Main Street Matters, September 2014 Page: 6
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ENCOURAGING
RETAIL WITH
ZONING
REQUIREMENTS
Article written by Emily Koller, Planner,
Courthouse Square Inititive, Texas
Historical Commission
Main Streets spend a lot of time
combatting the challenge of
vacancies, but sometimes the
problem is not a vacant prime
retail space - the problem is that
it is occupied! The buildings may
be full, but not with "activity-
generating" uses.*
As a downtown transitions from
basic stabilization and occupation
of historic buildings to the
desire for a more sophisticated
retail and dining experience,
municipalities may turn to
land-use controls. Mandating
retail space is utilized not only
to create a vibrant, pedestrian-
friendly downtown experience,
but also to protect downtown
sales tax revenue. Striking the
right balance of uses is not
easy often those occupying the
most attractive retail spaces are
long-time professionals in law,
accounting, and insurance. Thetenants are likely the owners
and may have been the only
ones willing to rehabilitate and
occupy the buildings decades
prior. Explaining to a lawyer that
you now want an artisan grilled
* This article uses retail and activity-gener-
ating interchangeably. Activity-generating
is a planning term that describe uses which
generate high levels of pedestrian move-
ment including businesses engaged in the
sale of goods, services like salons, some
entertainment uses and eating and drinking
establishments. Specialty retail is used when
describing retail sales only.j
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11Achieving active retail uses depends on the ability to create an experience that is believable
to visitors and inclusive of local residents. Pictured on this page, scenes from a Wyoming
Main Street struggling to define its retail experience to attract tourists headed to Yellowstone
National Park.cheese sandwich shop in his space
might not go over so well.
Know Your Downtown Experience
First
Achieving active retail uses directly
speaks to a downtown's ability to
create an experience
that is believable to visitors while
at the same time is inclusive of the
local residents. Local retail may
mean convenience stores with iced
40-ounce cans of beer and
cigarettes, while the long-
term community vision
fancies a wine bar and
humidor to attract overnight
wedding parties. Is this retail
dream realistic for your
existing demographic, and is
it a believable experience for
visitors to your downtown?I recently returned from a quick
vacation to my small hometown
in Wyoming, population 1,853.
Their Main Street is a state
highway and also happens to be
"on the road" to Yellowstone. The
town serves its local population
with professional services fairly
well, but retail is dire. They are
considering an application to ther-
A U
CMELLUARAnother scene from a Wyoming Main Street struggling to
define its retail experience to attract tourists headed to
Yellowstone National Park.6 TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Texas Main Street Program
www.thc.state.tx.us
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Texas Historical Commission. Main Street Matters, September 2014, periodical, September 2014; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1551311/m1/6/?rotate=90: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.