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Citing various types of developments ir Vermont, Tennessee, Maryland and Florida McMahon has shown that communities have th< power to maintain the unique character of an are£ and alter the “cookie cutter” designs of franchises and by doing so enhance both the existing commu nity and corporate profits.
Those in charge of land use decisions simplj have to ask, or demand, better plans from develop ers, McMahon said. In Vermont, where decisior makers demanded it, McDonald’s abandoned its universally recognized restaurant design and made itself a home in Victorian structures. The franchise empire has made similar gestures elsewhere to fi1 in and become part of the unique style of a commu nity rather than sticking out as just another o: thousands of identical McDonald’s restaurants. .. It happens in “those communities that are savvy enough,” he said.
Corporations, residents and tourists all reap rewards, McMahon said. Tourists and resident: alike will be happier in a place — any place — that has a unique feel, a sense of history, that is con nected to its past, he said.
Surveys of people asked to identify what is important to a community cited the connection tc history (not necessarily historical events) and sense of place. For the corporate side, since volumt is the goal, the more people want to be in or to visil a place, the better for business in that place.
Preservation of structures “physically” links people to the past, creating a sense of community McMahon said.
See McMAHON, Page AC
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