Retail along light rail lines isn’t automatic fit

Posted: 3:38 pm Mon, March 19, 2012 By DanEmerson Tags: David Frank, Jim McComb, Norman Bjornnes, Sherman Group

One of the most successful transit-related retail developments in the nation is Trolley Square in the San Diego suburb of Santee, Calif., said Minneapolis-based retail consultant Jim McComb, who traveled there for a Hennepin County study. The city of Santee acquired land where the San Diego light rail transit line terminates and developed a shopping center with big-box retailers such as Target, PetSmart and Bed, Bath & Beyond. (Submitted photo: city of Santee, Calif.)

Developing successful retail businesses along light rail transit lines is not a matter of build it and they will come. City planners and developers wish it were that simple.

To succeed, any retail location needs a certain amount of traffic passing by plus visibility and convenient access. Those elements are not always present along rail lines, experts say. Planners also preach the message that transit-related retail development doesnt happen overnight.

Its complicated, said Minneapolis-based retail consultant Jim McComb, who has studied transit-oriented retail development nationwide. He has traveled LRT lines in about a dozen cities, including Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Houston and St. Louis.

McComb, president of the McComb Group, points out that a number of LRT lines in those cities were developed along railroad right of way, which tends to be more industrial than residential.

Retail is not going to thrive in those areas, he said.

Those who plan and develop station areas, McComb said, often dont understand the dynamics of what makes a good retail location, which can result in poor performance.

Light rail is not like commuter rail, which typically runs between cities rather than within cities, McComb said. The people who use LRT lines generally live nearby, so those riders do not represent new potential customers. Also, there generally arent large groups of people boarding at each station throughout the day.

But retail associated with light rail can be successful if it is done correctly, McComb said.

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Retail along light rail lines isn’t automatic fit