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Neighborhood Shops

Neighborhood Shops occur as a cluster of retail and service establishments serving residential neighborhoods within a half mile radius. They may include grocery stores, banks, restaurants, dry cleaners, bakeries, cafes and possibly gas stations. Generally such areas are not more than a block in extent along the principal street and are probably less than a block in depth away from the principal street. Residential uses may be present, but major office buildings or civic uses generally would not be.

Shopping area
Credit: CAI
Neighborhood shops
Credit: CAI

Design considerations can be divided into three major categories:

  • Multimodal Corridor Planning deals with the design of the transportation network and its performance.
  • Site Planning involves site- and building-specific issues such as density, urban scale, and floor area ratio.
  • The Choices & Guidelines section encompasses numerous design matters including parking, setbacks, lighting, and drainage, among others.

For more information about design and the relationship between the public roadway and private property see the Design Tutorial.

Process considerations deal with the steps and procedures involved in the planning process. This manual addresses nine specific process areas.