Downtown Redevelopment

TPA brings an extensive body of experience in downtown planning in a variety of communities. The examples discussed below represent a small sample of our national practice, in over 50 communities throughout the United States. There are certain common elements and themes that occur in these various downtowns and other types of commercial areas:

• there must be balance between economic and design perspectives: beautification in itself is rarely the solution to commercial district problems, although it is an important component in most redevelopment programs. We work closely with architects and urban designers to focus their efforts on improvements that will have maximum benefit.  Retailers need help to identify and regain market share: nearly all retailers are in a struggle for survival against category retailers and chain superstores. We address this challenge by working with the retail community to understand the numbers and translate sales potentials into a competitive retail strategy.

• the business improvement district is often the key to funding new public investment: with declining sources of public funding to support infrastructure improvements, marketing and other required investments, we use BID’s to develop consensus as well as to secure financial support for long-term implementation programs.

• parking, no longer the convenient excuse for a failing commercial district, is more likely to be one key to a successful redevelopment program: large vacant and underutilized spaces often facilitate a consolidation of parking that supports the retail and office environment. We identify opportunities to manage parking as a system that serves multiple needs and takes maximum advantage of available space.

• institutions and semi-public tenants may be the key to the reuse of old downtown structures and spaces: in many commercial districts, especially older downtowns, there is simply more space to expect than retail and office tenants can ever fully absorb. There may be much greater opportunity in new development and expansion associated with libraries, colleges and other institutional uses.

• water features, particularly old canals and industrial water systems, often serve as the focal points of new development: while most cities historically separated downtown development programs from the industrial waterfront, the future holds greater promise for the reuse of such waterfronts with mixed-use projects, often with tourist and recreational appeal.

• tourism is an increasingly important component of area-wide planning: the single most significant market that most communities fail to address effectively is the population of tourists and recreational travelers, often within a day-trip range. New retail and entertainment mixes are often needed to enhance an area for this market segment.

Our development projects often touch on and incorporate these themes and needs. The redevelopment of a strip retail area in Suitland, Maryland represents an opportunity to use public facilities, particularly a planned metro station, to leverage new public and private development. TPA identified specific properties and opportunities associated with opportunity sites on major roads. In White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, TPA’s redevelopment strategy included both infrastructure improvements and a retail attraction program along the Interstate 64 and Route 60 corridors. In Irving, Texas TPA identified the City’s commercial position in the context of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, and recommended a program of retail targeting and neighborhood housing redevelopment. In Hampton, Virginia, TPA addressed the balance between neighborhood retail centers and downtown redevelopment, and created a specific plan for redevelopment of a declining commercial street.

Specific Downtown Redevelopment Projects: