Officials inside the Mayor's office tell GlobeSt.com that themost likely plan would prompt owners to accept a four-to-onecommercial-to-retail ratio. Under it, the owner or builder of atypical 400,000-sf building would dedicate at least 100,000 sf forretail purposes.

Although details of the plan still need to be fleshed-out, "itwill involve restricting first-floor use of these buildings andreserving them for retail space," says Jeff Walden, a spokesman forthe Mayor's Business Team.

The proposal marks the Mayor's biggest attempt yet to strike abalance between Downtown's growing number of telecommunicationscompanies and the gaping need for retail establishments. Whileoffice-building owners have welcomed the telecom firms, others notethat most telecommunications tenants fill their space with hugemachines and miles of cable, but relatively few employees who willshop at Downtown stores, eat at local restaurants or have drinksafter work.