Urban Planning gone wrong

[m00n.livejournal.com]

While we are on the topic of community development, does anyone have an explanation for there now being a third convenience store in Teele Square within view of the other two?



Beyond the fact that I don't feel like these stores contribute much (if anything) to the community, I'm kind of wondering how it is that this neighborhood can even support three of them (four if you count the Indian market down the street that sells pretty much all the same stuff).

I don't mean to be such a community troll about these things, but I live in that neighborhood and it is starting to get a little depressing...

Comments

[m00n.livejournal.com]

That's debatable. At least with an empty shop front there is some motivation for the landlord to lower the rent until someone decides to move in. I think it would be to everyone's benefit if the commercial development could do something more for the neighborhood than just paying the rent and taking up space.

[mderidder.livejournal.com]

Perhaps the landlord has lowered the rent so that this person can afford to open a convenience store. As Ron said, if there really isn't demand to support all the stores, then some will fail.

Or are you suggesting that the city (or someone) give approval to every business before it opens?

[m00n.livejournal.com]

It's more like I am suspicious that free market forces are really what is at work here since I find it hard to believe that so many of the same kind of business built so close together really could be surviving if they are paying market rate rent and paying their employees minimum wage, etc.

And some businesses definitely are required to get approval before they move in, and given that convenience stores are so unlikely to increase the overall appeal of a neighborhood (and seem to attract more than their fair share of loitering) I do think at least *some* kind of discussion before one is opened up might not be such a bad idea.

[ron_newman]

Usually when a business requires approval to move in to a pre-existing retail space , it's because it requires more parking than its predecessor (e.g. a restaurant replacing a hardware store), or it needs a liquor license, or it's expanding the square footage of retail. But for the most part, the city can't and doesn't control the normal turnover of commercially-zoned space from one tenant or owner to another.