Over the past month, I have been doing “road shows” for Centre Properties to build awareness among national retailers of Centre’s new River Place development, which is an 86 acre mixed-use development located in north suburban Indianapolis.  During recent trips to Seattle, New York City, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Las Vegas, I’ve taken the opportunity to visit mixed-use projects, which incorporate residential and office elements into retail lifestyle centers.

I’ve taken note on how diverse these projects are in size, scope and product mix.  I was also struck by how successful some of these projects seem and how developers have found the one ingredient that may be the most influential element of creating a successful mixed-use project: the creation of “a sense of place” that holds the attention of consumers longer than the occasional trip to the mall. The sense of place comes from creating a pedestrian friendly environment that holds consumers with a more engaging experience than merely the traditional passive shopping experience found so often in enclosed malls and power centers. 

This was clear two weeks ago when on a Tuesday evening a colleague of mine and I dropped by Bayside in north suburban Milwaukee.  We arrived at the project at roughly 9:00 PM and were immediately struck by how many people remained at an hour and on a day of the week that I would have ordinarily expected to see little sign of life.  Instead, people milled around, ate in open air restaurants, and gathered in a square that was the central focal point of the development.  Clearly, the developer of Bayside found the ingredients that resulted in a broader experience for its visitors.

These experiences have been invaluable in helping to shape River Place and incorporating features, such as a gathering place and the river front park that we’re developing alongside the lifestyle center.