Retail Boosts Viability of Transit Villages

As consumers’ habits have changed over the years, we’ve seen retail models evolve to reflect them, morphing from strip centers to enclosed malls, big box centers and open air shopping, dining and entertainment hubs. While the latter is often referred to as a “lifestyle center” because it integrates such amenities as movie theaters and restaurants with retail outlets, there’s another retail model that directly reflects the next evolution of the American lifestyle – the transit village.

While the transit village is by no means a new development type, it is gaining increased popularity, especially in the Western states. This is significant because the major growth in these regions has been a consequence of the widespread acceptance of the automobile and freeway system. Yet as Westerners have witnessed increased pollution and endured the long commutes and sprawl that cars and freeways have spawned, they’ve begun to stake out new alternatives to transportation, living, working and ultimately shopping.

The transit village, unlike the shopping mall or strip mall, is based on a traditional town square or main street concept where offices, eateries, shops, civic facilities and even healthcare services coexist harmoniously in one central location. Fitting nicely into its urban surroundings, the transit village discourages the use of cars and encourages pedestrian traffic and use of mass transit.

Retail is a core component that ensures the viability of the transit village. Designed thoughtfully, it can serve village residents, commuters and the surrounding community alike. In significant amount, retail can serve to make the village a destination lifestyle center unto its own. Occupying the ground floor and sometimes upper or lower levels, when adjacent to elevated or subterranean stations, retail acts as the “glue” that holds the other residential, office, civic and transit components together. It is also what connects and integrates the village into its surrounding community.

In northern California, the BART system is replacing their park and ride lots with multi-level parking structures, making valuable urban land available to new transit villages. By establishing connections from the stations to the surrounding neighborhood, the Fruitvale Transit Village has not only been successful in its own right, but has increased the amount of retail pedestrian traffic and enhanced sales in existing shops, thereby creating a thriving “place” within the community. The village square opening to the station serves as a window allowing transit riders a look into the community. Now not only a center for the community, the village is quickly becoming a destination for regional rail patrons.

A number of other transit villages are currently in the development stages at other BART station locations. Just one stop south of the Fruitvale Village, the first phases of the Coliseum Transit Village are currently under construction, with future phases linking the existing sports venues and shuttle to the Oakland International Airport.

In Los Angeles, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has been focusing new transit village development around subway stations as well. At the famous Hollywood & Vine intersection, one such village soon to start construction will include a W Hotel, high-rise condominiums and loft apartments (including an affordable component), and neighborhood-serving retail. The project anchors the east end of the Hollywood entertainment and theater district and is the centerpiece of the emerging Hollywood residential district which will include a new 60,000-square-foot gourmet market and additional retail and residential on neighboring blocks.

In addition to development around existing transit stations, new communities in San Diego, Portland, Florida and Hawaii are planning villages today that will incorporate provisions for future transit lines. By incorporating the provisions for transit now, these communities are ensuring the ability to meet the needs and lifestyles of both today’s and tomorrow’s residents and shoppers.

Population growth, increasing traffic, pollution and the rising cost of gasoline, are all contributing factors increasing the demand to identify and develop alternatives to suburban living. Transit-oriented development that combines retail amenities with affordable housing, office and civic facilities is both responsible and effective at addressing these issues. The transit village has proven itself as a socially, environmentally and economically viable solution and will continue to be one of the urban lifestyle choices of the future.