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Vest Pocket Village

By Michael A McDonald, RLA, CLARB, LEED AP

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Inspiration

Indications

Ideology

Concept

Choices

Challenges

Criteria

Retrofit

Redesign

Recipe

Rationale

Process

Paradigm

Prototype

Potential

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Introduction

Inspiration

There are three basic influences that serve as the major catalysts for this research of retrofitting

strip malls; a college text book, a design fad and my DNA. The college textbook was called New

Uses for Old Buildings, by Sherban Cantacuzino (Sept 1975). The book highlighted several

retrofits of grist mills, gas stations and silos by converting old buildings into new uses while

utilizing their existing structures as much as possible. This seemed more creative to me than just

starting from scratch. During the 1970’s a design paradigm of Vest Pocket Parks was taught in

university design curriculums. The most famous of these parks was Paley Park in Manhattan,

designed by Zion and Breen and opened in 1967. To a student of landscape architecture at the

time and this demonstrated the offset public value in demolishing a structure and replacing it

with green park to serve as a respite from the concrete jungle. DNA plays a role in this as the

writer is about 60% Jewish and 40% Scottish, so cost savings is always a priority. There has to

be economic benefits by starting from an existing structure verses building from scratch.

Indications

Strip Malls immerged in the 1950’s as a result of suburbanization and were considered a threat

the “Main Street” shopping districts. Regional Malls also emerged during this same timeline

posing a further threat to Main Street. This was an early indicator of the population shift towards

the suburbs. Strip Malls were more accessible and convenient so they enjoyed success by

catering to more local residents than the regional draw of the larger malls.

The downside of this development was the inefficient land consumption, lack of pedestrian and

vehicular connectivity and development impact. Zoning codes required an inordinate amount of

parking and specific lease use requirements, with minimal requirements for buffer, pervious

space and tree replacement. Architectural controls were nonexistent. This became an engineering

exercise to obtain 5 parking spaces per 1000 square feet of retail space with no consideration for

user comfort or environment. The result was a band of flat roofed buildings fronted by a sea of

asphalt. The user not only drove to the Strip Mall, but moved their car from one end to the other

to avoid walking in such a foreboding landscape. As development programs progressed to be

more user friendly, Strip Malls lost their appeal and fell into declined in the last 20-30 years and

are now an obsolete land use.

Efforts to revive this old dinosaur by endless face lifts and remote radio broadcasts have fallen

short of the mark and deemed nothing more than putting “lipstick on a pig”. The economic

downturn in real estate that starting in 2004 sealed the fate of this land use. It was not until

advice from an Emerging Trends in Real Estate Report published October 21, 2008 by the Urban

Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers was there any indication that this type of

development may have a viable future. The advice was enumerated as follows:

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1. Retrench on development and reorient to mixed-use and infill. Higher-density

residential with retail will gain favor in next round of building.

2. Go green – cutting energy expenses is likely to be a priority.

3. Buy or hold multi-family; hold office; hold hotels; buy residential building lots to hold.

4. Purchase distressed condos in urban areas near transit.

5. Focus on neighborhood retail centers with strong grocery anchors and chain

drugstores.

This report was speaking to general strategies for real estate investment, but was also a

watermark for specific strategies to make Strip Malls viable again, that of course mixed with a

lot of rethinking and shifts in the old paradigms.

Ideology

The New Urbanism trend is to abolish suburban living with everyone moving back into the inner

city, leaving the suburbs an empty wasteland. However, the suburban lifestyle is entrenched

within our American culture and should be studied to formulate development alternatives that

will address the concepts of densification and mixed use to promote a healthier, sustainable

lifestyle. This study will present a template where depressed Strip Mall sites can be retrofitted

into islands of economically and environmentally sound development. They will promote an eco-

friendly lifestyle that will result in a higher quality of life for the residents as well as long term

cost savings for the maintenance of the property.

This concept combines elements of New Urbanism and Sustainability with inspiration from past

movements which will create an island oasis within the suburban jungle. In simple terms, it is a

development template that will transform non-viable Strip Malls into vibrant livable micro

centers that will increase the value of the real estate of the site and its surroundings, while

decreasing the overall environmental impact. The study includes formulating criteria for site

selection, identifying quantitative and qualitative features of target sites, establishing a retrofit

development template for target sites, defining site specific architectural and landscape character

for target sites with emphasis on mitigation of environmental impacts, establishing transit

connections and promoting smart technologies. Finally, the study will define a process for

agency approval, design and construction implementation strategies with target site study to

illustrate the points.

