BLACKSBURG -- A proposed Blacksburg ordinance to limit the size of retail buildings such as a Wal-Mart has spurred continuing debate about the pace of development and the town's economic future.

"I'm not so sure we want to bring a little bit of Christiansburg to Blacksburg. We know what happens to other places, how homogenized a town can become," Councilman Don Langrehr said.

Langrehr made that comment in reference to decades worth of rapid commercial growth in Christiansburg, and it was Langrehr who proposed Tuesday that Blacksburg do something now to guide its own development.

His ordinance would cap the size of retail buildings at 80,000 square feet but allow developers in some areas to exceed that limit with council approval. That approval, however, would add another layer of bureaucracy to an already complex process.

The proposal is widely seen as an effort to discourage development of so-called big-box stores such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot. And critics say it could derail economic development.

Council voted 5-2 Tuesday night to refer the proposal to the planning commission. Commission Chairman Dale Oliver said Wednesday that he hadn't seen the proposal and couldn't comment on it. As an independent body, the commission could delay review of Langrehr's proposal, rewrite it or recommend that the council disapprove it.

Developer Bill Ellenbogen, however, had heard details of the proposal and warned that it might damage efforts to attract the boutiques the council has said it supports. Ellenbogen and partner Bill Sterrett are redeveloping the University Mall.

"There is a place in Blacksburg for large retailers," Ellenbogen said. "Because they are the magnets that draw the smaller retailers." Having even one large chain store like a Wal-Mart often marks an area as economically viable, he said.

Ellenbogen said he didn't think Langrehr's proposal would hurt the University Mall project. It might mean Blacksburg residents will continue to drive to Christiansburg to shop, however.

But Councilman Al Leighton, who has for years supported in-town department stores and other retail, said Wednesday that he didn't think an 80,000-square-foot limit would keep businesses out of Blacksburg.

And Langrehr's proposal would allow larger buildings in general commercial districts with council approval.

Councilwoman Mary Holliman and Vice Mayor Susan Anderson voted in favor of the proposal Tuesday but neither could be reached for comment Wednesday.

Langrehr said Wednesday he worries the "small-town character" of Blacksburg could be radically altered in the next decade. Several large properties across town are slated for redevelopment.

Depending on how fast the planning commission and council move on Langrehr's proposal, it could also affect a plan to redevelop 40 acres of blighted commercial space and vacant land along South Main Street.

Fairmount Properties of Ohio has submitted a concept plan that shows significant retail development there, including a 175,000-square-foot facility behind the Gables Shopping Center.

Mayor Ron Rordam, who voted for the resolution, said the issue of large retail and its affects are worth discussing. But he opposes fast-tracking the ordinance as Langrehr has suggested.

In fact, a majority of council members favor a slower approach. Rordam said he wants adequate time for public comment.

Langrehr has asked that planning commission take up his proposal at its April 3 meeting. Langrehr also pointed out that other towns and cities, especially college towns, have such ordinances, some of them even more restrictive than his proposal. And development there has not been significantly affected, he said.

Councilman and Planning Commissioner Paul Lancaster and Councilman Tom Sherman voted against the proposal Tuesday. Both want a thorough study of the pros and cons of limiting the size of retail.

"Having a department store in Blacksburg could have a lot of benefits," such as shoring up the commercial tax base and holding down residential real estate taxes, Sherman said.

While big-box retail does cause some concern over traffic and infrastructure, Lancaster said "there may be a place where a 90,000-square-foot building would fit." And he wouldn't want to shut them out of town.

To help address Langrehr's concerns, Lancaster has proposed adding the building size cap to a mixed-use zoning district ordinance winding its way through the approval process. That could place restrictions on redevelopment of the old Red Lion Inn off Prices Fork Road and a 50-acre parcel located behind University Mall that belongs to the Virginia Tech Foundation. Both those properties may soon be rezoned for mixed use development.

To Langrehr the most important part of the resolution is generating public discussion about the town's growth over the next decade.

"It's healthy," he said. "This is the way it's supposed to work."

A RESOLUTION REFERRING TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION A ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT TO REGULATE RETAIL SALES USES IN EXCESS OF 80,000 SQUARE FEET

WHEREAS, the Council of the Town of Blacksburg finds that large-scale retail establishments (in excess of 80,000 square feet) can result in substantial impacts to the community, including noise, traffic congestion, and loss of local character;

WHEREAS, the Council finds that large-scale retail establishments can impose additional demands on public facilities and services;

WHEREAS, the Council finds that large-scale retail establishments are inconsistent with the goal contained in the Comprehensive Plan of maintaining a small town atmosphere unless properly located and mitigated;

WHEREAS, the Town of Blacksburg finds that regulating the size of retail establishments is necessary to facilitate a safe and comfortable pedestrian scale environment; and

WHEREAS, the public necessity, convenience, general welfare and good zoning practice so require.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Blacksburg:

1. That a text amendment to the Zoning Ordinance regulating the size of retail uses is hereby referred to the Planning Commission for its consideration and recommendation.

2. That the Town Attorney is hereby directed to draft this text amendment so that it can be provided to the Planning Commission before its April 3, 2007 meeting. The text amendment shall provide, in general, for the regulation of the size of structures used primarily for retail sales as follows:

(a) in zoning districts in which retail sales are permitted, except for the General Commercial District, no single retail sales use, whether located in a single building or multiple buildings, shall exceed 80,000 square feet of gross floor area; and

(b) in the General Commercial District, a single retail sales use in excess of 80,000 square feet of gross floor area shall be permitted only by special use permit.