Sprawl is busting out all over — but citizens groups are stepping up their efforts as well, scoring 39 victories, according to Sprawl-Busters, between July 1, 2005, and January 30, 2006. Here are the 39 communities that stopped sprawl in one form or another, liste by state: Homer, AK; Avondale, AZ, Buckeye, AZ; Elk Grove, CA, Escondido, CA, Northridge, CA, Porterville, CA, Ventura, CA, Westlake Village, CA; Frisco, CO; Gainesville, FL; Miami Beach, FL; Miramar, FL, Orange County, FL, St. Petersburg, FL, West Palm Beach, FL; Ellenwood, GA; Zionsville, IN; Sanford, ME; Grandville, MI; Independence, MI, Portsmouth, MI; Harrisburg, NC; Nashua, NH; Wayne, NJ, Voorhees, NJ; North Greenbush, NY, Rotterdam, NY; Agawam, MA; Columbus, OH
Lorain, OH; Central Point, OR, Gresham, OR; Monroeville, PA, Spring, PA; Nashville, TN; Helotes, TX; Newport News, VA; Edmonton,ONT.
For individual stories on any town listed above, search the Newsflash page by the community’s name. Based on this rate of victory, we project 70 to 80 communities will beat a big box store outright, while dozens more will seriously delay them into another year.