Solving the Ground-Floor Retail Problem Before It Becomes a Problem

We work with developers and property owners every day who are navigating increasingly complex urban planning requirements. One of the most persistent problems we help solve is the misguided push by municipalities to require ground-floor retail in multifamily projects—regardless of whether the market demand or site dynamics support it.

The idea is noble: build walkable communities with vibrant storefronts beneath apartments. But in practice, this kind of blanket requirement often stalls projects, drains budgets, and leaves buildings with empty storefronts that don’t serve anyone—not the city, the developer, or future residents.

The Wrong Requirement for the Wrong Location

Too often, we see cities across the country attempt to copy-paste urban design principles from dense metros like New York or our own beautiful Boston into suburban or exurban environments. But without the density, walkability, and traffic volumes that make ground-floor retail viable, the results are predictable: underutilized space, chronic vacancy, and frustrated stakeholders.

We Help Developers Say No—Strategically

CHARLESGATE helps real estate developers, owners, and investors assess whether a site can actually support retail—and if not, how to present a compelling, data-backed case to local officials. Our new development sales and advisory consultant teams work together to ensure your project is positioned for success, not just compliance.

We identify when retail is likely to underperform, when it adds unnecessary risk, and when it threatens the overall feasibility of a project. And we provide alternatives that still achieve planning goals without compromising housing production.

That means:

• Avoiding long-term vacancies that hurt project value and neighborhood optics.

• Preserving critical density by not letting underused commercial requirements shrink unit counts.

• Ensuring financing feasibility, especially in today’s tighter capital markets.

• Protecting affordability, especially for middle-income tenants who suffer most when housing supply is constrained.

Design With Reality, Not Just Policy

Retail works best in locations with existing foot traffic, strong visibility, and consumer demand. Most apartment sites—especially those on cheaper land or outside urban cores—don’t meet these criteria. But when cities require ground-floor retail anyway, they shift the cost and risk onto developers and ultimately to residents, all for a use that may never thrive.

We help solve this disconnect. Whether it's through early market studies, pro forma modeling, or stakeholder engagement, CHARLESGATE helps clients design what the market actually wants and needs. And when ground-floor activation is appropriate, we make sure it’s done right—with a focus on long-term leasing success and retail tenant mix.

Helping Cities Get Out of Their Own Way

Our goal isn’t to fight cities—it’s to help them make smarter decisions to support the fundamental human need of housing. Many municipalities genuinely want more housing and livelier communities. But when their zoning tools are blunt instruments, they often do more harm than good. CHARLESGATE helps bridge that gap with a pragmatic, market-aware approach that aligns city goals with development realities.

In a time when housing production faces so many external challenges—interest rates, labor shortages, construction costs—the last thing we need is outdated or unrealistic policies compounding the problem.

Let’s Build Smarter

CHARLESGATE is in the business of getting projects built—successfully, sustainably, and strategically. We pride ourselves on helping people live and invest better. Ground-floor retail can be a great addition to a development, but only when the market justifies it. We help our clients—and their cities—understand when that’s true, and when it’s not.

Because forcing retail into places where it won’t work doesn’t just create empty storefronts. It kills housing, slows down communities, and erodes the economic viability of development. Our job is to make sure that doesn’t happen.