09-20-2007, 12:52 PM
Be careful what you wish for. A big box ban may prevent stores you want such as the reference too not wanting a WalMart but wanting a Target or not stop those you want stopped.
If the county does not have the lawyers to make sure the law is iron clad, the ability to fight the developers when the lawsuits start flying, and the money to pay for any lawsuit, it may turn into a bigger mess than they are prepared to accept. You won't believe the expertise of the researchers and attorneys (my brother-in-law makes 10X what I make filing lawsuits for them) these developers can afford and they will fight the fight simply to discourage anyone else from considering a ban.
To illustrate the power of these developers, I saw how in 2006 despite big box bans and all the other hoopla over these giant stores, they were able to get the ordinary citizens of an entire state to agree to pay the developers if government took any action to prevent them from using the land as they wanted. Even to this date, I bet the majority of the people had no idea how they were conned by the developers.
So, it may sound good, but you had better be prepared to take the money for education, road repairs, and parks & rec to pay for the attorneys, the bill will be high.
If the county does not have the lawyers to make sure the law is iron clad, the ability to fight the developers when the lawsuits start flying, and the money to pay for any lawsuit, it may turn into a bigger mess than they are prepared to accept. You won't believe the expertise of the researchers and attorneys (my brother-in-law makes 10X what I make filing lawsuits for them) these developers can afford and they will fight the fight simply to discourage anyone else from considering a ban.
To illustrate the power of these developers, I saw how in 2006 despite big box bans and all the other hoopla over these giant stores, they were able to get the ordinary citizens of an entire state to agree to pay the developers if government took any action to prevent them from using the land as they wanted. Even to this date, I bet the majority of the people had no idea how they were conned by the developers.
So, it may sound good, but you had better be prepared to take the money for education, road repairs, and parks & rec to pay for the attorneys, the bill will be high.