100% corner
In an American downtown, this is the corner with the most traffic and visibility. (Greenberg, 2022) Locating anchor tenants at a 100% corner will increase foot traffic. A destination business could also work at a 100% corner but these should be spread out, with interspersal of destination and impulse/convenience businesses. Some businesses should not be located on 100% corners. Service businesses should be near parking. Pedestrian neutral tenants should be on side streets or upper floors. Location strategy tools include ordinances and incentives to encourage relocation of businesses. Lease options may be used to control property to make it available for high-profile businesses. Property owners may also be persuaded to hold out for better tenants. Some credit Thomas Jefferson for the 100% corner. Jefferson insisted on a grid plan that underlies virtually all of the US, ignoring topography, rivers, and soil quality. Grid plans led to formation of towns which took their shape off of the rigid north/south and east/west survey lines. This is how Main Street and the 100% corner were born (Means, 2024).
Sources:
Hilary Greenberg, Advanced Principles of Economic Vitality, Main Street America Institute, March 15, 2022.
Mary Means, Facebook post, May 29, 2024.
Kennedy Smith, CLUE Group, 100% corner digital graphic, 2017.