The average retail business has discovered consumers will pay more for an 'experience'. Even Walmart and the traditional suburban mall have figured that out. Walmart is renovating their stores as to follow the trend Target set several years ago; and the suburban mall is no more (1, 2). They now develop like the traditional downtown.
Yet, what hasn’t change? The parking lot. The most ridiculous development decision in the world, and it looks the same as it did twenty years ago. But retails swear by the design. Save money by buying cheaper facade, or installing low grade flooring. But the extra land for parking is a MUST. Not only do we need an abundance of asphalt, but we need to make it ugly; and completely unfriendly to not only the person, but the car. Let’s spend millions on a multi-laned, overly signed intersection to get people in the parking lot. But when they come in, we’ll throw them into complete chaos. Ensure a confusing situation that requires them to drive in front of the store, where the insecure pedestrians wonder across their path.
And ugly. We’ll fight local ordinances to ensure the entire place is under landscaped. Assuming the car reaches its space (after backing into an angled spot) they still have a change to do the pedestrian in on the walk to the door. Because, of course, the pedestrian will have to wander across the scorching hot asphalt in the same lanes their car had just meticulously maneuvered seconds ago.
Not to worry. These people will be confronted with faux wood and sleekly designed way-finding signs once in the store.
What gives? Why aren't stores concerned with the parking lot? Do they have so little faith in their clienteles’ skills at “finding” the parking lot? They would rather fight zoning boards so they can have a massive parking lot, huge setbacks, and large signs (because, obviously you can’t see the store from the highway if its hidden behind the parking lot). All so the parking lot is “easy to find”. Because that’s their excuse. The ONLY excuse for the parking lot concept.
Enter Government Street. An urban place trying so hard to be suburban. The majority of Government Street buildings are built on the property line (maybe a few feet to spare). So instead of worrying about streetside appeal, they turn this space (usually in the public right of way) into a shear genius of car-backing up, suicide attempts. Onto a state highway, with a maximum speed of forty miles an hour. Against (city) law itself. Now, any new business (which expands forty percent or more) can’t do this. But I can think of a lots of examples in the past two years where this hasn't happened. The new businesses should have been required to put their parking behind the store (or at least out of the right of way). Yet they don’t. They conform to the suburban mindset where they assume people NEED to park in front of their store.
And it doesn’t make sense. Government Street was an urban place upon conception, and current development should be encouraging circulation other than the automobile. If not, than the thousands of people locating within a block of Government Street would move to the suburbs. I moved here because I’m within walking distance of three grocery stores, countless bars, and restaurants. Yet every business orients their transportation method around the car, making my walk not only uncomfortable, but dangerous in watching for cars backing up over me. The parking situation at the College Drive Walmart is heaven compared to the parking situation on Government Street.
There is a doable solution, and it would be worth the effort and cost to increase the attractiveness of Government Street. Most the stores along Government Street can sacrifice the “front” portion of parking, with a better redesign of the space in the back/side portion. It would be an easy reconfiguration. The parking lot itself doesn't have to be 'pretty'. This coupled with better street parking relations on side streets (maybe some shared parking) and reduced trips because of walking, we can accomplish a more attractive street. It would be a small step, but it would begin giving people pride in their store fronts. Which is something Government Street needs. Bad. A lot of businesses have already done amazing jobs with improving their street side appeal. If more businesses did, it would increase commerce along the entire street.
And, for those people that still don’t feel safe walking, they can at least feel safe pulling out of their parking spot.