On Wednesday, the Manhattan Beach Planning Commission took a big step back from the proposal to prohibit banks and offices from leasing space on pedestrian storefront areas in two commercial districts, at Highland Ave. and Manhattan Beach Blvd., and in the north of the city at Highland Ave. and Rosecrans.
As reported here earlier, this proposal, if passed, would have eliminated banks and offices from locating in those pedestrian-friendly streets that we all love. A number of reasons for this idea emerged during the hearing For example, the cost of leasing such a prime spot appears to be more difficult for, say, an apparel store than it is for a bank of real estate office. And, what kind of land use best contributes to walkable communities? Are banks with their boring, barren facades a drain on the street's vitality or are they are necessary fabric of the street?
In the end, after a robust discussion and public hearing the Planning Commission did the right thing by backing away from the proposal to prohibit banks and offices. At the same time the Commission called for the creation of a committee, focus group or other entity to take a long-term view of Manhattan's retail scene, ask real questions about what residents and business want, and come up with a long range strategy that works.
SBAOR applauds this approach. We are already hearing from REALTORS who are interested in taking part in this. After all, you cannot legislate a good economy - if you could then we would all be rich.
Meanwhile, to help us think about how Highland Ave. or any city street should look, we are digging out our dog-eared copy of Jane Jacobs' brilliant book, "The Death and Life of Great American Cities", which, in our humble opinion, defines everything about urban planning when it is done right, even 40 years after it was first published.
