Policy Position
ICSC does not oppose sound, well thought out growth management
planning. However, "smart growth" is not the same
as "no growth."
Neighborhood convenience shopping centers provide many
benefits to communities, including an increased tax base,
job creation, and reduced traffic congestion.
Development decisions are based on the demands of the local
market and should not be dictated or restricted by the federal
government and non-elected federal agencies.
Development decisions are driven by the demands of the
local market. Growth management decisions should be made
by local government officials, economic planners, developers
and other members of the business community who understand
the underpinnings of their local economies, community needs
and the cultural environment. Injecting federal agencies
into the growth management process would create an overly
bureaucratic and inefficient arbiter to development that
does not understand the nuances of each individual local
economy.
ICSC has created a multi-disciplinary task force to address
these growth management issues. Working with membership
and with other organizations, ICSC has worked to preserve
local control over growth and development issues.
ICSC acknowledges that the concern over growth was not
created in a void. Traffic congestion and over-crowded public
schools are most often noted as issues of great concern
to the general public, especially those who live in growing
suburbs. These challenges must be balanced with the positive
aspects of growth and development, and positive economic
benefits that development in general (and retail development
in particular) has on state and local economies, such as
an increased tax base, the convenient provision of goods
and services to the community, and the creation of jobs.
The owners, developers and retailers of shopping centers
understand that growth is a concern, but also recognize
that smart growth cannot mean no growth. If it's to be embraced
as a planning tool, the key elements of our growth management
strategy would:
- Create an environment that will encourage citizens to
stay in the community instead of moving out: better schools,
better infrastructure, less crime, and better integration
of land uses. Encourage retail development at appropriate
locations within the community so that citizens won't
have to drive long distances to do their regular shopping.
- Provide incentives and adopt flexible regulations that
allow development to expand.
- Balance protection of agricultural and forest land,
open spaces, scenic and cultural resources, and environmentally
sensitive lands with the provision of adequate land to
meet the future economic and growth needs of the community.
- Maintain vitality of traditional downtowns, main streets,
older suburban and inner city areas where feasible by
encouraging redevelopment and infill development, while
continuing to recognize the need to provide retail to
growing areas.
- Maintain land use planning and control at the local
level, with the states providing financial resources and
generalized policies for local planning and economic development.
- Establish long-term local comprehensive plans providing
for adequate supply of land with infrastructure for residential,
commercial, recreational and industrial uses to meet future
growth needs of the community.
- Make development decisions predictable, fair, timely
and cost effective.
- Plan for a diversity of shopping opportunities; locating
neighborhood and regional scale centers in appropriate
locations so that consumers have a wide variety of shopping
alternatives while also reducing required travel distances.
- Develop public/private partnerships to work collectively
to meet the needs of the community.
- Create economic and regional incentives to encourage
infill development and the reuse of brownfields.
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