What Goes In An Empty Big Box?

Vacant big box superstores can be hard to reuse, but some communities are adapting them creatively

1 minute read

July 10, 2004, 9:00 AM PDT

Around the country, hundreds of former big box stores and their vast parking lots sit empty, made obsolete by the drive to supersize retail even larger. Communities are left holding the bag, trying to figure out what to do with acres of unused retail space in a bland, featureless building. Mixed-use facilities, shopping centers, or even new big box stores are among some solutions. And, with an eye toward the future, some communities are enforcing better design standards on superstore retailers before the buildings go up in the first place.

Thanks to Deborah Myerson

FULL STORY: Don't get boxed in by abandoned big-boxes

Sunday, July 4, 2004 in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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