Reimagining Aging Commercial Corridors

Across the state, and across the nation, the long-term economic viability of the ubiquitous commercial strip corridor is being called into question. With the demand for bricks and mortar retail declining, cities are looking for alternatives to sprawling shopping centers and empty parking lots. But as market demand shifts and properties become candidates for redevelopment, conventional zoning metrics make it difficult to implement good urbanism. But good intentions are sometimes over-aspirational, with cities envisioning walkable corridors with continuous storefronts before the basic infrastructure to support walkability is in place. This session will take a wholistic look at the commercial strip corridor from the standpoint of economics, transportation, and design, and help planners find the right tools to facilitate positive change.
The session will help planners answer the following questions:
Understanding the market and revenue models
•If bricks and mortar retail are declining, what will fill the gap?
•How will changes in the market and redevelopment impact city revenue?
•What are the barriers to match the vision with the market realities?
•How can taxes and incentives be used to produce better outcomes? 

Lessons learned from existing corridor codes
•Where has FBC been most successful?
•What has gone wrong in terms of outcome, and why?
•How can cities avoid making the same mistakes?
        oBeware the ‘0’ setback
        oPulling the FBC trigger before a corridor is ready
        oIssues with review (untrained staff, council overrule, etc.)

Moving forward – a transitional approach to corridors.
•What are the stages of a corridor transformation?
       oLoosen existing zoning metrics and permitted uses to “allow good
                 things to happen”
       oSafety first in the public realm
       oCreating a truly walkable corridor (hint, it starts with the public realm)
       oFrom allowing to requiring urban form
•How far should building design guidelines go?

Transportation –
•How will trends in car-share, micromobility and autonomous vehicles impact the corridors?
•Can BRT find a place along busy corridors?
•What is the traffic volume threshold for walkability?
•Should we think in terms of bikeability first and walkability second?
•Most of the time, corridors get wider and wider, does the pattern ever go in the other direction?