Big Box Epitaph: R.I.P. (Rest in Pieces)

A seemingly overlooked article (only 17 reader comments!) in the May 17th Star Tribune talked about large number of vacancies at former big box sites and the efforts to fill those spaces. While the tanked economy (which was credited with killing the giants) isn't anything to smile about, I can't say I'll miss the collossal eyesores. The article said that there are currently 80 empty big box locations in the metro area, using a minimum of 10,000 square feet as the guideline.

The vacancies represent some interesting opportunities. The article says that "no one's calling it the death of the big box," but also says that many of the sites are expected to sit empty for a long time. Big boxes elsewhere have been converted to other uses, like community pools and churches. (I think of churches as big boxes. The main difference is that churches get even more tax breaks than the retail big boxes.) Some of the spaces are being cut up into smaller retail spaces to make them palatable to potential suitors.

Big boxes are a blight, visually and economically. When they leave, having altered the economic landscape for the worse, they leave unceremoniously, they leave unapologetically, and they leave a big mess. This is made clearer by our current economic environment, which may make bans/limits on big boxes more politically palatable. Here's an article about the big box ban in Santa Clara, CA. It mentions other CA cities that have banned or limited big boxes. Last month San Diego's city council voted to study a proposal  "which would require supercenters to pay for an economic impact analysis to determine whether their projects would hurt surrounding neighborhoods and businesses." There's more than one way to skin a Big-box cat. This article on the Sacramento, CA big-box ordinance discusses some of the issues involved.

Maybe it's time to re-visit limiting/banning big boxes in the Twin Cities. Let's break free of our chains!

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