Washington, D.C. (May 24, 2004) --
With historic villages and downtowns, working farms, winding
back roads, forest-wrapped lakes, spectacular mountain vistas
and a strong sense of community, Vermont has a special magic
that led National Geographic Traveler magazine to name the
state on of "the World's Greatest
Destinations." Yet in recent years, this small
slice of America has come under tremendous pressure from the
onslaught of big-box retail development. The seriousness
of this threat led the National Trust to name the state to its
list of America's 11 Most Endangered Places in 1993.
Back then, Vermont was the only state without a
Wal-Mart. Today it has four -- and now faces an invasion
of behemoth stores that could destroy much of what makes
Vermont Vermont.
To highlight the threat to this vital piece
of America's heritage, the National Trust for Historic
Preservation today named the state of Vermont to its 2004
list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
During the 1990s Wal-Mart located three of
its four Vermont stores in existing buildings and kept them
relatively modest in size. Now, however, the world's
largest company is planning to saturate the state -- which has
only 600,000 residents -- with seven new mammoth mega-stores,
each with a minimum of 150,000 square feet. Wal-Mart's
plans are sure to attract an influx of other big-box
retailers. The likely result: degradation of the Green
Mountain State's unique sense of place, economic disinvestment
in historic downtowns, loss of locally-owned businesses, and
an erosion of the sense of community that seems an inevitable
by-product of big-box sprawl. With deep regret, the
National Trust takes the rare step of re-listing Vermont as
one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
"If they are built as proposed, these
seven huge new stores will change the character of their
communities and the state of Vermont," said Richard Moe,
president of the National Trust. "We're not saying
that communities shouldn't allow big-box stores -- but if they
choose to do so, they should be aware of the consequences,
including the possible impact on jobs, traffic, the
environment and locally-owned businesses. New stores
complement existing businesses, not devour them -- but there
are communities all over America whose downtowns have been
devastated by the arrival of big-box retailers.
Vermonters shouldn't let that happen in their state."
History: Big-box development
typically occurs on the outskirts of town, consuming farmland
and open space, fueling sprawl and other problems associated
with insensitive expansion. Communities often welcome
these large stores in the hope that they will bring economic
benefit. Too often, however, the stores bring hidden
costs and cause significant economic and social harm.
Threat: The distinctive
characteristics that define Vermont -- historic towns,
villages and rural landscapes -- could be lost if sprawl-like
development is allowed to occur in a haphazard,
out-of-scale, land-consuming manner. The
one-size-fits-all big-box "template" has proven to
be detrimental to communities across the united States because
of its negative economic and environmental impact on historic
downtowns and local businesses. The size and design of
these stores often overwhelm their surroundings, and
impersonal corporate identity too often trumps community
character.
Solution: The arrival of
big-box sprawl often fostered by retailers such as Wal-Mart
has been resisted by increasing numbers of communities that
are determined to prevent or minimize the loss of their open
space and the erosion of the economic vitality of their
traditional business districts. People want and should
have easy access to basic goods at low prices -- but they also
have the right to determine how their communities should grow
and what they want to preserve and protect. At the very
least, communities should accept big-box development with
their eyes open and understand its long-term costs. Some
big-box stores have adapted to local standards and worked to
fit in gracefully with existing commercial districts.
Some have even located in recycled vacant properties in
existing downtowns. Vermonters should learn from what
has happened elsewhere and persuade Wal-Mart and other large
retailers to adapt the way they do business so as to enhance
existing communities. Wal-Mart should change to
accommodate Vermont, not the other way around.
America's 11 Most Endangered Historic
Places has identified more than 160 threatened
one-of-a-kind historic treasures since 1988. While
listing does not ensure protection of a site or guarantee
funding, the designation has been a powerful tool for raising
awareness and rallying resources to save endangered sites from
every region of the country. Whether these sites are
urban districts or rural landscapes, Native American landmarks
or 20th-century sports arenas, entire communities or single
buildings, the list spotlights historic places across America
that are threatened by neglect, insufficient funds,
inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation
is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to
protecting the irreplaceable. Recipient of the National
Humanities medal, the Trust provides leadership, education and
advocacy to save American's diverse historic places and
revitalize communities. Its Washington, DC headquarters
staff, six regional offices and 25 historic sites work with
the Trust's 200,000 members and thousands of local community
groups in all 50 states. For more information visit: www.nationaltrust.org.
National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts
Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. NTHP
Communications: 202-588-6141.
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