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Economic & Community Impact Review - Westbrook, Maine
In 2005, following a heated debate over a proposed big-box store, the town of Westbrook, Maine, adopted a zoning provision that require retail projects of 10 acres or more to undergo an economic impact analysis.
The new rules stipulate that the city shall choose a qualified independent consultant to conduct the analysis and the developer shall cover the cost. The study must evaluate the proposed store's impact on employment, existing businesses, municipal finances, the amount of money retained and redirected into Westbrook's economy, social services, and nearby residential neighborhoods.
The Planning Board must consider the study in deciding whether to approve or reject the project. It must make a specific finding as to the store's impact on the community and its compliance with several sections of Westbrook's comprehensive plan, including a provision that calls for "the development of neighborhood commercial areas that meet the retail and service needs of the residential areas at a compatible scale and intensity."
The project that prompted the zoning measure was a 203,000-square-foot Wal-Mart supercenter. A grassroots group called Westbrook Our Home fought the development and eventually won passage of a law that limits retail stores to 160,000 square feet. Rather than build a smaller store, Wal-Mart opted to drop its plans.
Westbrook is a town of 16,000 just west of the city of Portland.
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