TO: Mayor & City Council Planning Commission VIA: Tanisha Briley, City Manager FROM: Laura Mehfoud, Long Range Planner RE: Results of Lakeforest Mall Online Survey DATE: November 18, 2020 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Staff, as part of a larger public engagement strategy related to the Lakeforest Mall Master Plan effort, developed and sought responses to a comprehensive online survey consisting of 19 questions. This memo provides analysis of the responses received. The following highlights the primary findings: • A majority of respondents would like to see a well-integrated mix of uses in a Lakeforest redevelopment, with entertainment, retail and restaurants among the most common desired uses. However, the majority of question respondents preferred neighborhood-scale commercial and office uses as opposed larger destination commercial and office uses. • Warehouse, religious, office and R&D were among the most undesirable uses in a Lakeforest redevelopment. • While some respondents expressed a desire to have little to no housing in a Lakeforest redevelopment, responses to questions addressing housing indicated a preference for a mix of denser housing types as opposed to single-family detached or attached (duplex), and a desire to provide an equal balance of housing for young professionals, families with children, and older adults. • Survey respondents preferred to see pocket parks, plazas and open, unprogrammed green space on site. • Survey respondents preferred a more connected, grid-like street pattern and would like see to see personal cars and walking prioritized over other transportation modes. Transit was also valued by those 30 and under. • “Environmentally friendly site design,” “Access to park space for all age and ability levels,” and “Equitable access to necessary goods, services and amenities for all residents” were highly valued equity and sustainability issues among survey participants. 1 BACKGROUND The Lakeforest Mall online survey consisted of 19 questions addressing a variety of topics including desired land uses, amenities and transportation. The survey was open for 32 days, closing on November 6, 2020 at 12 pm. There were a total of 3,463 respondents to the survey. Staff notes that not all respondents answered every question; this number includes all survey respondents who answered at least one question. The last two questions on the survey asked respondents their age and their relationship to the mall. Of those who answered the age question, 2% were under 18, 18% were 18-30, 42% were 31-50, and 38% were 51 and older. When asked their relationship to the mall, 32% responded that they lived near the mall (within ½ mile). Any differences in responses among different age groups and among those who live near the mall are noted in the discussion of question responses below; however, staff notes the small number of respondents under 18 could potentially skew results for that age group. The survey platform also provided location data based on IP address of the respondent. A snapshot of this information is displayed below. Staff notes that location data based on IP address is not exact; the map is meant to give a general idea of the location of the majority of respondents. The majority of respondents were located in the surrounding area as seen below, although there were respondents from across the entire United States. 2 SURVEY QUESTION RESULTS Question 1: What three words best describe your vision for the Lakeforest Mall area in the year 2040? Responses received for this question are included in appendix A. The above word cloud highlights some of the most common responses, with larger words more commonly used by respondents. Staff notes the word cloud is not exact, and some editing had to be done to link words together in phrases (such as “town center”) and delete irrelevant but commonly used words (such as “include” and “Lakeforest”). 3 Question 2: What amenities would attract you to Lakeforest? Select all that apply. Question 2 More bus and Other, 3% transit options, 4% Community center, 7% Walkable shops and restaurants, 27% Civic uses, 8% Improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities, 12% Experiential uses and spaces, 22% Parks and open spaces, 17% The pie chart above shows percentage of total responses. Total responses includes all selections made, and differs from the number of respondents as respondents could make multiple selections. The most popular responses to this question were: • “Walkable shops and restaurants,” 27% of total responses • “Experiential uses and spaces,” 22% of total responses, and • “Parks and open spaces,” 17% of total responses. Of the total respondents to this question: • 82% chose “Walkable shops and restaurants” as one of their selections, • 67% chose “Experiential uses and spaces” as one of their selections, and • 54% chose “Parks and open spaces” as one of their selections. Respondents could also select “Other” and write in their own response. These responses are included