TEN PRINCIPLES FOR

REINVENTINGSUBURBAN STRIPS

SMART GROWTH SPEAKER SERIESMARCH 11, 2002

Principles to Reinvent Suburban Strips

I. Ignite Leadership/Nurture Partnership

II. Anticipate Evolution

III. Know The Market

IV. Prune Back Retail-Zoned Land

V. Establish Pulse Nodes of Development

VI. Tame the Traffic

VII. Create the Place

VIII. Diversify the Character

IX. Eradicate the Ugliness

X. Put Your Money (and Regulations) Where Your Policy Is

I. Ignite Leadership/Nurture Partnership

Have a plan and strategy

Build partnerships for implementation

Create a management entity that:

• Markets and promotes

• Coordinates information

• Improves security

• Manages traffic and parking

• Coordinates public agency efforts

• Acquires, assembles and parcels out land to permit new forms of infill

• Participates in development and infrastructure financing.

II. Anticipate EvolutionRetail competition is intensifying (new formats, non-store shopping)

The markets for retail real estate are changing (elderly, singles, two income, single parents, immigrants)

The retail products are changing in response (town centers, streetfront, lifestyle, entertainment, MXD)

Suburban residents are looking for a sense of community (public gathering places, more livable environment, more convenience in daily life)

Communities can integrate public services, entertainment and culture, parks and recreation

III. Know The Market

Identify the strip’s trade area: regional or not?

Revitalization and development plans should be guided by an understanding of where the strip fits into the overall regional marketplace

A strip is composed of many neighborhoods which should lead to different commercial districts along the way

The complex interplay among land values, densities, demographics, access, and competition determine what is a realistic future for the strip.

IV. Prune Back Retail-Zoned Land

Not every major arterial should be lined with retail

Surplus of retail-zoned land makes it too easy to abandon old centers and keep extending the strip

Scale the amount of retail-zoned land commensurate with the size of the market

Limit extension of infrastructure

Structure zoning to encourage other forms of development

Maintain some low-density, auto-oriented areas

V. Pulse the Development

Use key intersections (and/or major transit stops) to create walkable cores

Plan and zone higher densities to facilitate vertical mixed use (3 stories and above) and to achieve pedestrian concentrations that create an active street

Direct public investments in these zones to make higher-value private investments feasible

Use special development and public implementation tools (TDRs, BIDs, eminent domain, tax abatement, accelerated processing) to achieve the “pulse points” of new live-work, high-value community development

VI. Tame the Traffic

Is the arterial a "Seam" or an "Edge“?

Less than 8 lanes and speeds less than 30 to 35 MPH means it may be a “Seam”

Accommodate the needs of through & destination traffic

Above 20,000 to 30,000 cars/day requires a look at alternatives

Wide medians and innovative turns

Consolidate entrances/limit curb cuts

Separate through- and destination-traffic

Provide new parking configurations

Design alternate means of access

Provide secondary road network

VII. Create the PlaceThe presence of people in public places creates a more livable community and maximizes retail sales, rents, and capital value.

A well-conceptualized development integrated with other developments has more value than a stand-alone building surrounded by a parking lot. This is the “Design Dividend”

Plan active sidewalks so people feel safe and comfortable

Create attractive pedestrian environments

Continuous retail frontages, sidewalk dining, interactive displays, varied designs, facades, and landscaping,

Introduce “townscape” elements like narrow, secondary streets, landscaping, street furniture, and signage Design access routes that make getting to and from the place enjoyable and efficientSleeve big boxes and decked car parks with active retail or service users

VIII. Diversify the Character

Mixed-use development is a response to escalating land costs and congestion

Increased density is a response to sprawl

Use new mixed-use nodes to reinforce the edge of the major artery

Arrange development in a more convenient urban configuration and create a destination

Concentrate mixed use along the major arteries to preserve single-family neighborhoods

Mixed-use projects create pedestrian usage and reduce vehicular trips

Provide new forms of housing

Integrate recreation, culture, and entertainment

IX. Eradicate the Ugliness

Provide a place that people enjoy being

Create pleasant pedestrian itineraries

Put utilities underground

Plant mature trees and shrubs

Provide appropriate lighting (no sodium vapor!)

Organize attractive signage

Be creative with parking and landscape it heavily

Plan for retail and restaurant facilities close to and parallel to the arterial road with parking behind, above and beside

Pay attention to architectural excellence

Encourage buildings that enclose intersections in order to define and identify the strip

Create enforceable design guidelines for each street

X. Put Your Money Where Your Policy Is

If you want the private sector to invest, the public sector must invest too

Implementation strategies must be funded

Make capital improvements that achieve multiple purposes (e.g. traffic flow, aesthetic and environmental improvements)

Abate nuisances

Integrate public services and actions by multiple agencies

Zoning regulations must be linked to the public’s implementation strategy: effective by-right development standards, and TDRs in mature strips, ten-acre minimum lot sizes

Provide regulatory mechanisms for parceling and land assembly: eliminate setbacks? Streetfront or midblock development on multiple sites? Combine separately owned sites?

Create sophisticated design and development standards

Principles to Reinvent Suburban Strips

I. Ignite Leadership/Nurture Partnership

II. Anticipate Evolution

III. Know The Market

IV. Prune Back Retail-Zoned Land

V. Establish Pulse Nodes of Development

VI. Tame the Traffic

VII. Create the Place

VIII. Diversify the Character

IX. Eradicate the Ugliness

X. Put Your Money (and Regulations) Where Your Policy Is