The recent opening of Whole Foods in downtown Seattle highlights the challenges of attracting major grocery stores to the urban core.
Downtown Seattle is set to get its first major grocery store in decades -- to the cheers of many residents. The store's opening is a result of the area's growing population, but also likely some determination by the developer.
"One reason grocery stores require dense residential populations is that many operate on narrow margins, making it difficult to squeeze profits from thinly populated neighborhoods. Most downtown locations also carry hefty rents...Whole Foods' higher prices mean it can pay higher rent than some grocers, but probably not as high as the $30-per-square-foot and up being charged for street-level space in downtown Seattle"
Read the full story: Downtown gets its own big grocery
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
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The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association