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<br /> Spring 2003
<br /> INFORMA IC
<br /> Th Mrktfrptnt • l
<br /> Suburban Town Centers
<br /> 1
<br /> Sam Newberg
<br /> Among the most popular recent real estate rounding, one not dominated by the car and '
<br /> development trends in the Twin Cities, as one with more aesthetically pleasing archi-
<br /> well as nationally, is the creation of town tecture.
<br /> centers. They come in many forms,but usu-
<br /> ally involve redevelopment of existing or The other, perhaps more important factor in
<br /> obsolete uses. This edition of Sitelines exam- the increased interest in suburban down- "" ,.
<br /> ines the market potential for success with towns is tax dollars. Inner ring suburbs,
<br /> today's new suburban downtowns. once bastions for families fleeing urban
<br /> decay, are now seeing their own cities evolve, p ' II' -.
<br /> Traditionally, Downtown has been the cen- with aging housing stock and retail centers .d, �P i r 1 '' �-
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<br /> tral retail and commerce district within the that are becoming obsolete. Thus, a tremen-
<br /> central city of a metro area. Transit lines and dous opportunity exists to redevelop in the - - 1r �� ,*:
<br /> major streets often converge on a centralized, inner ring suburbs with a variety of uses, 4. =.� , „,,,,,, °WA ,
<br /> walkable place. from housing to office to retail.
<br /> Densification of sites can also generate high- Excelsior and Grand, St.Louis Park
<br /> The magnetism of downtown declined as er taxes in the long term.
<br /> suburban malls and office parks evolved after large-scale retail development requires a
<br /> World War II, and downtowns ceased to be Market Opportunities for nearby freeway or major arterial street for
<br /> the only place where business took place. Suburban Downtowns success. Additionally, smaller retailers gen-
<br /> The very notion of a main business section of erally rely on larger,big-box retailers and the
<br /> a city morphed into commercial corridors A variety of possibilities exist for develop- traffic they generate. If a big-box component
<br /> and quadrants located along major arterial ment in suburban downtowns. They are not is not included as part of a suburban down-
<br /> streets and at freeway interchanges. Their the same possibilities that led to the develop- town, retail development is often restricted
<br /> spatial arrangement was generally not pedes- ment of original downtowns, although their to small-scale neighborhood and convenience
<br /> trian friendly. form and some uses are similar. Also, trans- uses.
<br /> portation access can inhibit development
<br /> Today, suburbs that never had downtowns potential, unless the location is superb, such Design issues are a large factor in new sub-
<br /> are beginning to build versions of them. as the interchange of two major freeways. urban downtown development if retail is
<br /> They are varied in nature, form and appear- desired. If big-box development is chosen,
<br /> ante. Housing Development the city and developers must find a way to
<br /> blend the large buildings into the overall
<br /> Why Build a•wntown? The possibilities for a ty of multifamily design in order to create a pedestrriend-
<br /> housing types are greVIgn new suburban ly environment. Solutions include quate-
<br /> Suburbs have several motivations for treat- downtowns. Rental apartments, for-sale ly hiding parking, and possibly constructing
<br /> ing new downtowns. They include: condominiums and townhomes, and various multilevel big box stores.
<br /> senior housing types are all possibilities for
<br /> • Desire sense of place and commu- infill development, anc] en are in demand they Examples - Are the Downtown.
<br /> nity due to shifting demog cs and household
<br /> • Desire among residents and employees types in evolving suburbs. In particular, as Several new suburban downtowns are in the
<br /> for a central gathering place baby boomers age and their housing planning or development stages around the
<br /> • Demand for a quaint, well designed demands shift, a variety of housing types are Twin Cities. They include Excelsior and
<br /> place to counter the placelessness of gaining popularity. Multifamily housing is Grand in St. Louis Park, Heart of the City in
<br /> urban sprawl denser in form, and is more easily integrated Burnsville, and Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove.
<br /> • Municipal demand for additional tax into a mixed-use neighborhood such as a sub- Each downtown serves a slightly different
<br /> urban downtown. purpose, has a unique market potential and
<br /> base from redevelopment of a blighted or mix of planned development, and each bends
<br /> underdeveloped area the definition of the term "Downtown.”
<br /> Office Development
<br /> People are generally drawn to distinctive Office development is another potential use Excelsior and Grand
<br /> places. Today, the overall population is liv- for suburban downtowns. Office develop- One of the highest profile new downtowns in
<br /> ing in suburbs in greater numbers than ever ment can be integrated into mixed-use devel- the Twin Cities is in St. Louis Park.
<br /> before. Something about the concept of opment, and is well-suited to be located in Consisting of 125 acres of land overall, many
<br /> downtowns, whether it be nostalgic or prat- buildings with retail uses on the ground of the components of the "downtown" are
<br /> tical, is causing this growing suburban popu- floor. already in place, such as Target,Byerly's, and
<br /> lation to begin to seek a more quaint sur- Park Nicollet Medical Center. These will
<br /> Retail Development remain largely unchanged, and it is the new
<br /> development, called Excelsior and Grand,
<br /> Retail development is one of the major chal- that helps create the downtown concept.
<br /> IOW lenges for town centers, since they are often
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<br /> t1 Xf e l d big-box based, and their physical mass often Excelsior and Grand, which is opening in
<br /> A i� 11` 1 Research Inc. runs counter to the notion of town centers phases, is a mixed-use development of over
<br /> 4 k 7 ( and the quaintness desired. Retail develop- 350 apartments, with ground floor retail
<br /> ment relies on good access and visibility, and space, in addition to for-sale multifamily
<br /> continued on p.2
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