a better city exists
Vancouver Active Ground Floor
Vancouver, Washington | 2026
2026: Residential Ground Floor | 2036: Commercial Ground Floor Conversion
Rethinking the Ground Floor
The way we shop has changed. Online shopping, shifting consumer habits, and the evolving retail economy have transformed the demand for physical storefronts. Yet cities across the country continue to require ground-floor commercial space in new developments, often in places where the market cannot support it. The result can be empty storefronts, lost revenue, and streets that feel less welcoming than the regulations intended.
Working with BAE Urban Economics and Bricks Need Mortar, First Forty Feet was asked to help the City of Vancouver rethink how its downtown ground floors could support economic growth, active streets, and a changing retail environment. Our role was to examine the land use regulations, building design requirements, and physical constraints that influence what happens where buildings meet the street.
Rather than requiring retail everywhere, we explored how the City could strengthen established commercial corridors while creating greater flexibility elsewhere. The ambition was simple: make better use of valuable ground-floor space today without limiting what it could become tomorrow.
SE Hawthorne, Portland, OR
Ground-floor storefronts beneath a completed four-story residential building, with prominent leasing signage.
Mission District, San Francisco, CA
Newer mixed-use housing with ground-level retail space advertised for lease.
Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA
Newer mixed-use housing with ground-level retail space advertised for lease.
Osler Street, Vancouver, BC
Ground-floor empty retail strata space in a residential condominium building.
The Right Uses in the Right Places
Not every street needs to be a shopping street. Working with the City of Vancouver, we explored how commercial requirements could be concentrated along key downtown corridors where businesses are most likely to thrive. By prioritizing active uses along these streets and allowing greater flexibility elsewhere, the City can strengthen its commercial districts while creating a more adaptable and welcoming downtown.
Designing for What Comes Next
Buildings should adapt as cities change. First Forty Feet developed a three-tier framework that allows developers to build revenue-generating homes today while preserving the ability to convert them into commercial spaces tomorrow. By planning for future uses from the start, developers can avoid costly renovations and vacant storefronts, while creating welcoming streets with front doors, stoops, and gardens. The result is a more financially resilient, adaptable, and people-centered downtown.
Please contact us about our Active Ground Floor document
a better city exists
CERTIFICATIONS
Emerging Small Business (ESB)
Certification No.: 13469