in appendix B. Some common responses included a performance venue and other retail and entertainment uses. 4 Question 3: What types of businesses or non-residential land uses are most needed in a new Lakeforest development? Select and rank up to 5 options. Question 3 Top 10 Responses Entertainment All other uses Uses 18% 17% Private education uses 2% Public/institutional use 4% Restaurants 15% Personal service business 5% Grocery store 5% Big-box/chain Boutique/specialty stores shops 12% 6% Community service Integrated light and support uses manufacturing 6% 10% The pie chart above shows percentage of total responses for the 10 most common responses to this question. The most popular responses to this question were: • “Entertainment uses,” 17% of total responses, • “Restaurants,” 15% of total responses, and • “Boutique/specialty shops,” 12% of total responses. Of the total respondents to this question: • 69% chose “Entertainment uses” as one of their top five selections, • 60% chose “Restaurants” as one of their top five selections, and • 48% chose “Boutique/specialty shops” as one of their top five selections. These were the most popular responses among all age groups except for those under 18 where “Big-box/chain stores” was the third most popular response. 5 Question 3 Responses in Order of Average Rank Average Use Rank Entertainment Uses 2.18 Big-box/chain stores 2.49 Restaurants 2.59 Boutique/specialty shops 2.62 Community service and support uses 2.68 Banks 2.74 Public/institutional use 2.77 Child care 2.78 Integrated light manufacturing 2.87 Corporate headquarters 2.92 Grocery store 3.09 Health clinic 3.15 Medical office 3.2 Convenience store 3.25 Other 3.27 Religious facilities 3.31 Pharmacy/drugstore 3.32 Private education uses 3.39 R&D/lab space 3.39 Hotel 3.42 Self-storage/warehouse 3.53 Professional office 3.55 Personal service business 3.72 This question also asked respondents to rank their top five selections. The above table shows all options in order of average rank; a lower number indicates a higher rank. “Entertainment uses” was not only the most popular response, but also the highest ranking response. “Big-box/chain stores”, while only selected by 24% of question respondents, did rank highly among those who selected it. 6 Question 4: What types of businesses or non-residential land uses would not be appropriate in a new Lakeforest development? Select up to 5 options. Question 4 Top 10 Responses Self-storage/warehouse 15% All other uses 23% Religious facilities 12% Public/institutional use 4% Convenience store 4% R&D/lab space Medical office 9% 4% Professional office 5% Corporate headquarters Hotel Big-box/chain 8% 8% stores 8% The pie chart above shows percentage of total responses for the 10 most common responses to this question. The most popular responses to this question were: • “Self-storage/warehouse,” 15% of total responses, • “Religious facilities,” 12% of total responses, and • “R&D/lab space,” 9% of total responses. Of the total respondents to this question: • 65% chose “Self-storage/warehouse,” as one of their selections, • 49% chose “Religious facilities,” as one of their selections, and • 36% chose “R&D/lab space” as one of their selections. There were some differences among age groups, including the following: • “Big-box/chain stores” was the third most popular response among those 51 and older, • “Corporate headquarters (office)” was the third most popular response among those 18-30 and 31-50, and 7 • “Hotel” was the second most popular response among those under 18. Respondents could also select “Other” and write in their own response. These responses are included in appendix C. One common response received to “Other” was housing/residential uses. Question 5: A recent visioning exercise conducted by the City indicated the need for more, denser housing types to support projected growth. Lakeforest redevelopment presents an opportunity to provide for needed housing. Should residential development at Lakeforest aim to attract more families with children, more singles and young professionals, or more older adults and empty- nesters? Families with Question 5 children 19% Equal balance between all 48% Singles and/or young professionals (households without children) 25% Older adults and empty-nesters 8% The pie chart above shows the percentage of question respondents who selected each option. Nearly half (48%) of this question’s respondents would prefer to see an equal balance between housing for all groups described. This was the most popular response among all age groups except for those aged 18-30 where the most popular response was “Singles and/or young professionals.” 8 Question 6: What types of open space would you like to see in a future Lakeforest development? Please select up to three. Question 6 Large civic green Residential 7% outdoor space 7% Pocket Parks 26% Dog park 7% Active park with playing fields 8% Playgrounds 10% Open, Plazas unprogrammed 24% green space 11% The pie chart above shows percentage of total responses.