Shopping Centers A Drain On City Budgets?

A new report, Understanding the Impacts of Fiscal Land Use In Ohio (PDF, 2MB), prepared for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission concludes that retail development costs cities more in public services than it generates in revenue.

"The report, produced by Randall Gross of Development Economics in Washington, D.C., reviews and summarizes the findings of fiscal impact studies conducted in eight central Ohio communities between 1997 and 2003... In seven of the eight communities, retail development created a drain on municipal budgets."