Lifestyle Choice 8.11.2007 | 1 Comment(s)

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Developing "open air" centers, known in the shopping mall industry as "lifestyle centers," is not new to CBL. Lifestyle centers are upscale shopping developments with storefronts open to the street, outside walkways and outside dining, and a gathering place, such as a square or fountain.

Are "lifestyle centers" still the cool thing to do in retail development? Seriously? The whole idea of these types of developments seem to be built on a shaky foundation. It's been a while since I've been to a mall, but do "gathering places", empty space filled with a square or fountain, really encourage people to visit or even stay and spend money. On my rare visits to a mall, I'm all about a mission. I'm in and out. I don't stay to gawk at fountains, I'm sure I'm not unique in that. Malls are about commerce, not about community building. And the whole open air concept...it seems like it's all about dressing up a strip mall and its parking lot. Is that really innovative? And another thing, why does everything have to be upscale? City & county, I'm sick of everything having to appeal to the "upscale" set...what about those of us who earn a decent pay check, but can't afford all the bells and whistles?

Last year, Westfield invested $71 million to redevelop Chesterfield Mall, and the shopping center may get more money from CBL. "I think CBL will continue the plan, and that will definitely enhance the downtown Chesterfield area," Higgins said.

I'm not up to speed on this whole "downtown Chesterfield" thing, but am I understanding that Chesterfield Mall is a part of it? So the "downtown Chesterfield" that this lady is talking about is going to include a sea of asphalt that allows shoppers to park at Chesterfield Mall? Is this the concept for a suburban downtown? Yuck.

All this talk of suburban downtown's is weird. I mean suburban development doesn't work in the city (i.e. St. Louis Centre), why would urban development work in the burbs? Developers & suburban municipalities believe they can create urban city blocks overnight in cornfields & floodplains, only these utopias don't have crime or a diverse mix of people. Perfect suburban living...and there's a market for it. My question is how sustainable will these developments be?

By  Joe, at 9:11 AM

I guess I do like that waterfall fountain thingy in The Galleria. And a lot of people do spend many hours of their weekends and evenings at the mall. Malls are, regrettably, the closest things we have to community public squares in most suburban areas.

The 'downtown Chesterfield' concept is pretty ridiculous, but is probably referring to the never-quite-completed Chesterfield Village plan developed by Samuel Sachs in the 1970s. The area encircled by Chesterfield Village Parkway still has a lot of gaps, and things don't necessarily connect. But it was probably an interesting concept initially.