There is a story in today's STRIB about the planned expansion of the Rosedale Mall to include a new stadium-seating Cineplex, restaurant, bookstore, sporting goods store, and other elements of an open air "lifestyle center." The Pioneer Press did an article last Wednesday. For the past two years University UNITED has been studying the regional shopping centers in the Midway, including Midway Center, Midway Marketplace, and Target, as well as national trends in the retail sector.
In 2003, UNITED released a report analyzing the Midway shopping area (available at www.universityunited.com <http://www.universityunited.com/> ) which notes that as a group, the three Midway centers sit on approximately 72 acres - the same size as Rosedale. We feel strongly that as compared to Rosedale, the Midway has an even better, more central location, better transportation infrastructure/access, and a nearly identical and more densely populated trade area (demographics of people living within 10 miles). Because Rosedale is one coordinated destination, it substantially outperforms the Midway's three adjoining centers that are not managed, marketed, or operated as one unit. We have urged that the Midway shopping center owners, City of St. Paul, and the community work cooperatively to keep our retail area competitive. Our report made a number of specific recommendations about how to improve the Midway shopping area, including the addition of a Cineplex theater, structured parking (possibly a shared use park and ride for LRT), the addition of housing, and one or more outdoor features/amenities such as an ice rink. In the meantime, the plans announced by Rosedale will further diminish the possibility of the Midway ever returning to its heyday as a major regional retail destination. Rather than sit back and watch the continued decline of market share and quality of our Midway retail centers, UNITED will once again attempt to bring this issue to the fore. We are creating an on-line survey that seeks to measure the shopping preferences of residents in our neighborhoods. While this is not a scientific survey, we hope that a sufficient number of responses will give us some meaningful results. We will announce the results of this survey at a community meeting in January, which will also include a slide show of successful urban shopping centers from around the country, and the creation of a community Retail Advisory Group. Stay tuned for details. Brian McMahon _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
