The Challenge of Re-Orienting Strip Malls for Transit

"Increasingly… cities like St. Paul and Bloomington are trying to change the classic strip-mall formula as they prepare for transit investments," according to Bill Lindeke. "But changing a strip mall is harder than you think."

One of Lindeke's case studies is the Penn-American plan in Bloomington, "where planners like Glen Markegard have been working for years on trying to re-zone property around future transit investments."

The other case study is provided by St. Paul’s West 7th Street, where in "coming years, a streetcar, light rail or bus rapid transit line might run directly down 7th Street, connecting downtown St. Paul to the airport, Ford site and/or Blue Line."

The article goes on to detail the planning and political challenges planners in both cases face in trying to reconcile the business interests and current configuration of strip malls with a more transit oriented future.