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The Underestimated Value of Town Center Developments

The roadblocks, benefits, and future of town center developments


We can't overstate the value of intentional town center design for city planners, property developers, real estate investors, and most importantly, the community that will be enjoying the space.


Without embracing town centers filled with parks, restaurants, grocery stores, leisure centers, and professional services, urban developments will always be stuck in the past. 


In a world where multi-family developments continue to follow traditional methods, locals have to drive to access the most basic of amenities. Residents are forced to get in the car to meet friends for a coffee, or simply pick up some milk from the local grocery store. This shouldn't be acceptable, yet there’s not many city planners actually doing anything about it.


Despite investors prioritizing cost savings and project speed, and city planners often resisting new design ideas because "it's not the way things are done", town center development ideals are changing, albeit slowly.


Even in residentially zoned areas, many times a form based code for a Planned Urban Development (PUD) can comfortably fit into an existing zoning code with overlay district zoning.


Today, we're exploring the problems that arise with a lack of town center planning, how a town center design benefits locals, developers, and city planners, why there is still resistance, and how we can overcome it to offer residents a better quality of life. 



Life without a town center


As we've seen across many residential developments across the country, and especially in Florida, a lack of town center planning dramatically impacts the community and their quality of life, especially in terms of:

Quality of Life


Without easy access to local amenities like shopping malls, restaurants, cafes, fitness centers, green spaces, and offices, residents must travel to enjoy simple things like meeting a friend for a coffee or working out. Overall, this diminishes their quality of life, especially if they don't want to or can't drive.


Traffic Congestion


When amenities like medical centers, schools, grocery stores, or leisure facilities are located along a major arterial road, it inevitably causes traffic congestion with locals living in multi-family developments and out-of-town residents driving to access these amenities. Not only is this bad for the environment, but it also takes precious time out of people's days. 


Gas Expenses


Gas prices are skyrocketing, with states like California charging as much as $6 per gallon (as of the time of writing). So, if you're driving a 60-gallon vehicle, that could add up to an eye-watering $100 a week spent on gas (depending on how much you drive.) 


These costs are not something the everyday person can comfortably afford. Having no town center means more driving and more gas, severely impacting disposable income.

Resistance to town center planning


Despite the clear disadvantages, there continues to be resistance among city planning officials, developers, and even locals themselves to embracing town center community design. But, why is there resistance, and what hurdles are stopping local governments and developers from developing more human-centric towns? Let's explore these questions below:


For developers 


The issue with many developers not investing in this kind of design is that it takes longer to develop. In general, many developers and investors are more interested in creating maximum profit in the shortest amount of time, so focusing on developments that don't require rezoning or building height changes is typically a quicker option. 


For city planners


Many city planners don't approve town center developments simply because these modern plans go against what has "always been done" and challenge traditional zoning laws that have been around since the 1930s and 40s to make them feasible (increasing building height limits, etc.)


For locals & residents


Some locals (usually the minority) resist new town center developments and the elevation of height limits as they're worried this may negatively impact the community—whether it's changing the neighborhood charm or potentially blocking views. However, this is rarely the case, as town centers only add value and ease to their lifestyle. 


The benefits of designing a town center 


From attracting more buyers to your development to offering people a better quality of life, the benefits of developing modern town centers are plentiful. And there are clear highlights for each of the parties involved:


For developers


While it's understandable developers want to make maximum profit, they need to understand the economic benefits of developing a town center. With better facilities and amenities, they're making their multi-family developments more attractive to prospective buyers or renters, along with professionals looking for commercial spaces. With the help of some marketing research, they can potentially bring in more profit than a development designed without a town center. 


For city planners


City planners often find that having a more resident-focused urban development with practical amenities helps create a happier community and, in turn, reduces the number of complaints they deal with. Town center design also attracts people to the neighborhood, leading to a more positive and profitable community with an array of local businesses bringing in tax profit. 


For locals & residents

There are many benefits to a planned urban center for local residents, such as lowering gas costs, increasing accessibility for those who don't drive, encouraging a healthy lifestyle (walkable and bikeable communities), less driving, less time stuck in traffic, and being within walking distance of cafés, restaurants, etc.

From attracting more buyers to your development to offering people a better quality of life, the benefits of developing modern town centers are plentiful.

Gregory Burke Town Center Designs


At Gregory John Burke | ARCHITECT, PA, we’re no stranger to town center designs. In fact, almost 25 years ago, we presented a design proposal for the Pointe West development near Vero Beach, Florida.

Pointe West


Before Gregory John Burke | ARCHITECT, PA got involved with this project, the original concept for the Pointe West development included 22-24 very small buildings. Those initial plans didn't include any mixed-use units so it didn't offer much value to locals or give the developer flexibility to reduce construction and purchasing costs.


We were asked to design a new master plan for Pointe West, which provided a more economically-viable town center, including 5,810 sq ft of outdoor dining, 4,115 square feet of pocket parks with seating and pergolas. 


To keep the local community and city planners happy, our goal was to design the town center so it blended with the community's original buildings, making it feel as though it was always there. Unfortunately, our plans were met with resistance in 2007, something we discussed in this recent feature in TC Palm.

The future of town center development


As we've seen with modern-day urban center developments, there is still a lot of progress to be made in terms of addressing the real-life needs of current and future residents. Here are the things we think need to happen to push us into a new era of town center design: 


Keeping an open mind


We need developers, designers, city planners, investors, and architects collaborating and discussing the issue of town center planning. Working together while keeping an open mind, staying flexible, and allowing the benefits of town center planning to take center stage is the way forward. 


Local campaigning 


It's also vital that there is an understanding within the local community to fuel the town center development and pressure city planners, county fathers, and mothers to drive the project forward and approve new zoning laws and overlay districts. 


Smart growth committees


Communities need to push for this neighborhood type design during the design phase of Planned Urban Developments. Forming a smart growth committee, like the one that architect, Greg Burke, joined in St. Lucie, will help get things moving and create a consensus on the issue of town center development.


Town center design won't change overnight, but developers seem to be slowly embracing modern planned urban developments. Lifestyles have changed, the climate is evolving, and people live and work differently. So, now it's time to design differently, plan differently, and develop differently: for the good of the community. 


If you'd like to learn more about town center design and development, check out our blog about the future of multi-family housing.


If you have an urban development project in mind, talk to architect, Greg Burke. Our extensive experience within this architectural modality  can guide you through the entire town center design process.

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