‘Informed Growth’ bill ensures scrutiny

AUGUSTA – Concerns about the impact of “big-box” retail developments on local businesses have prompted several Maine towns to consider moratoriums aimed at stopping those projects.

On Monday, a bill to bolster municipalities’ ability to

scrutinize those projects was close to final enactment in the Legislature and assured of Gov. John Baldacci’s signature if it reaches his desk.

The “Informed Growth Act,” which was up for final Senate approval Monday, would require retail developments over 75,000 square feet to put money in escrow to pay for independent economic impact studies, hearings and expenses of municipal employees while they are reviewing the permit applications.

The bill was introduced after a string of Maine communities sought to block big-box stores out of concern they would drive smaller local retailers out of business.

In Damariscotta, activists persuaded the town to adopt a 35,000-square-foot limit on new retail development to discourage “big box” stores and sprawl.

Voters in neighboring Newcastle, Edgecomb and Nobleboro also passed laws.

Last June, residents of Wiscasset rejected a moratorium, and a proposal in Waldoboro also failed to win voter approval. But advocates for the local laws have questioned the impact of fighting big-box stores town by town, saying the stores have a regional impact.

The legislation headed for final approval in the State House is supported by the Maine Fair Trade Campaign, a coalition of labor, peace and justice, and environmental groups that are concerned about what they call corporate globalization.

The campaign’s Daphne Loring said the bill “gives communities a real voice in development projects and ensures that we make informed decisions about how we grow.”

The Maine Merchants Association opposes the bill, saying it sets a dangerous precedent.

“It gets the state government into trying to control the competition,” said Jim McGregor of the Maine Merchants Association.