Laserfiche WebLink
Merchandise and Lease <br />Proactively <br />Bellevue, Washington. <br />etailers are the soul of the neighborhood commercial street, so getting the <br />right tenant mix and quality will give the street its unique character as <br />well as the diversity of product offerings it needs to compete successfully with <br />more established retail. destinations. To achieve this mix, a neighborhood com- <br />mercial street must be managed and operated like a shopping center —but rec- <br />ognize that having multiple landowners and operating in the public realm enor- <br />mously complicate these tasks. <br />Finding tenants that meet all of these criteria is tough, especially in the early <br />years of rebuilding when a critical mass of retailers is often absent and the en- <br />vironmental and social conditions along the street may not yet be optimal to <br />achieve high sales levels. Complicating this task is the fact that the city cannot <br />rely individually on Landlords along neighborhood shopping streets to recruit <br />appropriate high -quality tenants, since they are inclined —understandably —to <br />lease their spaces to whomever is willing to pay the rent. It's not easy for a <br />Landlord to turn down a tenant because it does not fit within a street's overall <br />Leasing plan or add to its optimal tenant mix. Retailers also do not like to take <br />risks, but if you have a coordinated merchandising plan and strive for a good <br />tenant mix, the risk to retailers will be reduced. <br />To achieve higher sales, rents, and land values, landlords along the street need <br />to band together and work proactively with the public sector to merchandise and <br />lease their street in a coor- <br />dinated and mutually sup- <br />portive way. <br />Establish a quasi -public <br />retail leasing and manage- <br />ment agency to plan and <br />coordinate the street's <br />Leasing strategy, actively <br />recruit tenants, and direct <br />them to appropriate Land- <br />lords and property owners <br />so that leasing deals can <br />be made privately. Recog- <br />nize that the tighter the <br />leasing control this agency <br />has, the more quickly the <br />street will evolve into a <br />thriving retail destination. <br />14 <br />