French municipal elections are less than a month away, and a new radio series, “C’est le rôle du maire” (It’s the Mayor’s Role), is examining the scope of a mayor’s influence on daily life. The series, launched by ICI Armorique on February 23rd, is focusing this week on the impact mayors have on local commerce.
The role of the mayor in shaping the commercial landscape of a town or city is significant, though not absolute. Mayors utilize the Plan Local d’Urbanisme (PLU), a local urban planning document, to designate areas for commercial development versus residential or other uses. This power has contributed to the growth of peri-urban commercial zones over the last three decades, even in smaller communities.
Beyond broad zoning decisions, mayors can establish “zones de sauvegarde” – protected zones – to prioritize local businesses. Within these zones, the municipality gains a right of first refusal when a commercial property is sold. This allows the mayor and council to purchase the business and either lease it to a new operator aligned with community needs, such as a butcher shop over an estate agency, or sell it with stipulations on future use.
Municipal investment in commercial properties is another tool available to mayors. In Ouat, a compact island in Morbihan with a population of 214, the local government purchased a hotel-restaurant to prevent its closure. The island faced a similar challenge in 2021 when its last bakery closed, necessitating bread deliveries by boat from Quiberon. The mayor is now considering building a new bakery, complete with a shop and housing for the baker and their family.
The series, produced with the assistance of Jean-Jacques Urvoas, a professor of public law at the University of Western Brittany, highlights that choices regarding commerce are inherently political. The municipal elections on March 15th and 22nd will determine who makes those choices.
