Congratulations to the little town of Georgia for wisely recognizing the need to establish size limits on new retail development.  

In so doing, you place your community in line with the most forward-thinking planners, who already recognize that big box retail has had its day and will slowly go the way of the dinosaur, leaving behind concrete scars all over the countryside.

With this simple act, you reinforce your local economy and make a welcome statement about the importance to Georgia of maintaining human-scale development.

Dollar General, the national chain that is challenging Walmart as it expands rapidly and insidiously across the country, is in the process of locating a store next to the popular Georgia Market.  

The proposed 20,000-sq. ft. ceiling on retail would not have prevented  Dollar General from getting a permit for their modest 9,100-sq. ft. “entry” location; but arrival of the big box discounter certainly does add a sense of urgency to the mix.

Georgia, you have  wisely chosen not to wait until the wolf is at the door before making some serious decisions about how you want your community to grow.  

You have embraced a truth overlooked by too many towns when blindsided by big box suitors; that long term prosperity and livability for all of your citizens requires vision, planning and the courage to just say “no” to development projects that will irreversibly damage the character of your community.

Your children will thank you when they are spared the misery and expense of having to find new purposes for large scale retail shells once their original use has gone by.

They will thank you when visitors choose to come to Georgia for a unique shopping experience and the pleasure of bicycling, walking or driving through a community that has not been sacrificed to the demands of heavy traffic.

I will thank you by more frequently choosing to turn south on Route 7, rather than north, to continue my shopping beyond downtown St. Albans.