Keeping College Station and Bryan a Great Place to Live

What is your image of a College Town? I must admit that, for me, two fairly disparate images come to mind. One is of bright autumn leaves and ivy covered halls bordered by quite streets lined with coffee shops, bookstores and hip jazz bars. The other is Expansive green space with huge live oak trees boarder by Holicks Boots, Army Lou’s Bookstore, the Dixie Chicken and Dubbly’s Draw.

Though quite different in many respects, both of these images are defined by locally owned businesses that help create a charming and unique local character. That character is an important part of young people learning to find their own identity and a sense of place. It is also an important part of a vibrant and sustainable economy. These mom and pop businesses do several important things for a community.

First of all, they return three times the amount of revenue to our local economy. These businesses do not send profits and overhead out of town. That money stays here supporting a more diverse economy that includes, accountants, bookkeepers, attorney’s and CEO’s. All of whom tend to be the most generous givers of time and money to local causes and efforts. Despite these enormous contributions to the local economy and life of the community, these are the very businesses that public subsidies, in the form of incentives to outside franchise businesses, tend to hurt the most. Isn’t it ironic that these local businesses return three times the amount of revenue to the local economy that get taxed so that it can be invested in businesses that compete with them?

Unlike franchise businesses, created to look the same in every town, local businesses are unique, providing local character. Also local businesses tend to be smaller, allowing for a more walkable community with common spaces rather than massive parking lots. These are all things that go into attracting tourism, one of the most beneficial industries for a local economy because it brings in outside money.

And in terms of sustainability, local businesses are tied to the community and committed to it. When times get tough, they tend to stick it out. Franchise businesses have decisions made, not by connection to a community, but by decisions made in distant boardrooms by people who have never been to the community. Local businesses tend to stay in their same locations for long periods of time, not leaving empty husks of buildings to blight the community as they move further out of town causing more congestion and increased taxes to maintain a spread out infrastructure. In their new locations big boxes and other franchise businesses tend to clear cut trees to create oceanic parking lots that no amount of UDO restrictions can hide.

So, local businesses return three times the amount of revenue to the local economy, they support other diverse local businesses, give more to local charities and the life of the community; they provide character, walkability and community space that help draw tourism, they don’t require governmental subsidies, the don’t leave town to shift resources elsewhere, they don’t cause sprawl, increased congestion, increased taxes or the clear cutting of trees. Yet, so many people think that a new Target is a great thing. Could it be that they have been sold a bill of goods by those who stand to profit?

If, like me, you feel that our quality of life must be supported and enhanced by wise, rather than reckless, economic development, then join me in supporting Dennis Maloney and John Crompton for mayor and City Council in College Station. We can support quality of life in Bryan by voting for Mary Kaye Moore for Mayor and Lloyd Joyce for City Council in Place 4.

But that is not enough. We must also continue to talk about the need to shift the prevailing paradigm for economic development. We need to push for city ordinances to restrict the size of big boxes that can be built in our communities. We need to insist on impact fees that will have new development pay for itself and we must support our neighbors, our economy, our community by shopping with locally owned independent businesses. For a list of some of these businesses you can go to BuyBrazos.com.