tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post6058184485321645283..comments2024-03-18T09:00:43.290-04:00Comments on Old Urbanist: Rehabilitating WalmartCharlie Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07317335121565650040noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-70469246855987705742016-02-27T22:15:26.340-05:002016-02-27T22:15:26.340-05:00What about the historic downtown department stores...What about the historic downtown department stores as a model? They're really not all that much different. On a smaller scale, more modest cities usually still had a multi-story Woolworths or some other store of a couple stories. The typical Wal Mart supercenter is 250,000 square feet, but put that in a 4-story building and it's only 250x250 feet, which is a pretty typical downtown block size. <br /><br />Yes yes, freight elevators and more expensive construction, but think about how expensive all the parking lots and access roads and stormwater retention and buffer zones are getting in the suburban landscape. It's similar to the argument about school consolidation saving on extra copy machines, athletic facilities, special teachers driving between schools, etc., while ignoring that all those benefits are used up, and then some, on having to bus the entire student population all over the city twice a day. Jeffrey Jakucykhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04092631645389171565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-42745905113098720802016-02-21T19:07:32.515-05:002016-02-21T19:07:32.515-05:00My hometown of Rutland, Vt actually has a Wal Mart...My hometown of Rutland, Vt actually has a Wal Mart anchoring the downtown area. When it opened up in the mid-90s there wasn't much there and it's helped make it more resilient. At the time its location and size were very unusual for Wal Mart.<br /><br />As the pendulum swings back towards transit and walkability, these surface parking lots are going to be prime locations for infill development and the shopping centers themselves will be very good for redeveloping as mixed-use, or, since they're warehouses, into the sort of space tech entrepreneurs love.Matthew M. Robare https://www.blogger.com/profile/01238656296410351634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-88632004130923627462016-02-21T12:29:41.846-05:002016-02-21T12:29:41.846-05:00The Safeway redevelopment at the other end of Rock...The Safeway redevelopment at the other end of Rockridge in Oakland (at 51st and Broadway) also anticipates rooftop parking. The 1960s Safeway on Monterey Blvd in San Francisco (also planned to be rebuilt, if it hasn't already begun to be) also has rooftop parking.<br /><br />I don't know how much additional structure you need to make it work, but it certainly seems better than a surface lot. Unfortunately you would still need multiple levels or some additional surface space to meet typical requirements for number of parking spaces per square foot of retail floor area, so it doesn't completely hide the problem.Eric Fischerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17717107532168518915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-77356615642904601912016-02-20T14:27:29.554-05:002016-02-20T14:27:29.554-05:00Thank you David. I've seen the H Street store ...Thank you David. I've seen the H Street store but was unaware of the DCUSA complex. I guess the parking is underground? Charlie Gardnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07317335121565650040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-54440228160998025522016-02-20T14:23:50.590-05:002016-02-20T14:23:50.590-05:00Thanks Jacob -- very interesting. The overall ide...Thanks Jacob -- very interesting. The overall idea is very similar. As the land values grow under parking lots for supermarkets and big box stores, I wonder if this sort of approach -- putting parking on the roof, and redeveloping the parking lot area -- will become more common. Obviously the engineering for roof parking will be considerably more expensive, but how much more I wonder, especially for a single-story structure? Charlie Gardnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07317335121565650040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-10643193696542975982016-02-20T11:31:46.909-05:002016-02-20T11:31:46.909-05:00A lower-density example I'm familiar with is a...A lower-density example I'm familiar with is a redevelopment of a Safeway grocery store on College Ave in Oakland, CA. It originally had a single-story building with a large surface parking lot. The redevelopment is still single-story, but with a larger footprint and a parking lot on the top of the building. A second building was built on the same lot, replacing a long-defunct gas station. A small pedestrian walkway with outdoor seating runs between the two buildings. Not quite a big box, but principles are similar.<br /><br />Street View here: https://www.google.nl/maps/@37.850343,-122.2523701,3a,75y,74.65h,92.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBoRYAIGfqTboxqhhIkUsew!2e0!7i13312!8i6656.<br /><br />It's very close to the border with Berkeley, and the Berkeley city council uniformly condemned it because of traffic impacts, but Oakland was happy to let it go through because they get the property and sales taxes.Jacob Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14846838284096802146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-84832828465271846052016-02-20T10:51:00.558-05:002016-02-20T10:51:00.558-05:00There are two more fantastic examples of urbanist ...There are two more fantastic examples of urbanist big-box stores in DC.<br /><br />One of the best, and one I lived near, is DCUSA, which incorporates Target, Best Buy, DSW, a PetCo, and other staples of the strip mall (including a Staples!) into a three-story vertical structure across from the Columbia Heights metro. It built so much more parking than it needed that it closed the bottom two levels of its garage. It's extremely popular to walk, and it's located in the second-densest neighborhood of DC, Columbia Heights, yielding some of the biggest sidewalk crowds in the city.<br /><br />Then there's the H Street Wal*Mart, which incorporates 4 stories of apartments above it: http://popville.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/walmart_dc.jpg<br /><br />I believe they use garage parking, too, but I'm unsure of that. Never been in, I just know it's the kind of big box I'd be interested in seeing more of.David Edmondsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09122497078883517920noreply@blogger.com