"John K. Doyle, Jr." wrote:
Various cities in the Bay Area are rapidly enacting anti-.com zoning ordnances. This isn't specific to data centers. The problem is that, out here at least, the .com explosion is of sufficient magnitude that it has a tendency to wipe out "business districts." What happens is that the .com companies are WAY better funded than your average shoe-shine stand, burger joint, or even neighborhood pharmacy. So, they can afford to pay way more rent than a traditional business can. Pretty soon, you look up and there is NO retail to be seen anywhere in the business district.
Now imagine the ripple effect.
I've read about this phenomenon in the SFO area, although what I read mentioned residential housing. (Several friends who live there have confirmed what I've read). Wouldn't it be better to enforce an anti-price-gouging law that capped the amount of rent landlords could charge? -- North Shore Technologies, Cleveland, OH http://NorthShoreTechnologies.net Steve Sobol, BOFH - President, Chief Website Architect and Janitor Linux Instructor, PC/LAN Program, Natl. Institute of Technology, Akron, OH sjsobol@NorthShoreTechnologies.net - 888.480.4NET - 216.619.2NET