All things old are new again. A time-honored land use practice, mixed use, is making a comeback in cities across the country. Developments from Addison Circle near Dallas, Texas, to Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., as well as The Round in nearby Beaverton, Ore., are discovering that mixed use is a viable solution to an ever decreasing supply of buildable land. Locally, developers have become increasingly interested in the added profit potential provided by mixed use projects.
Mixed use, or the practice of allowing multiple land uses to coexist in a single development, has the potential to avoid many of the pitfalls of modern life, including the dreaded commute. The goal of mixed use developments is to bring housing, retail, commercial and office uses into close proximity within a pedestrian-friendly environment. Lucky residents could find themselves in the enviable position of avoiding a high-traffic commute, while enjoying increased physical activity. The luxury of found free time also awaits residents who trade an hour’s commute for a five-minute stroll.
There are two distinct forms of mixed use projects: horizontally integrated and vertically integrated. Horizontally integrated projects require more land since they typically incorporate several individual buildings within the project. An example of a horizontally integrated mixed use project could include a commercial building with retail on the ground floor and professional offices on the upper stories, surrounded by a mix of single family attached and single family detached homes. The various uses would be linked to each other by pedestrian paths, pocket parks and plaza spaces.
The European-influenced vertically integrated form of mixed use is finding more favor in urban areas where buildable land is scarce. Integrating uses vertically into a single multiple-story structure provides opportunities for extremely efficient land use resulting in higher profit potential. For example, the same land that might support 12 single-family homes could also support a five-story mixed use building providing 20,000 square feet of retail space plus 20,000 square feet of office space, as well as 40 luxury residential condominiums. From an economic standpoint, the revenue generated by the initial sale of 30 residential condominiums alone could potentially cover the development’s initial costs. This leaves the developer with a long-term revenue stream of rental income associated with the retail and office space. Examples of vertically integrated mixed use developments abound in the Portland and Vancouver area. Among them are: The Pearl District, McCormack Wharf, Riverwalk and Esther Short Park.
Whatever form mixed use developments take, they are usually marked by highly landscaped common areas, pocket parks, attractively designed streetscapes that invite pedestrian use and amphitheaters to encourage social interaction among residents and visitors. Transit hubs for public transportation are also a common and highly desirable, feature.
Daniel G. George, Licensed Architect, is the owner and managing principal at Planning Solutions Inc., a Vancouver-based architectural and land use planning design firm. He can be reached at 360-750-9000 or psi@planningsolutionsinc.com.
