Designing Retail Centers Without an Anchor Tenant

Renaissance Marketplace

Even before to the recent disruption related to the pandemic, retail was already experiencing marked changes. The asset class was moving toward an entertainment and community-gathering model. Although much of the world is currently practicing social distancing and all non-essential retail has been shuttered, when society can step outside again, retail will continue to evolve away from large retail boxes and toward more community and entertainment needs.

The recently completed Renaissance Marketplace in Rialto is an example of how retail had been changing. The 500,000-square-foot center has a movie theater but no standard big-box retail anchor. Instead, it has a collection of mid-sized retailers and restaurants. Nadel Architecture and Planning designed the project around entertainment, including several spaces to serve the community.