A shopping center that bridges the car-pedestrian gap
ROBERT STEUTEVILLE JUN. 1, 2009
The Town of Davidson, about a half-hour drive north of downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, is trying to steer a middle course between accommodating today’s predominantly automobile-oriented suburban habits and introducing a more pedestrian-scale way of life like that of Davidson’s historic downtown. This pragmatic approach is evident in a shopping center called Davidson Commons, developed by Edens & Avant of Columbia, South Carolina.
The 9,800-person municipality required that buildings in the recently developed shopping center — part of a town “gateway” area near an Interstate 77 interchange —be two stories high. The town also insisted that stores along an edge of the shopping complex have two fronts — one facing the main parking lot, the other opening onto the sidewalk of a pedestrian-scale street. “It’s a hybrid New Urbanism,” says Planning Director Kris Krider.
The retail anchor of Davidson Commons is a 48,000 sq. ft. Harris Teeter supermarket which has offices in approximately a quarter of its second-floor area. A continuous mezzanine across its front connects the offices and helps give the building its two-story appearance. Actually, much of the interior behind the mezzanine consists of double-height store space.
The most challenging part of Davidson Commons involved mandating that another portion of the shopping center provide ground-floor entrances along an existing street as well as facing the parking lot. “There was a protracted battle with each tenant, because they came into the picture long after design review,” Krider says. A long-term plan calls for mixed-use, pedestrian-scale development on the other side of the street, creating a new main street core. Many retailers didn’t realize what was to be built there, so initially they resisted having street-side entrances for the stores.
To make the street-side entrance usable and attractive, the town requires those doors remain always unlocked during business houses. The town also pressed retailers to avoid positioning uninviting things (such as storage or lavatories) in the interior near the doors. “The point of sale was the key,” Krider says. Check-out areas and host stations have been positioned where they’re convenient for customers using the street entrances.
Davidson Commons also includes a small park, which may eventually become a site for housing or shallow live/work units. The housing would hide the blank side of a shopping center building. A former warehouse and its offices have been redeveloped into a 690-student charter public school, which Krider says “has been a real asset for retailers and the supermarket.” A one-acre public common will be created nearby. Little Diversified Architectural Consulting assembled the charrette team that produced the urban design for the project.
A major road through the area — Griffith Street — has been equipped with two modern roundabouts to handle traffic more safely and efficiently. The overall goal is to give the town, which is home to Davidson College, a gateway area with a walkable and welcoming atmosphere, one that will not be overwhelmed by the vehicular traffic going to and from I-77.
Krider, who joined the town more than five years ago after working for ROMA Design Group and earlier studying under Daniel Solomon at the University of California-Berkeley, says the town’s zoning ordinance “is based on new urbanist principles” even though it was written in 2000, before many municipalities started adopting form-based codes. Each subdivision built in recent years contains pockets of differing housing types, because the town requires a variety of lot sizes. Subdivisions must connect to neighboring areas “on all four sides,” Krider points out. “We don’t allow cul-de-sacs, except where steep slopes would necessitate mass grading.” Narrow streets are required, and accessory housing units are encouraged.
“The planners and politicians have been on the same page for 20 years,” he observes. “It’s really about the level of trust in the leadership that permeates the community.”
The 9,800-person municipality required that buildings in the recently developed shopping center — part of a town “gateway” area near an Interstate 77 interchange —be two stories high. The town also insisted that stores along an edge of the shopping complex have two fronts — one facing the main parking lot, the other opening onto the sidewalk of a pedestrian-scale street. “It’s a hybrid New Urbanism,” says Planning Director Kris Krider.
The retail anchor of Davidson Commons is a 48,000 sq. ft. Harris Teeter supermarket which has offices in approximately a quarter of its second-floor area. A continuous mezzanine across its front connects the offices and helps give the building its two-story appearance. Actually, much of the interior behind the mezzanine consists of double-height store space.
The most challenging part of Davidson Commons involved mandating that another portion of the shopping center provide ground-floor entrances along an existing street as well as facing the parking lot. “There was a protracted battle with each tenant, because they came into the picture long after design review,” Krider says. A long-term plan calls for mixed-use, pedestrian-scale development on the other side of the street, creating a new main street core. Many retailers didn’t realize what was to be built there, so initially they resisted having street-side entrances for the stores.
To make the street-side entrance usable and attractive, the town requires those doors remain always unlocked during business houses. The town also pressed retailers to avoid positioning uninviting things (such as storage or lavatories) in the interior near the doors. “The point of sale was the key,” Krider says. Check-out areas and host stations have been positioned where they’re convenient for customers using the street entrances.
Davidson Commons also includes a small park, which may eventually become a site for housing or shallow live/work units. The housing would hide the blank side of a shopping center building. A former warehouse and its offices have been redeveloped into a 690-student charter public school, which Krider says “has been a real asset for retailers and the supermarket.” A one-acre public common will be created nearby. Little Diversified Architectural Consulting assembled the charrette team that produced the urban design for the project.
A major road through the area — Griffith Street — has been equipped with two modern roundabouts to handle traffic more safely and efficiently. The overall goal is to give the town, which is home to Davidson College, a gateway area with a walkable and welcoming atmosphere, one that will not be overwhelmed by the vehicular traffic going to and from I-77.
Krider, who joined the town more than five years ago after working for ROMA Design Group and earlier studying under Daniel Solomon at the University of California-Berkeley, says the town’s zoning ordinance “is based on new urbanist principles” even though it was written in 2000, before many municipalities started adopting form-based codes. Each subdivision built in recent years contains pockets of differing housing types, because the town requires a variety of lot sizes. Subdivisions must connect to neighboring areas “on all four sides,” Krider points out. “We don’t allow cul-de-sacs, except where steep slopes would necessitate mass grading.” Narrow streets are required, and accessory housing units are encouraged.
“The planners and politicians have been on the same page for 20 years,” he observes. “It’s really about the level of trust in the leadership that permeates the community.”
