Planning & Development Solutions
Revitalizing New England's Strip Development
New England consists mainly of a vast network of small rural towns connected by a
web of two-lane state highways and back roads - a dispersed settlement pattern
rooted deeply in an agricultural heritage. Historically, a town's civic, cultural, and
economic activities were concentrated in village centers, which in some cases,
evolved into small downtown areas clustered around thriving factories and mills. It
was a stable and for the most part, prosperous arrangement.
With the decline of New England's textile industry along with rising energy and labor
costs in the 1960s and 1970s, New England's position as a major manufacturing
and industrial center was undercut. By the end of the twentieth century, New
England's once bustling downtowns were deteriorating.
During the past few decades, we have
made modest progress in stabilizing
our failing downtowns, and now face a
new challenge, the decline of the
commercial strip, one of the culprits
that helped contribute to the demise of
downtowns, that is now itself
threatened. It is imperative that we
look at restructuring the commercial
strip in order to help stabilize and
preserve the economic gains that
have been made.
The Emergence of the Strip
While it can be argued that the emergence of strip development lead to the demise of
downtowns, the root cause for the decline is a great deal more complicated. It takes
a profound shift in social, cultural, and economic factors to change prevailing
development patterns. This occurred following WWII, when the United States
experienced a period of unprecedented prosperity. Programs like the federal home
mortgage program and the development of the interstate highway system, helped
stimulate a mass exodus from cities to surrounding suburbs. Congress also created
massive subsidies for suburban commercial development by modifying the tax
code, allowing owners to depreciate new commercial buildings in seven years, in
place of the long-standing 40-year requirement. This coupled with cheap land prices
stimulated a frenzy of development in suburbia. Towns quickly adopted zoning
regulations, encouraging commercial development in a linear arrangement along
major transportation corridors, thus giving rise to the "strip," but ultimately harming
downtowns.
Winds of Change
Dominance of strip development began to erode in the late 1980s and 1990s with
the development of suburban malls that thrived on the interstate system. Malls were
able to accommodate nearly a hundred stores within a closed, climate-controlled
environment. Growing environmental concerns and a subtle shift in lifestyle
preferences have recently refocused attitudes toward suburban development.
People are moving back to the cities, with urban gentrification bringing new life and
economic vitality into exhausted city neighborhoods.
The Internet may be the biggest
change that alters the development
patterns of the 21st century. A recent
survey of online shoppers reported
that they now make 51% of their
purchases online, up from 48% in
2015. Amazon's e-commerce revenue
rose 15.8% in the last 12 months
alone, roughly the same as Walmart.
However, Amazon posted $82.7
billion in sales, compared with $12.5
billion for Walmart, and that chasm
keeps getting wider. Retail development, still a critical component of strip
development, is undergoing a profound changes.
Restructuring Versus Revitalizing
Revitalization efforts are slowly beginning to bring new life into many village centers
and historic downtowns. Well-built abandoned mills and storefronts provide a viable
framework to work with, which is not the case with the commercial strip.
The challenge may not be the revitalization of the strip, but its complete restructuring.
It will be up to local governments, property owners, and informed citizens to work
together to redefine the role of the commercial corridor within their communities.
The Challenges
One of the first challenges to address is the linear arrangement of the commercial
corridor. In many cases the corridor is relatively narrow, 200-400 feet in depth, with
parcels encompassing one to ten acres, limiting configuration of new buildings. In
order to break this mold, communities might consider adjacent land uses. This could
offer opportunities to widen or entirely reconfigure the commercial corridor.
The character and quality of the
building stock is the second
challenge. Very few strip buildings
inspire or stir nostalgic emotions,
and were not built to last. The vast
majority will need to come down,
significantly impacting
redevelopment costs.
Another challenge communities will
face is the connectivity between the
restructured strip and the rest of the community. Contemporary planning practices
place a premium on walkability and intermodal connections. Maintaining sidewalks,
bike trails, and shared-use paths connecting community social, civic, and
recreational spaces will be vital.
The most important challenge may be igniting community leadership and nurturing
effective partnerships between the local government, property owners, concerned
citizens, and local businesses. Preserving downtowns, along with restructuring our
strips, is key to saving New England's economic future.
Authored by ~ William P. Flynn
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The ADG Team
In addition to Stuart Arnett, Managing Partner, the ADG team includes:
William P. Flynn
Bill Parker
Matt Henry
Annette Zamarchi
ADG's mission is to provide solutions so that communities discover,
implement and realize their better future by using our skills in land use
planning, community and economic development, site planning and key
property redevelopment. We strive to be innovative, collegial and vested
partners with you, your community and your enterprises.
Give Stuart Arnett and the ADG team a call at 603-219-0043
or email [email protected].
ADG is a founding partner of the Better Future Alliance.