First Urban Mixed Use Big Box Store With Residential Housing? (market, houses)

[MDAllstar]

What is the future for big box stores in mixed use urban environments? A first ever Walmart is opening in DC proper with apartments above it and street level retail. What do you think about this format?

NoMa Walmart Residences to Deliver in Late-2013

[scrantiX]

Eww Walmart...

[BIMBAM]

I think it's the way of the future. If you'd like to see what this sort of format might look like completed, or maybe get some ideas of ways the idea can be tweaked, check out this big box store area in an urban neighbourhood in Vancouver:

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll...8.98,,0,-10.51

The complex closest to you houses a Home Depot, a Winners, a Homesense, a Save-on-Foods grocery store and condos. There's also another great example of this type of building across the street, where there's a big Whole Foods with several stories of Condos above it, and there's underground parking for the customers. Down the street from the first complex you can see some other examples of urban big box stores that aren't mixed use, like the multi-level Canadian Tire store with a department store layout.

[MDAllstar]

Originally Posted by BIMBAM

I think it's the way of the future. If you'd like to see what this sort of format might look like completed, or maybe get some ideas of ways the idea can be tweaked, check out this big box store area in an urban neighbourhood in Vancouver:

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll...8.98,,0,-10.51

The complex closest to you houses a Home Depot, a Winners, a Homesense, a Save-on-Foods grocery store and condos. There's also another great example of this type of building across the street, where there's a big Whole Foods with several stories of Condos above it, and there's underground parking for the customers. Down the street from the first complex you can see some other examples of urban big box stores that aren't mixed use, like the multi-level Canadian Tire store with a department store layout.

How well did the condo's sell above that home depot? There are 300 apartments being built above this Walmart with other first floor retail. I'm wondering how the apartments will be received.

[Bydand]

I see people who shop there regularly... I can't imagine the winners who would want to LIVE there as well.

[DubbleT]

Had it been anything other than a walmart-maybe. I just can't imagine very many people willing to say out loud they "live over the walmart"

[Rayah(812)]

I like it. I would live there. Nothing like living and working in the same building! Oh, wait I probably couldn't afford to live in a nice, new, big-city condo if I work at Walmart...

But really I like the concept. I like seeing something like this idea rather than a big box store taking up tons of space for itself, helping to continue sprawl and almost forcing us to drive everywhere outside of very urban neighborhoods.

[wburg]

Might be handy if you work at the Walmart--assuming, of course, that the apartments are priced to be affordable for that salary level. The old idea of living above the store where you work is starting to come back into fashion--and we see plenty of it in urban infill projects. Hopefully the idea will spread beyond just big-box stores to "small-box" retail.

[nei]

Originally Posted by BIMBAM

I think it's the way of the future. If you'd like to see what this sort of format might look like completed, or maybe get some ideas of ways the idea can be tweaked, check out this big box store area in an urban neighbourhood in Vancouver:

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll...8.98,,0,-10.51

The complex closest to you houses a Home Depot, a Winners, a Homesense, a Save-on-Foods grocery store and condos. There's also another great example of this type of building across the street, where there's a big Whole Foods with several stories of Condos above it, and there's underground parking for the customers. Down the street from the first complex you can see some other examples of urban big box stores that aren't mixed use, like the multi-level Canadian Tire store with a department store layout.

Vancouver's style of urbanism is interesting. Maybe the best (maybe only) example of a new, dense and partially transit/pedestrian oriented city in North America while feeling like it had a newer "western" form.

[wburg]

We have a Safeway (major west coast supermarket chain) with apartments above it that was built a few years ago, but the developer made them luxury high-end apartments rather than apartments affordable for a supermarket clerk, so they have had trouble keeping them rented--people looking for luxury apartments don't generally want to live above a 24 hour supermarket. The idea is sound, though.