Mixed Use Developers Aiming to Create Town Centers

In addition to 199 luxury apartments, NEWCITY houses the area’s only Mariano’s grocery store, which has become the metro region’s hottest grocer, partly by providing its customers cafes, bars and other amenities where they can relax and enjoy a glass of wine or an espresso.

CHICAGO—As online shopping continues to grow in popularity, developers of mixed-use centers are increasingly recruiting retail tenants that can not only draw crowds, but ones that turn their properties into true neighborhood gathering spots. Brick-and-mortar stores can’t match the convenience of online shopping, but internet users typically don’t get much enjoyment out of the experience.

“We are trying to bring in the concept of experiential retail,” Jeff Berta, senior director of real estate development at Structured Development, tells GlobeSt.com. The Chicago-based developer recently completed the NEWCITY retail and residential complex in Lincoln Park.