Also fueling sprawl, Rohman said, is Bangor s high property tax rates in comparison to those of nearby cities and towns. In addition, group homes and other such agencies operate in Bangor, removing property from the tax rolls and shifting additional tax burden onto business owners and homeowners. Yet Rohman said he believes that the downtown regions will continue to be the heartbeat of our state. Some of the more than 60 business owners, legislators and concerned citizens in attendance expressed concern about proposed developments such as the super Wal-Mart stores in various stages of consideration in several Maine towns. Richert said he agreed that the generic big box stores don t add to a city s identity, but said consumers have shown time and again that they will choose to shop at those stores regardless of whether there are similar shopping selections in a city s downtown area.
Citizens wear, in order of importance, the hats of consumer, taxpayer and civic participant.
The consumer and taxpayer tend to favor stores like a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Richert said. The planner dismissed the view that most people would choose otherwise. History says different, Richert said. History says that s not what people do. All rights reserved.