07/13/98 CAN MAIN STREET COMPETE WITH THE NET?

CAN MAIN STREET COMPETE WITH THE NET?

It is clear that E-commerce and other Internet business transactions will have a profound impact on our society (''Doing business in the Internet age,'' Cover Story, June 22). While you cover the positive business and societal impacts, you did not discuss those industries and other organizations that will have to undergo dramatic transformations to survive in an ever more wired world. Retailers, real-estate owners and developers, and state and local governments will all be forced to change the way they operate as more consumers and businesses turn to the Net.
As an economic-development officer for a growing suburb, I have some questions about what will happen in 5 or 10 years: Will all or a large portion of our big box-stores be empty? If so, how do we reuse them? Will we have to cut regular services due to a decrease in sales-tax revenues?
Lisa Strawn
Denver