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Do you ever look at a house or building and wonder, “Why didn’t they do something different?”

We live in quaint, historic part of Jacksonville called San Marco. Developed in the 1920s, it has lots of charm and a great shopping area that surrounds its square. The shopping includes art galleries, boutique shops, and restaurants with tables that spill onto the sidewalk.

Just blocks away from the square is a 4-story apartment building along my twice-daily walk with the dogs. The construction is relatively new – especially compared to most buildings in the area. It sits on the corner, directly on the sidewalk with street parking on both sides.

Privacy Along the Street

The problem is there is no buffer between the street parking, the sidewalk, and the first-floor units. Their outdoor living areas are empty of any furniture or signs of life and the windows all have closed shutters. The apartments are at street level so if their windows were not covered, you would see directly into the units. In other words – no privacy. Cars from the adjacent angled parking shine their headlights into the units at night. Talk about ambiance!

Just one floor above, the balconies are full of life with greenery, tables, and chairs. Residents can relax both inside and outside while enjoying the privacy the one floor of elevation has afforded them.

What a missed opportunity!

This street corner would be a great place for a small shop or café. Coincidentally, one of the finest restaurants in San Marco sits on the corner at the other end of the block. Imagine tables and chairs – maybe even colorful umbrellas adding life and conversation to the street scene. I can smell the freshly brewed coffee and hear the irresistible sounds of a cappuccino being prepared.

Perhaps it could be a wine shop or tasting room – another personal favorite. What about a flower shop or fruit stand adorning the sidewalk with their colorful offerings? Imagine the window-shopping opportunity store fronts full of glass could offer. Instead of closed window shades preventing interior views, there could be clever window displays inviting you to come inside. Perhaps you would see mannequins dressed in the latest fashion. What about artwork prominently displayed and illuminated for viewing both day and night? Retail could add vibrancy to the shuttered street corner.

Mixed Use is Messy

All of this sounds like a no-brainer. However, adding a retail component to this street corner means adding a lot of complexity and expense to the construction. Let’s start with ceiling heights. Most retail shops desire higher ceilings. Raising the entire first floor for one or two shops would raise the cost of the entire building. Height equals expense including longer stair runs and elevator shafts. Then there is the danger of exceeding the height limitation for the building.

The next issue is the two different occupancies need to be separated in terms of their construction. This means adding two hour rated wall and ceiling assemblies. This is a greater separation than the one hour required from separation each residential unit. And because the first floor essential holds up the floor above, the structural system needs to be protected.

If the first-floor space included my dream coffee shop, it would add even more complexity. Any food service requires a higher-level HVAC system including venting any cooking equipment. Exhaust vent would need to travel up three floor to the roof – which may mean the ventilation needs to be enhanced mechanically. And these vent shafts would need to also be 2-hour fire protected.

Next, any food service needs a separate grease trap. These are nasty deposits of oils and grease separated from the water. Adding a grease trap is one issue, but finding an accessible place for the grease trap to be emptied adds yet another layer of complexity. Big nasty trucks are required to come and pump out the smelly sludge.

What about fire suppression? While the residential occupancy will require fire sprinklers, the future and unknown use of the first floor “retail” may require a higher rated system.

Solutions?

In other words, it was probably too expensive to add just a couple of shops to the street corner. Sadly, my romantic notion of a vibrant street just isn’t practical. That’s the trouble being an architect. I can’t just simply enjoy my walk with the dogs – I am constantly analyzing my surroundings and trying to determine if there is a better solution. I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Along those lines, instead of apartments that offer no privacy and are difficult to lease, they could have at least put the leasing office and fitness studio along the street corner. Just saying.