Dying malls—gifts from an earlier economy and time
Dayton Mall Area Master Plan, Dayton, OH
Introductions
Jim Paulmann FAICP
Stantec Consulting Services Inc.
Vice President
Community Development
U.S. Planning
Discipline Leader
David Dixon FAIA
Stantec Consulting Services Inc.
Stantec’s Urban
Places Fellow
Vice President
Tiffany David AICP
Tiffany David, LLC Principal
Robert Horne Torburn Partners Principal
AICP
Sarasota County
Planner III
Planning and Development Services Department
Hannah Sowinski
Tysons Galleria Redevelopment, Tysons, VA
Rise of malls
• First shopping mall – Southdale, Edina, Minnesota –1956, Victor Gruen
o Transformed shopping experience (social gathering, arts, entertainment)
• Suburban mall explosion – 2,500 by 1980
• First mega mall – Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota –5.6 million sq. ft.
o Experiential destination for exciting entertainment (theme park, aquarium, wedding chapel)
• Shifted the center of commerce from downtown to the suburban mall
•Devastated downtowns for decades
o 80% of retail was on Main Street
o 5% after mall development
Mall of America, Bloomington, MN
Southdale Shopping Mall, Edina, MN
FL
Decline and rebirth of malls
•Overbuilding—oversaturated market resulted in intense competition for retailers (winners and losers)
• One-stop shop hypermarket (Target, Walmart, Costco)
• Online shopping (Amazon)
•2008 Recession
•Cheaper retailers (T.J.Max, Ross, Marshalls, outlet malls)
• Decline of department store anchors (JCPenny, Sears, Macys)
•COVIDPandemic
•Aging structures—most malls are more than 30 years old and need upgrading
• Mall numbers continue to decline:
Peak: 2,500 | Today: 700 | Next 10 to 15 Years: 200
Sarasota Square, Sarasota,
The Amazing Brentwood, Burnaby, BC, CA
David Dixon FAIA • Stantec’s Urban Places
The New Norm 101: Demographic Opportunity
Families with kids dominated US growth for decades
For the next two decades ~80% of net new households (think North America’s housing market) will be singles and couples without kids.
The US housing supply no longer aligns with demand—creating an unprecedented urban housing opportunity—in cities and suburbs alike.
62% of US housing is single-family, detached
Most of the demand is for mixed-use, walkable
Setting the stage for a new era of mixed-use, walkable communities
In a world of rapidly evolving retail, 1000 units of additional housing within a five-minute walk will attract the critical mass of retailers to bring a block of Main Street to life as a new destination
South Bay, Dorchester, Boston, MA
Mixed-use, walkable places create value premiums.
Roswell Road, Roswell, GA
The New Norm 101: Economic Development Imperative Knowledge innovation jobs will “drive” economic growth going forward
Virtually all net new jobs created in the past decade require at least some higher education—a trend projected to continue over the next two decades.
Global knowledge and innovation industry growth is constrained by a shortage of educated workforce—“talent.”
Virtually every region across North America is competing to attract and retain talent.
Global workforce demand 2020
. . . younger, educated households also disproportionately prefer mixed-use, walkable places.
The Wall Street Journal
“The Joys of Urban Tech”
“Goodbye, office parks. Drawn by amenities and talent, tech firms are opting for cities.”
More educated 28–49-year-olds prefer living and working in mixed-use, walkable places.
Education
< 4 years of college
Education > 4 years of college
Traditional suburbs
Mixed-use, walkable places
Antioch Arts and Innovation District
2.3M SF inspired by Nashville’s living culture
The synergy between community engagement and political will in urban planning
Building stronger, more resilient communities through collaborative decision-making
Tiffany David AICP | Principal, Tiffany David, LLC
Building stronger, more resilient communities through collaborative decision-making
Political Will
Public Support
Leadership
Resources
Policy Advocacy
Proactive Community Engagement
Hear
Create regular opportunities to hear from residents.
Share concerns and opportunities widely.
Many downtowns include communities that have historically been excluded from planning discussions.
Educate & Inform
Provide community members with best practices and information related to their aspirations and concerns.
Using data tools, share the impacts of possible changes.
