Opinions
 

What Would Make Uptown a Successful and Sustainable Business District?

Date: 10/2005
Author: Thatcher Imboden

With development reshaping some of Uptown’s prime commercial properties, questions arise over what businesses will exist in the future. The recent arrival of Panera Bread, Coldstone Creamery, and American Eagle revived concerns over the commercialization of Uptown. Little direction exists from Urban Planning literature and academia on communities like Uptown, where dense mixed-use communities try to balance corporate and independent businesses.

One could argue that while new corporations moved into Uptown recently, they tended to replace previous corporations. Panera Bread replaced Haagen-Dazs and American Eagle replaced Pier One Imports. The large floor plans of the available retail spaces could have played a role in the tenant choice, as the high cost of rent would likely require a high volume of sales. Corporations often have the sales and financial stability to successfully lease large spaces. (Of course, some locally-owned destination stores such as Kitchen Window and Magers and Quinn have large spaces and have survived a long time in Uptown.)

Another large floor plan user is restaurants. Restaurants are in their own category since many independent restaurants can compete easier with large corporations. One concern regarding restaurants is, as large retail spaces become vacant, is it in the business or resident community’s interest to have retail space converted to food and beverage space?

It is the balance in a community that makes it successful. Having opportunities to do routine errands, sip coffee, find new reading, go on a safe stroll, replace socks, enjoy a romantic dinner, or grab something on the run makes Uptown a great place.

Too much of one thing will lead to deteriorating business district, as traffic patterns and perceptions change. Close attention should be paid to the conversion of retail space. Regulating that change raises questions about the purpose of government and its involvement in private property. One way to safeguard the community from unwanted shifts could be to consider not granting licenses (such as liquor licenses) after a certain threshold were reached. That threshold could be percentage-based rather than quantity-based so as the community grows, the limit could adjust accordingly.

Many citizens value independent businesses that offer us opportunities to satisfy our needs. Studies have shown that a dollar spent at a local independent business will generate more economic activity than the same money spent at a corporate-owned store. It’s likely that Uptown already enjoys that benefit from the density of independent businesses it currently has, which raises the question: What will happen if more corporations move in?

We could ask a different question. If a corporation offering a product that many Uptowners currently leave the community for, would it negatively impact Uptown to have a corporation here providing it? One could argue yes or no. Many shop at Target, but a Target store in Uptown would likely hurt the district as it typically has negative impacts in design and competition. On the other side, Kinko’s, EB Games, Wells Fargo, and Borders tend to be labeled as positive for the community, as many of them offer products or services that are sought, somewhat unavailable otherwise, and relatively non-impacting in design. In some cases, the power of numbers plays a role – where having many businesses of one type, like bookstores or clothing outlets, increase business for everyone.

 As interest continues in Uptown property, discussion on development should focus more on creating a “hybrid-community,” where we examine how design will affect future commercial spaces. There are no clear answers, but careful analysis may help us better understand the dynamics of Uptown.