alaska, Indiana, Montana, New Mexico, West Virginia, Wyoming. Arkansas, Hawaii, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and South Carolina all give a percentage advantage to in-state firms.
II. City-Owned Property Leased to Non-Formula Businesses
* Require that the commercial properties leased by the City of Boulder (i.e. retail space in the Pearl St, garage between 15th and 16th Streeets, kiosks, Teahouse, etc.), be leased to locally owned (Boulder residents), non-formula businesses.
A formula business is one operated directly by, or under contract with, an entity which standardizes any of the following: selection of products or services, product names, layout, decor, menus, uniforms, or other standardized features which cause it to be substantially similar to 3 or more other businesses (regardless of ownership or location). This effectively limits the number of identical businesses in Boulder to 3.
The City has a vested interest in the success of Boulder-based businesses that should be reflected in City policy. These measures will help ensure that Boulder's unique character is retained. Secondarily, it is fiscally sound policy, and will capitaliz e on the multiplier effect of dollars spent with local businesses circulating through the local economy many times more than dollars spent at absentee owned businesses.
III. Limitations on Formula Businesses
* Limit the opening of on any additional formula business in the City to replacement of existing formula businesses, ensuring no net gain in the number of formula businesses. The departure of any formula business within the City of Boulder, (excluding Crossroads Mall) enables the arrival of another formula business of equal or lesser size.. Crossroads Mall redevelopment is exempted from this provision.
This provision will help sustain the diversity and uniqueness that independent businesses provide, and the character of our community. Even successful local shops are threatened when deep-pocketed chain stores offer huge rents to take prime locations. Hoping to take advantage of locals' success, they may operate without profit in order to gain the desirable exposure Boulder offers, or accept for extended periods in order to drive out competition for later profit. This undermines not only fair competiti on, but also our community's identity and prosperity.
Santa Cruz, and Calistoga, CA and Palm Beach, FL are among the cities to enact policies designed to limit formula businesses for the purpose of keeping their community character intact. See (See www.newrules.org for details on actions other communities have taken in this realm.
IV. Review of Large Commercial Outlets at the Crossroads Mall Property
* Rather than ban formula outlets for the Crossroads Mall property, require formula commercial outlets of over 12,000 square feet to go through a special permitting and use review. This will allow time for citizen input and review of the business' pote ntial impact on the community. Interested citizens will have the right to put themselves on a contact list for notification of the official public comment period and any public forums in the process.
References: The Cape Cod Commission was established in 1990 by Cape Cod voters concerned about the impact of rapid growth on the character of their communities, this is one of the most effective of the regional planning commissions. The regional planni ng agency has the power to review proposals--and grant approval or denial-- for new construction larger than 10,000 square feet. The review process involves a public hearing and focuses on the project's regional impact on the environment, traffic, communi ty character and local economy. The Commission also recognizes the economic and social importance of local ownership in its regional Policy Plan
This proposal addresses potentially destructive big box store development at the Crossroads Mall, while acknowledging that the Mall's character differs from other areas. It also creates an avenue for meaningful input by the community to see that citize n interests will be fully considered in assessing proposed developments. Plymouth, MA is among dozens of cities with such protections for their community; they require such special permitting citywide for businesses over 6,000 square feet.
Please contact us for any additional information or to share your thoughts on the CVA by calling 303-402-1575 or email [email protected].
The decision to pass the CVA will be made by city council, based largely on citizen input. Please send us a note via email if you wish to assist this effort.
Express your opinions on the CVA to your City Council members:
You may contact council collectively: [email protected] P. O. Box 791 Boulder, CO 80306 Fax: (303) 441-4478 or contact them individually:
Name Email
Spenser Havlik: [email protected]
Dan Corson: [email protected]
Don Mock: [email protected]
Lisa Morzel: [email protected]
Gordon Riggle: [email protected]
Mayor Will Toor: [email protected]
Rich Lopez Lopez: [email protected]
Francoise Poinsatte: [email protected]
Tom Eldridge: [email protected]
For fascinating history and background information on this subject, we highly recommend a new (1999) book by Stacy Mitchell; The Hometown Advantage www.newrules.org/journal/hta.htm
Rocky Mountain Institute's Economic Renewal Program www.rmi.org or call 970-927-3851. Outlines strategies for communities to move from focusing narrowly on growth to addressing quality of development.
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