How does a city recover from the loss of several major retailers? Within the span of a few years starting in 2002, Duncanville, Texas, lost many of its big box retailers, including Kmart, Wal-Mart, Circuit City and MJ Designs.

With the closing of these stores, Duncanville--a city of 36,000 surrounded by Dallas on three sides--had lost a significant source of tax revenue. City leaders knew they needed to bring in more retailers and restaurants, but they were faced with the challenge of recruiting businesses to a “dry” city, when nearby Dallas was “wet.” To overcome this obstacle to development, voters needed to approve the sale of packaged beer and wine in stores.


Buxton's Solution

Duncanville hired Buxton to develop economic data to project tax revenue from the sale of beer and wine. With this data, a Duncanville community group educated voters about the benefits of easing the “dry” laws in their community.

Buxton also performed its propriety CommunityID analysis. The Buxton study provided city leaders with the types of information about particular trade areas that developers and retailers need to know before making location decisions. And, Buxton provided a drive-time trade area analysis on various sites of potential interest for development within the city’s 11.2 square miles

The Results

In 2004, a record local election turnout of 33% of Duncanville voters approved (by a 2-to-1 margin) less stringent alcohol laws that allow grocery and convenience stores to sell beer and wine.

More recently, Duncanville has scored big with the placement of a 150,000-square-foot Costco Club Warehouse. A 28-acre parcel adjacent to Costco is slated for a mixed-use retail and garden apartment development containing more than 100,000 square feet of retail and 216 units of upscale garden apartments.

The city’s other successes include a Pappadeaux Seafood Restaurant, a mixed-use retail and loft apartment development project, and a Hilton Garden Inn.

“The Buxton data assisted us in obtaining voter approval and in attracting approximately 30 new stores to the city. Our sales tax revenues have steadily increased since that time,” says Earle L. Jones, Jr. Director of Economic Development for Duncanville.