Home // Mix Land Uses

What Is Mix Land Use?

This refers to the mingling of several types of buildings in the same general location. For example, a blend of apartments and single-family homes might be located adjacent to shops, offices, movie theaters, schools, cafes, parks and transit stations. Within mixed-use neighborhoods, there are usually mixed-use buildings—buildings that might have retail on the main level, for example, with parking below and offices, housing or hotel rooms above.

What Mix Land Use Is NOT

• Single use, single level buildings with large parking lots
• Dependence on a car
• A commuter town (when most residents must leave their town to go to work)

CONVENTIONAL

	What Makes Lunds in Hopkins Typical?
	Must drive to Segmented development More than necessary parking Building set far back from the street Not very walkable Very few grassy areas

SMART

	What Makes Lunds at 50th & France Smart?
	Walkable neighborhood On main public transportation lines Sidewalks around store Minimizes impervious surface (ramp parking) Ample residential housing within 1,500 feet

SMARTER

	What Makes Lunds at Uptown Smarter?
	Walkable neighborhood On main public transportation lines Sidewalks around store Two levels in grocery store

SMARTEST

	What Makes Lunds on University Avenue Smartest?
	Walkable neighborhood Sidewalks around store On main public transportation lines Building set back slightly to allow for wider sidewalks with trees Outdoor seating Integrated with housing Ramp parking

Benefits of Mix Land Use

• Shortens distances between destinations
• Reduces the need to drive for every trip
• Promotes transit ridership
• Reduces energy consumption
• Curtails greenhouse gas emissions
• Limits the need for parking spaces
• Offers a sense of community
• Enhances the human-scale of surroundings
• Encourages physical exercise as part of routine daily living
• Saves taxpayer money by lowering transportation costs for individuals and infrastructure costs for governments
• Saves time and adds convenience in daily living
• Enhances public safety (more people on the sidewalks reduces crime)
• Offers opportunities for people of various incomes, races and cultures to interact

Examples

• 50th and France on the Minneapolis/Edina line
• Excelsior and Grand in St. Louis Park
• Downtown Hopkins
• The East Hennepin district of Minneapolis
• The Lowertown district of St. Paul
• Parts of downtown Duluth, Willmar, Northfield and Red Wing
• Mixed-use buildings include Lunds supermarkets (with housing above) in downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis, and Target Field in Minneapolis, which serves as a major league ballpark, civic plaza and transit station

Challenges to Creating Mix Land Use

• Lenders sometimes hesitate to finance mixed-use projects because of their inherent complexity
• State and federal laws, local zoning ordinances and other policies and practices are, for the most part, designed to reward single-use development and maximum auto use
• Neighborhood associations and civic groups are often aligned against any proposed changes to their communities, especially plans for greater density, taller buildings and the potential for additional traffic