Can Legislation Protect Neighborhood Character?

The Municipal Art Society of New York recently testified before the Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Technology urging them to carry out a study into the disappearance of small, locally-owned retail in many Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods. Citing these small businesses, like bodegas, ethnic food stores, boutiques, and hardware stores, as some of what gives a neighborhood its character, the MAS compared their replacement with banks, drugstores and national chain stores as a wake-up call akin to the destruction of the original Penn Station which signaled that a Landmarks Preservation Commission was necessary.

Other cities have passed legislation limiting the growth of so-called "formula busineses" that make it impossible to expand or reduce or otherwise alter a building's appearance, internally and externally. Such legislation does not actually prevent a chain store from coming in, but it does act as a deterrent because many chains refuse to veer from their standardized, cookie-cutter model. Read the testimony in full here.

However, it is important to note that the proliferation of chain stores in New York City is not a uniform phenomenon. It is much more noticeable in the wealthier neighborhoods of Manhattan and Brooklyn than in adjacent, though less-wealthy areas where residents are often crying out for banking or other services that are unavailable. So, it seems that the perception of threat to neighborhood character may depend on the income-level of the neighbhorhood.

Do you see chain stores as a growing problem in New York City? Or are you wondering what took them so long to arrive? If they are a problem, what should be done about them?

In related news, last week, in our Press section, we wondered on the news that if even chain bookstores are having a hard time staying afloat what is the future for retail business in the city? All of which feeds in to this Wednesday night's panel discussion Is New York Losing Its Soul?.