The increased traffic volume also leads to higher taxes in order to maintain the roads. These stores also offer large sales tax revenues to local governments in order to finance local services. In order to find a compromise, some cities are now trying to impose design guidelines on big box development and to better incorporate the big box stores into their communities by, for example, making them more pedestrian-friendly. Some communities answered this question by adopting a higher level of architectural treatment and regulations to ensure that the superstores relate better to their environs and neighbors. Many already have regulations addressing signage and landscaping.
Trouble is many of the issues addressed are only first steps in an effective, long-term program.
In it they suggest a number of detailed alternative considered for Fort Collins, Colorado yet which may be tweeked and applied to various sites. How Superstore Sprawl Can Harm Communities. National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1994. Cities Back from the Edge. Preservation Press, 1998.