Concept

Choices

The mantra of the New Urbanists is that all life should dwell within the inner cities of America

because the suburbs have succumbed to Cul-de-cide and are void of any cultural and social

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virtue. Subdivisions full of McMansions should be re-developed as senior boarding houses or

better yet, torn down and left to go back to nature. Shopping Malls must be bulldozed and parks

built in their place. According to some of the leading New Urbanists, suburban sprawl is the

leading indicator of everything from global warming to the degradation of the American society.

The fact of the matter is that suburbs offer a lifestyle choice for the growing family. While urban

life focuses on shopping, tourism and night life; the suburban life style touts family oriented land

uses and activities, stable public education and tranquil settings wherein to raise a family. The

suburbs have been attracting people for more than three generations now and have become an

icon of the American lifestyle. It is unreasonable to suggest that we completely turn back the

clock and revert to a lifestyle prevalent before the 1940’s.

In the final analysis, it is not realistic to think that the suburban landscape will dissipate in order

to achieve the New Urbanists’ dream of a more compact society. It is a large part of the

American landscape and plays a major role in the achievement of the American Dream.

Challenges

There is a paradigm that defines the essence of life as the triad. A person’s ego is fed by three

factors’ personal, professional and social. The line of thought follows the rule that these three

factors govern a person well being and in a perfect world should be balanced, similar to the

concept of biorhythms. If one or two of these factors are not being met, the other one or two will

over compensate to maintain emotional equilibrium.

In a sense, this partly defines the lifestyle choice for living in the suburbs. In the pursuit of

happiness, many found that all of their needs were met living within the city. But as the suburbs

developed and choices became available, many began moving out of the inner city to greener

pastures. They began to rationalize that it was not necessary to live where they worked, or even

play where the live. Keep the job in the city and buy much more house for the money in the

suburbs and send the kids to school in higher tax district. Business commuters began to

compromise their personal lives by over compensating their professional careers. They chose to

live in the suburbs and work in the city.

A working family of two could realize a much higher standard of living with this scenario. The

result of these choices however created a more complicated lifestyle than expected. Longer

commutes, greater consumption of resources and complication of lifestyle were the results.

The challenge then is to take an element of suburbia that is an obsolete eye sore and turn it into

something innovative and unique that would offer a solution to the suburban dilemma. What

archetype better exemplifies this but the Strip Mall. The mission then, is to look at how to

redevelop these properties to best respond to the suburban dilemma. But, to do this one must

think out of the box, then convince those who own, develop and permit these this type of land

use to do the same. Better yet, throw the box away or at least recycle it!

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Criteria

In the first step, a set of criteria will be used to select sites which are viable for redevelopment

and which are not. The process begins with a drive by and through visual assessment of the

subject property. There are several factors which will determine the viability of the site and are

as follows:

1. Locate the subject property on Google Earth and establish a scale. Copy image, print and

save to a file. This image downloaded off of the internet is an invaluable tool to measure

area of leasable space, number of parking spaces and many other site characteristics.

Prepare a physical plan assessment from this tool.

2. Draw a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) catchment area with a 2000’ radius area

and determine how many rooftops are located within this area and then determine how

much leasable space is available for office and retail use. GIS data will help to determine

the actual number, but personal assessment is requires to ground proof the findings.

Many Strip Malls have a surprising number of residential units located within walking

distance to them and support services already established to serve potential residents.

3. Accessibility is paramount. Select sites near major cross roads that have existing curb

cuts and traffic control in place. Identify potential vehicular connections to adjacent

housing, retail and offices. Evaluate streetscape improvements for crosswalks and even

fly-over connections.

4. Determine proximity to public transit. Identify bus routes, taxi and limo services and

mass transit if available. Look at park and ride lots and other modes of transport that may

exist.

5. Determine pedestrian flow and existing pathways. Seek out accessibility to public trail

systems for bike and pedestrians. Catalog the distances required to bring to the site. 6. Open Space is a critical factor in determining worthiness of potential sites. Look for

unique features such as streams or wetlands that could be conserved and restored as an

amenity.

Analyzing all of the above will help to identify potential users from off site as well as potential

uses for new residents. Most importantly, these factors will help measure the intrinsic value of

each site and help to determine development potential.

A matrix containing the value of existing development and proposed improvements against the

potential revenue of the site should be established to determine viability for each site selection. A

marketing study will complement this research, but will only show comparables. The word of

caution here is that since this product is new and the thinking is out of the box, there are no real

comparables.

