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<br />Goodbye Main Street? <br /> <br />By Jeff Hirt and Joe Sellars <br /> <br />After decades of losing ground to suburban big box stores and chain restaurants, <br />America's main streets are once again a major focus of development activity. <br /> <br /> <br />Thanks to new urbanism and smart growth <br />and other infill polfcies that redirect develop- <br />ment inward, these areas are witnessing a <br />resurgence in mixed use and commercial <br />development. With this renewed interest in <br />downtowns and central business districts, <br />however, comes the issue of how to create <br />and maintai~ a healthy mix of uses, including <br />locally owned and locally serving businesses. <br />Increasingly, communities are seeing an over- <br />concentration of high'end uses (e.g., art gal- <br />leries, boutiques, and expensive restaurants) <br />and chain store businesses that can erode the <br />qualities and ambiance that make downtowns <br />unique and attractive. <br />Local govemm.ents are beginning to use <br />zoning regulations as a powerful tool to create <br /> <br />62 <br /> <br />a balanced mix ofland uses.downtown and in <br />business distric~s. In doing so, they are cor- <br />rectly recognizing a vital component of creat- <br />ing and maintaining a vibrant and sustainabl.e <br />downtown. <br />Using zoningtoJegulate uses is nothing <br />new, but there are some creative strategies.. <br />emerging to address the thornier issue of how <br />to achieve the appropriate mix of uses. After <br />all, attractive downtowns and business dis- <br />tricts are a source of identity that distin- <br />guishes one community fror:n another. This <br />source of identity comes frorn not only the his- <br />tory, architecture, and the built environment <br />generally, but also the businesses located <br />there. One of the most significant features of <br />vibrant downtowns and central business dis- <br /> <br />tricts is diversity, or a robust mix of land uses, <br />whether local, national, small, or large. In <br />many cases, the businesses contributing to <br />an ideal mix are the smaller, locally serving, <br />and locally owned businesses. Local govern- <br />ments. around the country are recognizing this <br />fact and taking creative steps to protect these <br />businesses through zoning regulations. <br />This issue of Zoning Practice reports on <br />some innovative strategies being employed <br />effectively in a diverse array of communities <br />to create a healthy mix of uses from both eco- <br />nomic and aesthetic standpoints. This issue <br />also discusses potential zoning approaches to <br />providing affordable commercial space, <br />another component of creating and sustaining <br />a balanced mix of uses. <br />Specifically, this issue discusses: <br />. zoning strategies to preserve and protect <br />desirable uses downtown and in central busi- <br />ness districts (often locally serving and locally <br />owned uses); <br />. potential strategies to provide affordable <br />commercial space for desirable businesses <br />that may not be ~ble to afford locating down- <br />town or in central business districts; and <br />. legal implications and challenges of these <br />strategies. <br /> <br />FROM UNIQUE TO HOMOGENIZED <br />Many downtowns and business districts are <br />beginning to lose their diversity and the <br />availability of affordable commercial space <br />to chain retail/restaurants and high-volume <br />or high-end users that can pay higher rents. <br />They are also being elbowed out by upscale <br />residential development. Stacy Mitchell, <br />author of Hometown Advantage: How to <br />Defend Your Main Street Against Chain <br /> <br />ZONING PRACTICE 10.Q1 <br />AMERICAN PlANNING ASSOCIATION I page 2 <br />