New Urbanism dealt a blow at grocery store in LA

The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) was hoping for better news in December when the Los Angeles City Council voted to approve an exemption to a pedestrian-friendly district plan and allow development of a Fresh & Easy grocery store with a large surface parking lot.

Local community groups opposed the plan, but it is important to point out that opposition was not to a grocery store or even Fresh & Easy, but to the store design, with its 160-by-250-foot surface parking lot facing the street, directly conflicting with the Specific Plan adopted in 2004 for its section of Crenshaw Boulevard. The Specific Plan encourages pedestrian-oriented development, and the city council exceptions to the plan include allowing a surface parking lot not located behind the building, as well as oversized signage and fewer windows than otherwise would be required.

In defense of the city council and Fresh & Easy, the site for the proposed store is not very deep, making parking behind the building difficult. The City Council action calls into question an all-too-common issue in planning – why create a special plan or pedestrian overlay district if it will be null and void when the first proposed development comes along?

There is a growing body of urban format grocery store examples across the United States and Canada, and any city and neighborhood group serious about good urban design can find an alternative. Fresh & Easy is, in fact, working with progressive Bay Area developer Holliday Development to develop a store in a mixed-use building with housing above in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco. That store will be located at a station of the 3rd Street light rail line. A New Seasons grocery store in Portland,

Oregon places parking on the roof, and actually has more bicycle parking than automobile parking spaces. Safeway has several mixed-use examples, including some in Washington, DC. The Copps grocery store in Middleton Hills near Madison, Wisconsin, maintains a typical parking lot but includes a Main Street pedestrian entrance and a row of liner offices and apartments. (Designed by DPZ and Gibbs Planning, this design will be featured as part of the tour of Middleton Hills at CNU 19 in June.)

CNU continues to be a significant reference for urban planning, design, and development solutions that are attractive and practical in the marketplace. Looking ahead, this year and beyond will bring a lot of churn in the grocery store industry, but also significant opportunities for CNU members to design good urban format stores.

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