What Are Community Standards?

Our organization, Progressive Cheverly, has taken the position of acceding to Wal-Mart's arrival at Capital Plaza if Wal-Mart agrees to conform to a set of operating conditions that reflect the character of the neighborhoods that surround the new store.  These conditions are called "Community Standards."

$800,000,000+ .

Progressive Cheverly has formulated a statement about Big Box Retailer Standards below and, as an organization, been working with neighboring jurisdictions (both town governments and civic associations) to adopt standards based on our model.

The Town of Cheverly has been working on a Resolution based upon our model, as are other towns and groups.  If enough pressure is brought to bear upon Wal-Mart, Nellis Corporation (the property owner), the County government and the Planning Commission (NCPPC), we hope Wal-Mart will sign a Memorandum of Understanding that serves as a binding contract to ensure Wal-Mart's store will truly reflect the character of the surrounding communities now and in the future.

(To see current proposed Town Resolution, click here.)

Progressive Cheverly's Community Standards

Adopted June 6, 2005

We welcome and support development in our community.  A Big Box Retailer, defined as a store that exceeds 75,000 square feet, puts particular strain on its location and its surrounding community.  In keeping with, and inspired by, efforts to promote livable communities within our County, we propose that big box retailers, and where appropriate their development partners, in our community, including Capital Plaza, contractually meet certain minimum community standards.  While we are responding to the pending development at Capital Plaza, we believe that these community standards should apply to all big box retailers across the County.   In a few instances we have provided some additional refinement to these requirements as they relate to Capital Plaza.

1. Employment

   1. Pay a living wage to all employees

                        i.      Tie minimum compensation to the Prince George’s County Living Wage Ordinance.

2. Provide affordable health care for all employees

                        i.      Provide the greater of 8% of wages towards healthcare benefits or Benefits supplement rate of at least $3.00/hour paid either as benefits or additional wages.

3. Ensure that local residents that are qualified get priority in hiring.

4. Employer shall be in full compliance with all laws and rights as it relates to union organizing and representation.

2. Merchandise

   1. In the form of a permanent ban:

                        i.      No grocery sales within any big box store unless the employment standards listed in item #1 are adhered to.

                        ii.      No guns or ammunition for sale.

                        iii.      No liquor for sale.  Our neighborhood is already saturated with liquor sales with at least 3 liquor stores within a mile of Capital Plaza.

2. Careful evaluation of the impact of another grocery store at Capital Plaza on existing grocery stores and the local shopping centers they anchor.   A study done for the Port Towns Community Development Corporation identified an existing surplus of grocery capacity in the Port Towns communities that would be directly impacted by another large grocery store in the area.

3. Reduce the negative impact on local businesses

   1. Provide reasonably priced lease space within the redeveloped Capital Plaza to local small businesses.

4. Site and Building Design

   1. Size Limitation

                        i.      Store Square Footage limited to 125,000 Square Feet. 

                        ii.      No breaking up store into separate buildings to circumvent size limitations.

2. Environmental

                        i.      Follow green building design standards including reduction of building footprint and more green space

                        ii.      LEED Certified Green Building

                        iii.      Maryland Park and Planning requirements

3. No visual pollution

                        i.      Specifically no free standing signage

4. Traffic

                        i.      Minimum of 50% of cost of county/state/federal road improvements responsibility of developer.

                        ii.      Assessments by National Park Service on Baltimore Washington Parkway and Prince George’s County on Route 450 on impact and required improvements to accommodate increased traffic

                        iii.      It is particularly important to ensure that given the location of Capital Plaza that traffic issues and appropriate design & placement of walkways are addressed to ensure maximum safety for both drivers and pedestrians.  .

5. Parking

                        i.      Study underground parking feasibility as has been done at Ikea in College Park in order to help reduce building footprint.

6. Public Safety

                        i.      Provide sufficient lighting

                        ii.      Provide parking lot security

                        iii.      Provide appropriate fencing and other barriers to protect the immediate neighborhood.

7. Maintenance

                        i.      Owner to provide daily exterior cleaning and maintenance.

4. Operations

   1. Limit store hours

                        i.      The community does not want a 24-hour store that will contribute to security problems and increase issues related to crime.

5. Any publicly-provided subsidies, set-asides or tax benefits to big box retailers (either directly or indirectly to the retail site property owners) must be fully justified and accompanied by guarantees of reimbursement in the event of early abandonment of the site by the retailer.

6. Community space

   1. Ensure that a revitalized Capital Plaza provides quality space for ongoing civic uses, such as meeting space for community groups.

It is our intent to work with our legislators, site owners, developers and big box retailers to reduce the above-mentioned categories and specific standards to contractual and legislative agreements in furtherance of enhancing our “Livable Community”.  We look forward to working with you.

© 2010 Progressive Cheverly      Progressive Cheverly is an independent citizens’ organization with no affiliation to the government of the Town of Cheverly.

Last modified: 01/07/10