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August 7, 2025 Downtowns Look for Ways to Bring Back Grocery Stores
Corner stores "support a lot of great things that we also support, like compact growth, transportation options, socializing with neighbors and friends, and even food security," says Lisa Pool, a planner and public policy consultant at the Municipal Research and Services Center in Seattle. But in the U.S., small shops and cafes are generally barred from residential neighborhoods. The August issue of Downtown Idea Exchange reports on some of the creative techniques cities are using to replace neighborhood grocery stores. For example, Spokane, WA, helped launch the move to restore neighborhood retail in 2017 with a code change that legalized historic store locations, despite conflicting contemporary regulatory barriers. From there, the city is looking to slowly add more stores in new locations. More on downtown economic development appears regularly in the pages of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter. Click below to learn more about Downtown Idea Exchange and other resources for revitalizing downtowns and commercial corridors. 
8-1/2" x 11", hardcover,
426 pages, $55. Recommended ReadingUrban Bikeway Design GuideThe third edition of NATCO’s Urban Bikeway Design Guide provides state-of-the-art techniques for creating streets that are safe and enjoyable for growing numbers of bicyclists. In its pages, you’ll find information, design guidance, and best practices for bike lanes, cycle tracks, intersections, signals, signage, and more. Each section offers three levels of guidance:
Fully illustrated with color photos, diagrams, and 3-D renderings, the Urban Bikeway Design Guide is essential reading for city officials and downtown leaders who are welcoming more bicyclists downtown. The Urban Bikeway Design Guide is just one of the many books on Improving Access available from the Downtown Development Center. |
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A century ago, urban neighborhoods were filled with corner stores within walking distance of residents. Today, planners in cities as diverse as Seattle and Spokane, WA, and Auburn, ME, are working to bring grocery stores back to downtown neighborhoods.