Known as "formula businesses" in planning circles, they are an invasive species, capable of infiltrating and then inundating neighborhood business districts filled with independent, locally-owned businesses, a valuable but endangered commodity still common in Salt Lake City.

But don't sing the dirge for our unique marketplaces. Salt Lake City Council member Jill Remington Love has a plan, and the support of the rest of the City Council, that could keep them from becoming carbon copies of business districts everywhere.

By unanimous vote Tuesday, the council authorized an ordinance that would restrict the size and design of new chain stores in certain neighborhoods, bolstering local small businesses by forcing big box stores to downsize, and requiring all chains to create unique designs. Areas like 1500 East and 1500 South, 900 East and 900 South, 1700 East and 1300 South and the Sugar House business district would be considered.

But the ordinance will do more than just safeguard eclectic marketplaces. It will also protect and preserve the locally-owned businesses that inhabit them, and perpetuate the advantages they bring to a community.

Unlike formula businesses, which tend to centralize support services in district or regional offices, local independent businesses contract with local suppliers and service providers, allowing the money you spend to stay in the community. And the profits stay here, too, recirculating through the local economy instead of being shipped to the home office.

We love Love's plan. It's an even-handed, level-headed, forward-thinking approach to preserving local business districts. And, while it does not prohibit cookie-cutter chains from opening outlets in those areas - a move that would result in lawsuits - it stands to discourage them from setting up shop.

Our zoning ordinances already provide a place for everything. It's time to carve out some unique niches for independent businesses, and keep chain stores in their place.