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Panel 1 – Site Criteria Evaluation

TOD Catchment

Area

Major Crossroads

Arterial Connectors

ExistingOffice

Residential Retail

Services

To PublicTransit

Subject Site

Retrofit

Redesign

Visual assessments of the surrounding neighborhood should be done to establish the design

character and vernacular of the development. Studies should be done on structural integrity,

condition of the infrastructure and physical condition of the site and buildings. Zoning

requirements and land development restrictions should be discovered, and an initial discussion

with local permitting agencies should be conducted to determine hidden obstacles for re-

development to gauge acceptability of the concept. Haz-Mat discovery and abatement will be

explored during Due Diligence because of the construction timeline for most of this archetype.

A master vision plan should be established to respond to the findings of the criteria. Several

alternatives can be generated to show potential land use, and then budget estimates can be

formulated for each. Adjustments can be made for density to increase viability of each site. A

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concept level presentation should be prepared for semi-public consumption that is backed up by

the analysis and conclusions. This presentation can be used to show public officials and private

focus groups the ideas for the new Vest Pocket Village.

Recipe

For the purposes of this research, a subject property was chosen in a suburb of Atlanta. The

property supports 83,000 SF on approximately 8 Acres of land. There are two separate floating

buildings totaling 6000 SF of that, with two additional out-parcel building totaling 7200 SF.

The main recipe for retrofit is to blow out the massive sea of parking and infuse the site with

high density residential units. The largest anchor space will be reused as covered parking that can

be timeshare leased to the residents and patrons alike. The remaining leasable spaces will be

retrofitted to house smaller boutique shops and services. The floating small box buildings will be

demolished and the out-parcel buildings brought back into the equation as different uses. Major

landscape and architectural renovations will green up the site and create exciting pedestrian

spaces for potential users. Green conversions of infrastructure and building envelopes would be

undertaken. Determining the extent of the commitment to obtain LEED certification is important

in demonstrating these values.

With this typical strip mall containing around 83,000 SF of leasable space (not including out

parcels) and the retrofit of the anchor space of 20,000 SQ lost to covered parking conversion,

there is a gross loss of 25% of the leasable space. With the loss of half of the out parcel space,

the total net loss of leasable space to retrofit is climbs to 30%.

The idea now is to reintroduce new leasable space that can be more neighborhood-oriented and

draw one third more rental value. These will be shops and service providers that meet the needs

of the new residential units as well as serve the existing adjacent residential roof tops and office

spaces. The New Urbanist concept of live-work-play will be employed here. The tenants would

be requested to give local residents preferred service and price breaks. Most important is the idea

that these tenants not be national chains so as to promote locally owned / locally operated

purveyors of goods and services.

The following is a recipe for the tenant spaces:

1. Urban Grocer – Beginning with the anchor tenant, this boutique store will occupy the

largest remaining space of 12,000 SF. The concept will revolve around locally grown,

slow foods featuring organic and whole foods products. The ideal scenario would be local

Mom and Pop tenants. This space should include a butcher, baker and small pharmacy –

even a soda fountain. It should be open 24 hours to provide convenience. Grocers are

ideal to provide as many products and services due to the fact that they can house many

uses and provide many products under the grocery label with the least amount of

regulation.

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2. Dry Cleaner/Alterations Center – This would be a full service on-site center with

environmentally sound waste and recycling measures taken for sustainable development.

Drive through will exist, but walk-up business is encouraged.

3. Business Center – This would be an exception to the national brand rule in that a FedEx

or UPS mail center would connect to the world. The center should also house an

expansive reprographics and communications center to service SOHO patrons. The

tenant would provide Multi-Media meeting space and virtual office services for lease to

tenants and adjacent walk-up residential neighborhoods.

4. Coffee House – This would be placed adjacent and connected to the business center and

provide Wi-Fi services and causal meeting areas. The coffee house should offer light

food fare for breakfast, lunch and late night snacking.

5. Community Center – This space can be leased to different entities for cultural and

learning sessions. It should be a general purpose gathering space,

6. Child Care Center – A small day care facility is a major part of the recipe because of the

demographic of the suburbs. This will be especially convenient to SOHO workers and

families in adjacent neighborhoods for walk-up drop off.

7. Health/Wellness/Medical Center – This space could be occupied by a PA or NP, seeing

patients with colds and sniffles. It could provide flu shots and health testing for

surrounding residents. The wellness part can offer Yoga, Massage and other preventative

services. A localized Doc-in-a-Box with some adjustments and additions to the services

is the root of this idea.

