6B — March 29 - April 11, 2013 — Shopping Centers — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
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By Buck Collins, Bohler Engineering Mixed-use shopping centers and malls: Density, Visibility and Walkability
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spaces per thousand to 7 spaces per thousand – are these days coming
changing in the shopping center and mall vocabulary. Awave of newly re-designed
to be easily accessible. Many of the uses typically found at these projects are
can combine doctor visits with shopping, dinner with an evening university class. Now it’s possible to literally live in an apartment setting, shop and dine – all within walking distance. What all of these changes have in common are site de- signs that put an emphasis on density and walkability. Planning that gives consum- ers a variety of choices in the same location and the ability to make these uses highly visible and easily accessible. Quickly falling out of favor is the old concept of enclosed
shopping malls. Other than a large monument sign, the users had little visibility. There was one extremely large, faceless building sur- rounded by a sea of parking. The consumer was required to search for a parking space reasonably near the entrance closest to where they wanted to shop. The restaurants were average at best and only the best stores stayed in business for long. One of the key tools to making all of these uses work together was introducing structured parking to the equation. What better way to make positive use of all the acres of mall parking than to consolidate it in one or more multi-level parking garages. From there, consumers can easily park near a multitude of uses and access their shop- ping, dining, medical, educa- tion and residential uses, requiring only an elevator and a short walk. These uses can now be housed in detached buildings that feature the user’s proto- type building designs, corpo- rate colors and signage and can be seen from the street and easily found once the consumer enters the site. Connections between uses and parking are enhanced by taking advantage of a site’s vertical space. By putting uses over-top of uses, acces- sibility is made easier by elevator or escalator instead of by long walks from remote parking lots. The higher the uses are, the higher the structured parking garages go to accommodate the ad- ditional consumers. More commonly found in city cen- ter locations, these types of projects are increasingly found in the suburbs. Non-driving consumers also benefit from the con- solidated developments as well. Most malls now feature dedicated bus depot areas that are a short walk from shopping and dining. If you live in a part of the develop- ment you benefit from all of the uses being in close prox- imity to your home. Buck Collins is Bohler Engineering’s director of client services and has been actively involved in civil engineering related to site development for over 20 years. n
to an end? Are the vast rows of emp- ty parking spaces, long required by municipali- ties, a thing of the past? Is parking
People can combine doctor visits with shopping, dinner with an evening university class. Now it’s possible to literally live in an apartment setting, shop and dine – all within walking distance.
malls and shopping centers has arrived. Going out are one-stop-shopping, parking fields and one-size-fits-all developments. Coming in are “live, work & play,” struc- tured parking and multiple compatible uses all designed
also changing. Big boxes are fewer and smaller. Newer compatible uses like medi- cal office buildings, detached restaurants, universities, apartments and senior liv- ing complexes are taking up available space. People
Buck Collins
on one side of a mall to go to one store and then getting back in your car to drive to a nearby restaurant obsolete? Some of the buzzwords are
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