Share information in different languages when appropriate.
Allow
Allow community members to evaluate options and establish priorities.
Meet stakeholders where they are.
Create space for questions AND follow up with answers.
Trust
Meaningful change requires trust.
Proactive community engagement fosters commitment.
Trust creates the foundation for elected officials and stakeholders to share the risk of changing their communities.
Criteria for Mall Acquisitions
• Two or fewer uncontrolled Big-Box retailers (Sears, Macy’s, JCPenney)
• Minimal small shop tenancy term
• Tenant with durable in-place income—covered land play
• REA less than five years
• Identifying markets with a tailwind—population and job growth
• Markets that can absorb significant amount of land in as few cycles as possible
• Governmental dynamics / partnership—cooperation is critical
Sarasota Square (Current), Sarasota, FL
Redevelopment Strategies—Complicated Process
Master Planning to determine valuation model
• Choosing a planning firm with national mall experience
•Site layouts with various land uses and densities
• Public benefit
•Optimal site circulation—access
• Stormwater strategies
•Utility considerations
Aerial View (Current), Sarasota Square, Sarasota, FL
Redevelopment Strategies—Complicated Process (cont.)
Governmental Support for Vision
•Early meetings with planning staff to understand their priorities
•Meetings with higher-level officials
•Meeting with elected officials
• What tools may be available?
o TIF
o Impact fee credits
o Infrastructure partnerships
Site Plan, Sarasota Square, Sarasota, FL
Redevelopment Strategies—Complicated Process (cont.)
Understanding the Reciprocal Easement Agreement (REA)
• Good legal counsel
•Stakeholders
•Expiration
Rendering, Sarasota Square, Sarasota, FL
Redevelopment Strategies—Complicated Process (cont.)
Acquisition —Complex Assemblage
•Understanding leverage of stakeholders
•Understanding rent roll of what you are acquiring
• Financing challenges
Assembling the Team
•Zoning
• Civil Engineering / Planning
•Architecture
•Leasing
• Market Studies
•Construction Management
•Demolition
Initial Vision Plan
(For illustrative purposes only)
County Staff Input
Focus: Redevelop the site into a mixed-use town center.
Important elements to redevelop the site:
1. Mixed-use development
2. Focal point area / green space area
3.Pedestrian connectivity + vehicular mobility
4. Limit of three “Big-Box” retailers
5.Community participation and mitigation
Deliverables:
1. Mobility Plan (pedestrian + vehicular connection)
2. Block Structure Plan (Big-Box retailers)
3. Updated Vision Plan
Final Vision Plan
Envisioned project not allowed under current Sarasota County regulations. (For illustrative purposes only)
Applications – “Toolbox”
Mixed-Use Development
1. Residential / Office / Commercial uses
2.Minimum 500 residential units
3. Increased density above Code
4. Central Focal Area
5. Flexibility with design standards
6. Integration of uses
7. Flexibility to exchange uses
8. Excluded uses
9. Redevelop to new standards Tools
Focal Point Area
1. Located in center of the site
2.Minimum 0.8 acres
3.Required community use
4.8-foot sidewalks
5.Restaurants
6. Entertainment / Recreation / Events
7. Family-friendly Tools Used: 1. Special Exception
Pedestrian Connectivity + Vehicular Mobility
1. Grid pattern drive aisles
2. Internal capture
3. Boulevard concept
4.Multimodal trail
5.Sharrows
6. ADA transit stop
Tools Used:
1.DRI
“Big-Box” Retailers
1. Limit to only three “Big-Box” stores
2. “Big-Box” means >60,000 sf
3.More “little” stores
Tools Used:
1.Rezone
Community Participation + Mitigation
Community Concerns:
1.Entertainment / Recreation / Event noise
2.Access to central focal point area from US 41
3.Nesting birds within stormwater area
Tools Used:
1. Special Exception
2.DRI
Final Vision Plan
(For illustrative purposes only)
Conclusion
1. Collaborative effort between County staff, developer, and community
2.Concerns from all three parties involved were mitigated with conditions and stipulations
3. Adoption public hearing went smoothly because of the up-front effort
Looking forward to this project coming to fruition!
Northland Newton Development, Newton, MA