8. Anchor Tennant – The out-parcel buildings could house a larger, well branded restaurant

tenant due to the higher visibility and accessibility. Ideally though, a localized chain that

will bring local recognition to the Village. In Atlanta, there are several localized brands

that would fit here including restaurants that specialize in Ethnic and Organic food fare.

The idea here is a restaurant that can evolve from breakfast through lunch and dinner,

into a late night gathering place.

9. Alternate Transit Center – This use will occupy another out-parcel building that has the

best access to and from the major arterial street exposure. The building itself will be

retrofitted to house transit customers and the site will be altered to maximize parking and

accommodate buses and shuttle vans to take passengers to and from mass transit. Park

and ride services will be available with leasable auto spaces. This area will also house

smart car services for recharging and storage. The facility will cater to both Kiss and Ride

and walk up patrons. Transportation can be a combination of public and private entities.

10. On Site Management / Concierge – The idea is to provide an on-site management center.

Services will include time-shared leased parking, concierge and property management for

the tenants and residents. The management staff will serve as marketing and activities

coordinator. The service will be funded by a combined regime payment of HOA and

Retail fees, as well as generating funds through special events and activities like street

markets and vendors.

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Panel 2 – Recipe Plan

The Retrofit

Urban Grocer

Dry Cleaner

Residential Units

Business Center

Coffee House

Transit Hub

Community Ctr

Wellness Center

Childcare

Anchor Tenant

Management/ Concierge

Outdoor Space

Connections

Rationale

Short of running a full economic feasibility study or specific Performa for each site, this study

will float a hypothesis for the profitability of this development scenario. The idea is that the end

result will be more economical and profitable than redevelopment of these Strip Malls in the

same fashion as status quo, or the infamous “Lipstick on a Pig” approach.

There has always been a theory in the design industry as to what is the best way to convert a

developer into an environmentalist. The answer is to show them how they can make money by

doing so. An extension of this is the rationale that promotes eco-friendly design and construction

while offering long term profits. The rationale behind this conversion is as follows:

1. Provide Investor Units for Rental – Attract investors by providing ground floor

opportunities in the rental market. Offer packages for apartment and condo units and

provide lease back programs managed by the on-site management company. While

offering entrepreneurial incentive, you are participating in suburban densification.

2. Incentivize Local Leasing – By offering subsides for leasing and incentives for residents,

there is a movement towards sustainability. This will create local entrepreneurship. Much

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is to be said of buying locally at this point in our American economy. Especially popular

in the food industry, it reduces the carbon footprint for the delivery of goods and services.

3. Reduced CAP costs – By starting with an improved site, re-development cost savings will

be realized through the use of existing infrastructure, traffic controlled access points,

building shells, and other off-site improvements that are in place. Zoning issues can be

approached using Brownfield re-development. Further, the infusion of sustainable and

low impact development techniques will greatly improve acceptability of this project in

the planning agencies, zoning boards and local opinion.

4. Reduced Operating Costs - By providing many LEED techniques in the re-development

scenario for these sites, long term operating expenses will be reduced. Water collection,

solar panels and green roofs will add to the sustainability of this project. Increased urban

forest and open space will reduce heat gain on the site. The introduction of mass transit

will show a commitment to the environment and greatly reduced parking requirements.

5. Outdoor Leasable Space – There are ample opportunities for capturing outdoor leasable

spaces within the new site plan. All Strip Malls are one sided, leaving the off street

frontage to service and storage activities. These areas usually front a small urban forest,

or at least a buffer zone, even sometimes supporting a stream. These areas can be utilized

by opening pass-throughs from the street fronts and opening shops up to outdoor patios

and street scenes. Street vendors add leasable space that enjoyable and profitable.

6. Capture Walk-Up Services – By opening up access points to adjacent homes, offices and

businesses the site can expand patronage. In turn, off site businesses that offer goods and

services can benefit as well. The subject site is adjacent to an auto service center, and a

car detailing center. There is a symbiotic relationship that begins to emerge when you

think of multi-taking your daily commute to work. Local permitting agencies will see the

benefits in reduction of day trips for vehicles from this scenario.

7. Alternate Transit Hub – Alternate transportation is one of the main themes of this

development. It is at the essence of the choice to live in the suburbs and work in the city

center. By offering shuttle and public bus service hubs, the impact goes far beyond to

help reduce day trips for the region. The idea of thinking globally and acting locally

comes into play. Trip reduction measures for a development draws regional attention.

