I was recently in our illustrious state capital visiting some friends from college. Most of them live around the Short North or German Village, places where we can walk to restaurants, bars, retail, basically whatever we want/need. One of my friends however, lives out near Tuttle Crossing in a suburban apartment complex. It has 14+ unit buildings spread out in campus like fashion, with grills interspersed along walkways and a centrally located pool. She lives there because it’s a short commute to work, which is one of the main reasons I live where I do. She is surrounded by the classic strip center food and retail (let me be clear, I have nothing wrong with the chipotle or jersey mikes up the street from her place). What baffles me is the façade I see every time I drive up to the entrance gate.

The first floor of the initial building is where the leasing office is located. It also contains a number of storefronts and displays which are made to look like street level retail. BUT–they don’t actually have any shops! What purpose could these fake stores possibly serve? Prospective tenants will surely notice, as I did, that this is not an actual commercial establishment, so they can’t be touted as an ‘amenity’. If anything it serves as a reminder of the walkable life many would like to live, and brings to the forefront of one’s mind the harsh reality of suburban complex living. As you drive in and out they serve as a reminder that you must, in fact, drive to get to anything you want.

I understand that some of the purported tenants would not survive were they actual establishments. A clothing store would likely not make it there. A pub and a coffee shop, they might stand a chance though. Not only are there 40+ apartments, but there is also a large amount of drive by traffic. Had they configured the complex a bit differently, I bet they would have been able to sustain at least a couple of real commercial tenants.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving feast, and for those of you that have been up for 6 hours waiting in line to get into Best Buy…I feel bad for you, but enjoy that new TV.