SYNOPSIS

The Roseland Village Shopping Center is strategically located along Sebastopol Road, the major retail corridor in Roseland, a dense shopping thoroughfare comprised of a mix of food, grocery, clothing, auto, personal care retailers, as well as financial and other professional services. With the acquision of the property and adjacencies  by MidPen Housing Corporation and Urban Community Partners - and recent committed funding allocations - the community's decade-long desire to improve the quality of goods and services, while increasing affordable housing stock, is being realized. 

Urbane was specifically tasked with testing the potential viability of a market hall, or mercado, as part of the development of the Roseland Village Community Center. Urbane envisioned the market hall as a neighborhood asset that reflects the Latino roots of the community and creates a destination marketplace with food, beverage, supportive retail, and recreational amenities that provide economic development opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs. 

For robust analysis, Urbane divided the study areas into three: the micro study area, comprised of the geographies captured within a 2-minute drive time of the mercado site; the primary study areas, comprised of the geographies captured within a 5-minute drive time of the mercado site; and the comprehensive study area; comprised of the geographies captured within a 15-minute drive time of the mercado site. 

In the first phase, Urbane analyzed existing conditions of the study area, including demographic data at the census tract level to assess population characteristics, as well as business composition data and transportation amenities and ridership. In the second phase, Urbane performed a retail market analysis, in which current and historic commercial real estate data was collected, as well as retail supply, demand, and gaps. During this phase, Urbane conducted a small business survey with local enterprises to understand the nature of business activity, consumer preferences, and shopping patterns in the neighborhood. In the final phase, Urbane conducted a focus group with business owners and key stakeholders to provide feedback on the customers likely to be attracted by the mercado; physical plant, training, and financial requirements to participate in the mercado; and input on case studies of comparable markets throughout North America. 

While the development process has taken a few twists and turns, inclusive of new phasing and branding, the mercado is expected to arrive in 2024. You can follow the development's progress here.