Communities need finer grained tools for dealing with commercial/"retail" uses

Banks can pay high rents and take prime locations. This is a problem because most banks close early in the afternoon, at night, and on weekends. And they don't generate that much street traffic. Belmont, Massachusetts is addressing this by considering the creation of a special permitting process for banks. See "Banning banks in town center? Retail mix sought for downtown" from the Boston Globe.

Seattle is in the process of mapping its commercial districts based on pedestrian traffic and active spaces. In the end, they will modify their use permitting process so that A, B, and C uses are directed to A, B, and C locations. But Seattle (unlike me) considers a bank to be an A use.

From the article:

Now, some officials in Belmont are taking steps to exert more control over the number of financial institutions moving in, proposing a zoning change that would require such establishments to apply for a special permit before they can set up shop.

"Banks opening up is an issue in a lot of places, including Belmont," said Jay Szklut, Belmont's planning and economic development manager. "They do not add to the vitality of a downtown."

Apparently, retail chains require a special permit for many parts of San Francisco. And I noticed that the beach community Laguna Beach in Southern California has a use category called "neighborhood-serving retail" restricting the kinds of stores that can open in such zoned properties.