Big Box, Blank Slate: Repurposing Vacant Large Format Stores

While hundreds of new big boxes are built each year, hundreds are also vacated. But, at 150,000 square feet or more, large format stores are difficult to re-purpose due to their size and massing, and often closed stores become derelict, sitting empty and overgrown while setting a precedent for an area’s decline. Couldn’t there be a more productive use—and better return—for abandoned big boxes? What could that look like today—and 50 years out?

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Know When to Hold ‘Em: Playing your Cards to Make Permitting Easier

For many projects, public opposition is expected. For large-format stores—which are notorious NIMBY lightning rods—it’s become unavoidable. Permits can be stalled by concerned citizens, concession-seekers, or local jurisdictions bent on stalling the process. They all soak up time, which is of course money, especially for retailers, who lose revenue every day they’re not open. So what can be done to overcome NIMBY issues that hold things up?

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