PT Putting Screws to Chains

Port Townsend is a favorite weekend getaway for many Seattleites, and it's easy to see why. The drive up is alone worth the price of admission (Seattlest likes Kingston ferry to Hood Canal to 19) but once there the food is good, the downtown is cute and there are plenty of activities to keep you going.

In an effort to keep the city cute, the Port Townsend City Council recently passed an ordinance that limits what chain stores or (from the ordinance) "formula retail establishments" can do. The legislation will give firepower to the forces in PT trying to keep things local, even though they were already able to outmaneuver dastardly Rite Aid recently. Although this bit of legislation is considered an emergency measure in the battle against a Hollywood Video that currently has residents up in arms, it will not apply directly to the movie rental giant because their permits are already secured.

From the PI:

The measure, drafted by the Rite is Wrong successor group, Stop Hollywood Video, is modeled after a Bainbridge Island ordinance and a host of others from cities such as Bristol, R.I., and Coronado, Calif. Its primary goal is "to maintain the city's unique Victoria seaport and surrounding rural character" while maintaining the "vitality of the community's commercial districts and the qualify of life of Port Townsend residents."