Suburbs Saturated : Shopping Malls Come Back to Downtowns
Americans grew accustomed to shopping in suburban malls during the 1970s, but some developers believe the suburbs are saturated with shopping centers and are returning to downtowns.
A study of the 50 largest metropolitan areas by the International Council of Shopping Centers showed 42 downtown shopping centers were built in 1981-85, compared with 21 in 1976-80, and just seven in 1971-75.
One of the latest examples is in Cleveland, where the two-story, glass-enclosed Galleria opened in mid-October, with 60 of the 70 retail and restaurant spaces leased. Like most malls, there’s a mix of fast-food outlets, full-service restaurants, clothing stores, sports shops and even a toy store.
For the Jacobs, Visconsi & Jacobs Co., the nation’s fourth largest shopping mall developer-operator, the decision to build downtown marked a change from the way it built a 42-mall operation in 16 states. JVJ’s headquarters, in fact, is in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake.
“To a great degree (plans for suburban malls were based on) the growth of the cities where a population was relatively assured of relocating and the presence and planning of freeway systems,” JVJ Chairman Richard Jacobs said.
“There’s been a great proliferation of suburban centers. Your population growth in suburbs has declined, and there’s an interest in coming back to the city for loft living, for apartments, for condos,” said Jacobs, who with brother and JVJ partner David Jacobs bought the Cleveland Indians last year and is planning downtown office and residential construction.
JVJ, in planning the Galleria, opted for upscale, unusual shops, such as the Banana Republic clothing store, that could not be found elsewhere in Cleveland.
And as opposed to having anchor department stores similar to those found in the suburban malls, the Galleria’s anchor is a 40-story office tower.
Retailers hope to generate a core business from the 150,000 downtown workers, one-third of whom earn more than $35,000 a year, and gain enough interest to support night shopping Monday through Saturday.