Process

Paradigm

There is a scientific logic called the Island Biogeographic Theory which holds that an animal or

human is most likely to move into the largest, closet area that can fulfill all of their needs. In

suburbia, people have mapped out a territory that fulfills their needs for everyday life and for

long term development of their personal, professional and social egos. The problem is that the

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suburban landscape, we have evolved in an opportunistic way without regard to the patterns of

people’s lifestyles. The Island expands as the person branches farther out to fulfill their needs.

The result is more suburban sprawl.

Under the current paradigm, once an anchor store is landed in a new center, other ancillary uses

will follow to draw from the traffic. They become dependent on the anchor to exist. When the

anchor ceases to exist, the ancillary shops fold as a consequence. By introducing a residential

core to the equation and tailoring the retail users to the respond to this core, a strong paradigm

emerges for sustainability. A nucleus of goods and services is created for the residential core.

The synergy generated by this nucleus will strengthen and influence the commerce around the

site and into surrounding neighborhoods.

The result is a drastic reduction in the size of the Island as more of the needs are met within

walking distance. With the introduction of mass transit links, there is also a reduction in single

commute rates and more options for getting to and from the workplace.

The Vest Pocket Village concept brings the best planning practices of New Urbanism to the

suburban landscape. But, there is an additional paradigm shift in that this concept requires a long

term commitment from the developer verses a short term commitment with exit strategy. This

process will require a continuum of management from design to occupancy and beyond. This

will require a long term commitment.

Prototype

It is important that the intentions for the property remain proprietary in order to gain the best

advantage for the purchase. But since communication with public agencies and private citizens

are necessary as part of this process, an option should be placed on the property in order to

solidify the Performa. After that, the following steps should be taken to advance the program:

1. A plan of Due Diligence should be mapped out to include in depth inventory, research

and analysis of the property, and then a more detailed site plan for redesign should be

created to respond to the findings. Every site will be different, but the recipe for the land

uses is consistently applied to the design response.

2. A cost analysis should be done to determine the feasibility of the site, to include a

detailed construction budget which responds to the plan. A Performa will determine the

economic feasibility for the program and will be necessary in pursuit of funding.

3. Assemblage of a design and technical team will include Architects, Site Civil/MEP

Engineers, Environmental Consultant, LEED AP Administrator, Interior and Space

Designers, Landscape Architects, Urban Planners, Market Analysts, Real Estate Agents,

Property Managers.

4. Preliminary consult with effected agencies should be scheduled. Begin on a regional level

where applicable and work down toward the local planning authority. Discussion with the

regional transportation authority is necessary to gauge bus and shuttle service. More than

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likely, a new performance based zoning code will have to be written and walked through

the local council to provide a vehicle for this new mixed use development.

5. Conduct an onsite charrette with adjacent residential and retail focal groups and planning

agency to determine the acceptability for this project. The vision plan should be prepared

in advance and presented as a point of departure. Illustrations showing the spirit and

intent of the design are invaluable. There will be opposition to the connectivity of the

neighborhood to the retail site, so this is a good forum to hash out differences and to gain

trust for this development.

Once these preliminary steps are accomplished, the project can move into the design,

development and construction phases are part of a more typical sequence. But, this program is

based on a single prototypical site and outcome. The potential of this concept of more far

reaching than just one site, so the idea is to expand the concept based on findings of the

prototypical site.

Panel 3 – Prototype Site

Subject Site

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Potential

The idea of ultimately franchising this concept is the end result of this footwork. As projects are

completed, lessons can be learned and applied to the next to streamline the process at each turn.

This scenario can be repeated throughout the suburban landscapes of America using the same

recipe but adapting to the local vernacular of a given region and micro-culture.

The need for smart growth planning and design ideas will continue to rise as communities look

towards the future. Strip Malls will not be coming back into vogue and will continue to

deteriorate. Offering an alternative to bulldozing each site will have merit. A highly specialized

team of design, development and construction professionals with quick strike, quick response

capabilities would be invaluable to real estate developers and entrepreneurs. A project team

could be pre-assembled for onsite response to a given client. Hired for a week long charrette, this

team could create a presentation package with cost analysis for the client or a prospective buyer.

A parent company for Vest Pocket Village could then move the development forward with the

backing of specialized design and marketing teams to direct and train the client with the tools

necessary to succeed in the development and management of the property.

Panel 4 – Vision Plan

Transit Hub

Pedestrian Connections

High Density Residential

New Anchor

Park

Stacked Residential

New Shops

Public Space