Students on a budget who want to get cheap clothing and food may face changes in the places they shop after Madison's City Council voted yesterday to adopt the Third Substitute Ordinance, more commonly known as the Big Box Ordinance that puts restrictions on the development and remodeling of large-scale retail stores.
The ordinance, which has been in the works for nearly two years, is an attempt to control the growing trend of box-like stores such as Target and Wal-Mart, which many believe detracts from urban aesthetics and takes business away from small, local stores and businesses.
\More and more Madison begins to resemble 'No-Place USA' with attributes that make us look more and more generic,"" said Ald. Andrew Heidt, District 13.
Included in the ordinance are restrictions including how large a zone a business may build on and how much of the building must be on the street. It also restricts materials used in building the store, design of the building, parking lots and pedestrian flow.
Sponsoring the ordinance, Ald. Robbie Webber, District 5, said the ordinance is important because developers can build big box-type stores that are suitable for urban settings and are willing to do so if the council tells them how to do it.
In addition to the original ordinance, many restrictions were introduced only days ago, making some citizens and business owners upset.
Marsha Rummel, speaking as a private citizen as well as an employee of the Rainbow Bookstore, 426 W. Gilman St., said, ""I'm in support of the design guidelines of the original design, but I'm against changes being made without public input. It's a start, but there needs to be an economic and environmental impact statement included.""
As a result of the last-minute changes in the ordinance, there was a call to refer the vote until a future date to allow time for the alders to bring up the changes with their constituents. Although this referral failed to get enough votes, it was agreed that any proposed amendments or concerns could be discussed when they arose.
""Anything we pass tonight we're going to need to keep on eye on. It is uncharted territory. ... Only experience will tell us if it works,"" said Ald. Ken Golden, District 10.
Ald. Zach Brandon, District 7, was the only alder against the ordinance, saying it will drive businesses and consumers to neighboring cities.
