Errors of Enchantment

The idea had been around for several months, but last night, Albuquerque's brain-dead city council decided to impose a far-reaching, 31 page-long set of "big-box" regulations. Sally Mayer of all people stood up for reality by voting against the bill and saying, "The regulations are too detailed. Many developers are already building high-quality designs that match the bill's goals." She went on to point out that "the ordinance would make it much harder to redevelop property in older parts of Albuquerque... thus defeating what the council is always talking about, which is infill."

Of course, the city already has a tremendous degree of control over the so-called "big-box" stores as we witnessed in the recent Wal Mart fiasco involving the proposed store near Vista del Norte. The public meetings and new approval procedures will only make it easier for small, vocal groups of NIMBYists to throw a wrench into store location proceedings. This will only drive costs up and reduce the positive economic impact of Wal Mart and others.

The legislation now moves on for signing or a veto from Mayor Marty.