Franchise Fight Dividing Nevada City’s Business Community

Sacramento Bee:

A drive to bar franchises from Nevada City’s historic downtown district has pitted business against business in a tug-of-war between commerce and community.

In this Nevada County hamlet of 3,000 – known for its Gold Rush history, picturesque vistas and progressive ethos – franchises are seen by some as a corporate threat to the town’s independent businesses and the history that has defined downtown.

The entire downtown district is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is dotted with California historical landmarks.

They include the Nevada Theater, which once hosted Mark Twain, and the National Hotel, one of the oldest continuously operating hotels west of the Rocky Mountains.

“A franchise in a historical town? People come to Nevada City to get away from franchises,” said Eric Engstrom, owner of Dos Bandidos restaurant in downtown Nevada City, who launched the petition effort. “I’m standing up for the beliefs about historic towns. What next? Starbucks?”

Engstrom will present the petition at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

There’s no ordinance barring franchises inside the town’s downtown historical district, said Nevada City planner Cindy Siegfried.

But franchises including convenience stores, gas stations and a Port of Subs sandwich shop operate outside of downtown.

The franchise that offends Engstrom? Here…