Ground Floor Retail & Commerce POLICIES, GUIDELINES AND ACTION PLAN Draft – September 2014 ARLINGTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT A Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iii Purpose ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Background ................................................................................................................................................... 3 What is retail? ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Why is retail important? ........................................................................................................................... 5 How is urban retail different? ................................................................................................................... 5 Declarative Statements for Successful Retail ............................................................................................... 7 Action Plan .................................................................................................................................................... 9 Retail evolves and changes. Retail reflects the trends. ............................................................................. 17 Influence of technology in retail ............................................................................................................. 17 Experience-based retail .......................................................................................................................... 18 Evolving store size and design ................................................................................................................ 18 Third places ............................................................................................................................................. 19 Pop-up retail ........................................................................................................................................... 19 Retail is a mix of national, regional and local independent retailers. ........................................................ 20 Retail development in Arlington ............................................................................................................. 20 Regional shopping centers ...................................................................................................................... 20 Ownership patterns & categories of commerce ..................................................................................... 23 Comparison to region and nation ........................................................................................................... 24 Retailer economics .................................................................................................................................. 26 Assistance to small businesses and retailers .......................................................................................... 27 Retail needs consumers. ............................................................................................................................. 29 Consumer demand .................................................................................................................................. 29 Arlington’s demand ................................................................................................................................. 29 Trade areas ............................................................................................................................................. 31 Range of services and amenities draw consumers ................................................................................. 32 Activities draw consumers ...................................................................................................................... 33 Retail needs to look like retail. .................................................................................................................... 35 Inside ....................................................................................................................................................... 35 Outside .................................................................................................................................................... 36 Retail thrives in well-designed & well-managed streetscapes and public spaces. ..................................... 39 Outdoor cafes ......................................................................................................................................... 40 Vending ................................................................................................................................................... 41 Ground Floor Retail & Commerce i DRAFT September 2014 Retail must be accessible. ........................................................................................................................... 42 Retail likes to cluster. .................................................................................................................................. 44 Retail clusters and anchors ..................................................................................................................... 44 Street typology ........................................................................................................................................ 44 Interim uses ............................................................................................................................................ 46 Implementation Maps ................................................................................................................................ 47 Major Planning Corridors – Rosslyn – Ballston ................................................................................... 48 Major Planning Corridors – Jefferson Davis ........................................................................................ 62 Major Planning Corridors – Columbia Pike ......................................................................................... 66 Columbia Pike ..................................................................................................................................... 66 Planning Areas .................................................................................................................................... 68 Commercial streets/neighborhood nodes .......................................................................................... 70 Lee Highway ........................................................................................................................................ 70 Appendix ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 Existing Policies ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Categorized Uses ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Uses per Mapping Categories ................................................................................................................... 7 Ground Floor Retail & Commerce ii DRAFT September 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Arlington County Board Jay Fisette, Chair Mary Hughes Hynes, Vice-Chair Libby Garvey Walter Tejada John Vihstadt Arlington County Commissions Members of the Economic Development Commission and its Retail Task Force In particular: Robert Bushkoff, Michael Foster, Pamela Gillen, and Suzette Timme Members of the Arlington County Planning Commission and its Long Range Planning Committee County Manager’s Office Barbara Donnellan, County Manager Gabriela Acurio, Assistant County Manager County Departments Arlington Economic Development, Real Estate Development Group Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, Planning Division Department of Environmental Services, Division of Transportation and Development Department of Park and Recreation, Park Development Division Ground Floor Retail & Commerce iii DRAFT September 2014 PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK Ground Floor Retail & Commerce iv DRAFT September 2014 PURPOSE Since the adoption of the Rosslyn – Ballston Corridor Retail Action Plan (“Retail Action Plan”) in 2001, Arlington has increased awareness and experience about retail to effectively refine its policies on retail and ground floor uses. Ground Floor Retail & Commerce: Policies, Guidelines and Action Plan (“Ground Floor Retail & Commerce”) builds upon this experience. Ground Floor Retail & Commerce provides a snapshot of Arlington’s retail and service environment. It is not a prescriptive vision nor is it a market analysis for specific retail and service needs within Arlington or the viability of specific retail, service and other ground floor uses. Ground Floor Retail & Commerce provides additional clarity for uses within the ground floors of building and within the public realm. Due to the changing dynamic of retail and other ground floor uses, Ground Floor Retail & Commerce is intended to have a ten-year horizon. Ground