The long awaited report outlining potential impacts of big box development on the Sunshine Coast was released at last Thursday's Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) meeting.
During round one of budget negotiations, the SCRD board directed the Gibsons Community Initiatives Association (GCIA) to report on the possible impacts big box development would have on the local business community and the repercussions towards implementing a 25,000 sq. ft. harmonization bylaw for the Sunshine Coast.
The report lists research papers focusing on the impact Wal-Mart stores bring to communities and explores the processes the Town of Squamish took with regards to the retail giant.
"It was necessary for our organization to get a handle on big-box impact on the business community," said Hamilton McClymont, economic development officer for GCIA in an interview with Coast Reporter Wednesday morning. "We are trying to stay out of the political debates; that's for the residents and politicians to debate. Our focus is to work with the local businesses to help them adapt to any changes that may happen."
According to the GCIA, research on the impact on small communities by Wal-Mart showed there are both positive and negative economic impacts, that rhetoric launched in the debate between the pro- and anti-Wal-Mart sides often isn't supported by fact, and that different constituencies in the community will have different concerns and positions.
The GCIA did, however, raise two concerns: the grocery addition planned for the Wal-Mart and the 25,000 sq. ft. area limit.The GCIA warned that grocery stores in the area would be hard hit if a grocery addition were added to Wal-Mart. According to the report, each of the six major grocers on the Coast anchors a mall, which would create a negative impact on grocers and could spill over to other retailers in the malls. The GCIA recommended that the SCRD implement a restriction limiting Wal-Mart's ability to expand into grocery sales.
"The grocery section, as outlined in the Mississippi study, shows that consumers purchase their groceries differently than they do from other purchases," said McClymont.
Also outlined in the report, the GCIA warns that the 25,000 sq. ft. area limit may be counter-productive in protecting local merchants. The report argues that "category killers" - stores that specialize in a narrow category of products (Toy R Us, Future Shop, etc.) - operate effectively in the 25,000 sq. ft. range and could become more threatening to small retailers in their category than bigger stores.
More specifically, the Town of Squamish faced similar opposition to big box development in the area, and information gathered from the town's experience was included in the GCIA's big box study.
Recommendations based on visits with the Squamish Chamber of Commerce manager led the GCIA to conclude that a socio-economic impact study must be completed and to continue the education process allowing avenues for residents to have their input.
GCIA advised that SCRD rather than Wal-Mart should manage the survey, leaving the results more representative of the community.
For more information or to view the report, visit www.gibsonsbc.ca/business/gcia.php.
