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How to keep traditional retail in a downtown Entertainment District?

bonniecm
Wed, 03 Feb 2016 01:38:08 GMT

Our college town of Davis, California has designated the downtown as an Entertainment district and has been publicizing it as a regional destination. Bars and restaurants are gradually replacing traditional retail storefronts that have successfully existed downtown for decades. We purposely bought our home in central Davis 30 years ago, because the downtown is within walking, biking and wheelchair-rolling distance from our house. I use small businesses in the downtown multiple times each week. I don’t need a car to mail a package, buy a garden hose, get a picture framed, have shoes repaired or attend a meeting at City Hall. And in the same downtown, I can enjoy a beer at a pub, have a delightful dinner, then step into an art gallery and hear live music. Who could ask for more? But this inclusive mix of uses is already tipping way off balance toward the eat-drink-nightclub-visitor-college student focus. Violent incidents, almost unheard of in the past, have increased, directly related to the over-concentration of bars. The city is trying to get a handle on this and ke ep the downtown safe. But I’m still concerned about losing the retail. No one seems to know what to do about it. When storefronts open up downtown, the property owners say that they are forced to lease to bars and restaurants because new retailers do not come forth to open up shop. I realize retailers have to compete with Internet sales and big box stores, but isn’t there something that can be done to entice and support them? I would like to know how a city like ours can keep traditional retail stores going as part of the downtown mix. What measures can be taken to encourage retail to stay or new shops to open up? How have other places done it? Can you give me some strategies? The goal is a vibrant downtown that works for everyone, visitors and residents alike.

dhofmann
Wed, 03 Feb 2016 06:11:16 GMT

It looks like Davis has a lower population density downtown than north of 8th Street: http://arcg.is/1o4QFY7 I'm using Street View to look for apartments or condos downtown, but I keep finding single-story strip malls, houses repurposed as businesses, and motels. And an awful lot of parking. It seems downtown Davis is designed not to live in but to drive to. Those who are promoting Davis as an entertainment district are doing a stellar job! But I've never been to Davis so I could be way off in my observations, so please take them with a grain of salt.

bonniecm
Wed, 03 Feb 2016 17:42:49 GMT

Thank you for this observation. Since Davis is the Bicycling capital of the US, and early adopter of bike lanes, many people bike or walk from their homes surrounding downtown. Very few live IN the downtown. City leaders long for downtown property owners to want to build up, so that we can have sidewalk retail with places to live above. But the only applicants who apply to be tenants are those who want to have bars or pizza joints. They don't know how to solicit that kind of infill, since private property owners can do what they like.

bonniecm
Wed, 03 Feb 2016 17:44:31 GMT

I meant to say - the city leaders don't know how to solicit the live above infill, since private property owners can do what they like.

dhofmann
Wed, 03 Feb 2016 23:26:09 GMT

Davis could offer to rebate a portion of the taxes it collects from a business if that business has residential above or below.

bonniecm
Thu, 04 Feb 2016 04:30:36 GMT

Thanks, I'll pass that idea along.

dhofmann
Thu, 25 Feb 2016 03:14:23 GMT

You might listen to today's podcast about how one town was able to bring housing and businesses closer together: http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016/2/23/the-developer-who-was-desperate-to-save-a-struggling-neighborhood

bonniecm
Tue, 08 Mar 2016 02:34:32 GMT

Thank you. I'm going to share this at a meeting tonight.