Should retailers be considering concepts and real estate investments that will build them into the fabric of the new walkable suburb?
Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments:
Yes, they should be. My son and daughter-in-law just bought into an area like this in the Washington D.C. suburbs to get have more space. It is a planned area and right next to a smart city that Microsoft is building. There are theaters, restaurants, great grocery stores like Harris Teeter and plenty of parks and open spaces for concerts, etc. Do they miss the neighborhood that they were living in closer to D.C. and chock full of fun things to do? Yes, but eventually the area that they moved to will get better and better and will fill in appropriately. The amount of retail in areas like this does not leave you feeling left out at all. And yes the areas are, for the most part, walkable. For Millennials who want to have more space to start a family, these types of areas are almost ideal and retailers would be smart to follow them there.
Will retail be woven into the fabric of the new, walkable suburb?