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REDWOOD CITY EL CAMINO REAL CORRIDOR PLAN 32 SEctION 2.1 NEIGHBORHOOD SERVING REtAIL (Ac tIVIt Y cENtERS) CONTEXT The El Camino Real Corridor is home to approximately a quar- ter of Redwood City’s retail space, and boasts a low vacancy rate, in large part due to the ability of smaller businesses to rent space for reasonable prices. However, the Corridor is long, and the businesses along it are fairly spread out. It lacks centers of activity, where people can park once and run several errands and/or access multiple services. Rather, with the exception of a few larger shopping centers, economic energy is dispersed over a distance of several miles. WHY CREATE ACTIVITY CENTERS? Creating Activity Centers along El Camino Real will make the Corridor a more vibrant place for businesses and residents alike. Activity Centers are areas around or between busy intersections where housing, goods, and services are clustered. Sized for about a five-minute walk (or less) end-to-end, Activity Centers promote walkability, not only by locating clusters of businesses and services within walking distance of surrounding neighborhoods, but by making it easy for those driving to the Corridor to park once to access multiple destinations. Plazas and large open spaces that are partially protected or enclosed (but still visible from the street) can serve as key anchors for activity centers, contributing to the identity and character of each as a unique place. In addition, fo- cused streetscape improvements, including enhanced crosswalks, pedestrian seating, mini plazas, and bicycle parking will make these nodes easily accessible and inviting to all. While Activity Centers provide great opportunity for new invest- ment and development, they also offer benefits for the businesses within them. Retail stores, restaurants, coffee shops, beauty salons, and other establishments can experience a boost from the “cluster effect” of having several small businesses grouped together, which collectively generate more foot traffic than they would individually. In addition, Activity Centers present opportunities for shared park- ing, which lessens the burden on individual businesses to provide parking while promoting a more efficient use of space along the Corridor. Good design and business support can create vibrant, pedestrian-friendly Activity Centers even along busy roadways.Source: Dyett & BhatiaSource: Dyett & BhatiaSource: Dyett & Bhatia