What powers does a local government really have over protecting a historic downtown district from being overrun with "undesirable" businesses? By undesirable, I am referring not just to a type of business, but an excessive quantity of a certain type of business (4 real estate offices to every 1 non-real estate business). While the obvious answer is zoning, is this really the best approach? Does anyone have any experience with an affordable housing type strategy, where the town would condemn/purchase a section of the core of downtown, then resell with appropriate deed restrictions?

Let's examine the Historic District situation from a gardening perspective.

How does your garden grow? Well, it seems you're concerned about some "weeds"--introduced, exotic species that are crowding out the more desirable users. Having 3 T-Shirt shops on one corner would still be retail but could be just as detrimental to the district. It may not be that an office use is "undesirable", but that too many concentrated of one type out competes the ground-floor retail that drives foot traffic and creates a Historic Downtown District experience.

Are you applying the right fertilizer? What are the incentives encouraging office uses? retail uses? How about herbicide? Or is this an Organic garden? Zoning could keep offices out, but there are also performance standards for parking, etc. Exclusionary zoning is the sort of herbicide that in small doses seems to help, but too often gets over-applied and kills the entire garden.

John C. Shepard, AICP
Southwest (MN) Regional Development