The quality of the tenant and income stream is important. We get past the physical appearance. Among the inherent problems with sprawl retail development is that malls and boxes are designed for a specific tenant, Duany said at a meeting last year of the Home Builders Association of Charlotte. Cities evolve organically. Suburbs are designed for stasis.
Nothing can change.
The old Best Products store off Stratford Road has sat vacant for four years. Among the obstacles to finding a tenant has been a large, underground basement, with especially tall ceilings, that served as a merchandise storage area, said Richard Anderson, the property owner. When a building is designed for such a specific use, it's hard to rejuvenate it, said Simmons. Among the reasons Food Lion said it's moving from the West Salem strip mall is the building's inflexibility. The city's aldermen lamented the city's further sprawl north, and concerned citizens took part in drafting the Legacy plan.