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C h a p t e r 5 R e ta i l S t r at eg i e s
S S Storefronts with transparency (clear windows and doors)
creating a pedestrian-friendly environment downtown.
long as they include some sort of quasi-retail function, like bank branches, tax preparers, insurance brokers, doctors, dentists, law offices and the like. Such quasi-retail office uses should still be compelled to engage the pedestrian and the public realm to the greatest extent possible. Transparent storefront glazing should be mandated and the activity within ought to remain visible from the outside, with both opaque windows and drawn blinds prohibited. The same holds for the northern area as well, along North White Street and Wait Avenue/Roosevelt Avenue, but with one
It should be noted and considered in a new ordinance that some atypical retail uses can add activity to the street. Makerspaces, studios and workshops can be very intriguing to those strolling along a main street, but not if the craftsmen are rarely using the space. They must be seen ‘making’ and ‘creating’ through transparent windows along the sidewalk in order to generate the desired activity along the street. In a similar light, a more flexible approach should be considered on Brooks Street and the adjoining side streets, where the market for retail remains unproven and where requiring such use at street level could result in slower turnover (of existing tenants) or vacant storefronts (in new projects). In these locations, office uses would be permitted as
RECOMMENDATION 5D: Use policy to require active ground floor uses based on the existing character and realistic aspirations for particular streets or areas.
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