The city of Healdsburg could ban new outlet malls and big-box retailers from opening anywhere in the city.
That update to the city’s retail planning roadmap was recommended by the Healdsburg Planning Commission last week. Chains, however, would be allowed to apply for exemptions known as conditional use permits to occupy existing storefronts in the southern downtown commercial district.
The commission is also recommending banning so-called “formula businesses” from occupying storefronts in the historic Healdsburg Plaza. Those are shops with ten or more identical locations. The updates await approval by the full Healdsburg City Council.
