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The information that appears here
represents our current hot topic, or issue. These subjects
have been carefully researched, and the information contained
herein has been documented. Most of the topics have been
featured in our community awareness campaign(s). We invite
you to read and respond. Growing Smarter.....
Read the top 10 reasons why a
locally based sustainable economy matters.
Cape Cod is a unique “franchise” and our
Community matters. These 10 reasons will tell you why.
Click Here
Economic Questions Require Real
World Research:
The Cape grew 26% from 1980 to 1990, and another 19%
from 1990 to 2000. Did your Cape Cod business growth
keep pace with the Cape’s growth as a whole?
It is said that local businesses provide local dividends
to a community, in that the dollars spent in a locally
owned business are multiplied within the community between
three and seven times. Are the Cape’s local
dividends growing or receding? What is the Cape’s
multiplier rate?
These questions and more will be answered by our
research project. Click
here to read the details and find out how you
can help. Current stakeholders include private businesses,
realtors, community banks, the county, and chambers.
Join us in this important work.
Respond
here..
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Local dividends
are the direct result of the dollars that remain within a community
as a consequence of commerce. Mostly these dollars are retained
by the community via taxes as well as in payroll dollars. Should
the owners of the entity also dwell in the community, then considerably
larger dividends are retained by the community. The Local Government
Commission estimates that foreign-owned businesses return only
6-16% of their revenues to the communities they reside in, while
locally owned businesses return up to 60% Local entrepreneurs
nourish the community, link commerce to place, and minimize
the leakage of money from the local
economy. The more a community encourages the "respending"
of a dollar within the community, the more economically sustainable
that community becomes, without major growth....but with appropriate
development. Growth is a term that refers to quantity, and development
is a term that refers to quality. (http://www.lgc.org/economic/localecon.
html)
Respond here..
Why other sectors besides the addition of more retail are good
for the Cape's economy:
The sustainable wage for a household
on Cape Cod is $53,500. Currently there is approximately a $12,000
"earnings gap" per household employed in lower than
average wage paying jobs.Over 30% of the population of the Cape
is employed in retail sector jobs, which typically pay less
than other sectors. "When comparing the percentage of people
employed within the retail sector, with the % of payroll dollars
paid within that sector, retail falls about 10% short between
the percent it employed to the total percentage of payroll it
paid." Actual percentages read as follows: % of total employment
= 31%. % of total payroll= 21% (Sustainability Indicators Report,
1999)In a sustainable community, the amount of income required
to meet basic needs should not exceed the average monthly or
minimum hourly wages. By encouraging the development of alternative
sectors of the "new economy', liveable wages---those that
meet the basic costs of living should result.
Respond here..
The Cape is Overstored.
Nationally, there is approximately 10-20
square foot of retail selling space per eligible consumer. On
Cape Cod, there is about 10 times that amount of space per person.
The Smart Planning and Growth Coalition is actively engaged
in pursuing the concept of refilling exisiting store space and
blocking the addition of new inventory in this category.
Shopping Centers and Big Box Retail Negatively Impact the
Town of Barnstable:
In a recently commissioned study of net revenues and net deficits
based on Land Use for non-residential uses, the results show
that the town gains $326 per $1,000 square feet for Specialty
Retail stores, but loses $314 per 1,000 square feet per shopping
center, $468 per 1,000 square feet per Box Store, $1,100 per
1,000 square feet per restaurant, and nets a deficit of $5,168
per 1,000 square feet per fast food restaurant. These numbers
are net deficits after taxes. The taxes paid by the centers
and box stores do not cover their impact on the community. These
uses of land do not have positive impacts on the town's revenue
stream. SP&GC is eagerly pursuing this concept as an educational
component for the town, and is looking to generate similar information
for all other towns on Cape Cod, and examine regional implications.
(Town of Barnstable: Fiscal Impact Study of Non-Residential
Land Use Prototype Summary, July 2002)
Respond here..
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