Sprawl: This issue has to do with population centers expanding sideways instead of up and becoming more dense. This raises the cost and reliability of public services such as sewer, water, electric, telephone, transportation, cable and other necessary or desirable services. Developers of sprawl always take the best land to keep their expenses low, land that people long ago built roads to reach, flat farmland. This reduces green space, wildlife habitat.

The Economic Impact on Area Merchants, the Municipality and the State: Big box stores have significant impact on retail wages. all wages, municipa and state service such as police, fire and public assistance for housing, winter heat, medical care, and the flow of cash in and out of the state.

Traffic: Traffic is a subject that developers try to play down. Discussion of traffic sounds complicated but is really pretty straight forward if one understands the process. Most people, including Development Review Board members tend to be overwhelmed by the charts, tables and numbers. All problems are broken down into very sensible little pieces. Learn the little pieces and traffic studies make sense.

Conflicts of Interest: Every municipality has conflicts of interest. People have friends and relatives who can profit from growth. They may be farmers who would like to capitalize on their land, realtors who are in the business of transferring land or other reasons. Politics are everywhere. In general, follow the bucks, the relatives, and the businesses.

Jobs: Developers always promise jobs. They might be jobs that pay so little that only those without skills want them. They might be jobs that will not support a family. But the promoters will promise them even if they will put a greater number of people out of work.

Local Control: We all like to be in charge of our affairs. That’s local control. It has it limits. We cannot behave in a manner that harms our neighbors, physically or by devaluing what they own. The same applies to municipalities. No municipality in Vermont has been given the right to disrupt other communities.

Storm Water Run-off: Storm water run-off is just what it says it is. Developed land absorbs less water than undeveloped land. The water from a storm runs from developed land more quickly than from land with plants growing on it. The technical aspects of storm water run-off are common sense. They are not hard to learn.

Increased medicaid, rent, child care and other support expenses: The low wages paid to employees of big-box, national and international retailers do not permit employees to cover their expenses. As a result, many of them require public assistance for house, child care and medical expenses. In addition the high employee turnover of these employers increases the amount paid out for unemployment above that of employees who retain their employees.

The effect on Vermont cash flow: The money that national, chain retailers take into their registers for the goods they provide leaves Vermont nightly. The payroll is returned on pay day. The rest of the money leaves Vermont. It is not deposted in banks and loaned to Vermont businesses or homeowners as mortgages. It is not spent for charity in the State. It is gone and Vermont has less to use.These businesses do not bring money into Vermont.

Trash Wal-Mart leases their space from a developer. They ignore responsibility for blue bags and other trash from their sites.

Illegal Aliens Wal-Mart sub-contractors hire illegal aliens to clean their stores and perform other work.

The Effect on Surrounding Towns:

Planned Unit Developments, (PUDs):

Growth Centers:

Needed Changes to Vermont Statutes: