Transforming overlooked corridors full of parking lots into vibrant, full-service neighborhoods.Corridor Strategies
Breathing new life into overlooked corridors.
Corridor strategies give communities a clear, practical, politically feasible path to add housing, support local business, and create magnetic places for people—all without picking fights in established neighborhoods. They start with what’s ready, not what’s resistant.
Every community has corridors that have been overlooked for decades—places with outdated strip malls, empty parking lots, fast traffic, and little reason to linger. These are often the places people drive through, not to. But they’re also where many communities hold some of their greatest potential for smart, incremental growth.
Four reasons we believe in transforming corridors:
Existing Infrastructure — Building where utilities already exist maximizes every public dollar. New sewer, water, and roads can take 50–80 years to pay off. Build where the pipes already are.
Less Resistance — Corridor sites sit at the edges of neighborhoods, not the center, making them ideal for incremental growth and diverse housing types with minimal community pushback.
Underutilized Land — Vacant parcels, blighted strip centers, and empty parking lots sit on valuable corridors while contributing far less to the tax base than they could.
Unrealized Potential — Well-planned corridors become walkable, mixed-use destinations — adding housing, supporting small businesses, and generating the tax revenue needed to sustain roads and public services.
Phase 1: The Corridor StudyAnalyzing the Existing Landscape
Communities can’t plan for the future without understanding what they already have.
We begin by analyzing: What’s allowed today? What’s effectively prohibited? Where does zoning align with market demand, and where does it unintentionally constrain it?
Demographic Shifts and Market NeedsHousing demand is changing.
A Local Housing Study analyzes population trends, income levels, and market performance to determine what types of housing are needed, and financially viable.
Aligning policy with real, measurable demand helps communities plan for the future instead of reacting to it.
Implications of the Status QuoZoning determines who can live in a community and at what cost — and it is far from neutral. When regulations limit housing types or restrict incremental growth, the result is fewer units, higher costs, and a shrinking tax base while infrastructure liabilities grow. Understanding these tradeoffs helps local leaders decide whether current policies support or undermine their long-term goals.
Taxable Value AnalysisDifferent types of land generate very different levels of tax revenue relative to the infrastructure serving them. A taxable value per acre analysis often reveals that fully serviced corridors underperform compared to walkable, mixed-use areas nearby. This insight helps communities direct growth where infrastructure already exists and where reinvestment will do the most long-term good.
Every community has corridors with untapped potential — aging commercial strips, underused parcels, and places where missing middle housing fits naturally. We assess infrastructure, land use, market demand, and barriers to identify exactly where incremental growth makes the most sense. The result is a focused corridor strategy that protects stable neighborhoods while directing development where it will have the greatest impact.
Identifying Key Corridors
Rendering New PossibilitiesData builds credibility. Visuals build understanding.
We translate analysis into clear, people-centered illustrations of what change could look like. Not abstract concepts, but realistic transformations grounded in local market conditions, infrastructure capacity, and local context.
By showing how housing, small businesses, and public spaces can fit within existing corridors, communities can move from debating density to envisioning opportunity.
Phase 2: Activating the Corridor StrategyStakeholder Engagement + Communication
We work with elected officials, staff, property owners, residents, and local institutions to build alignment around the corridor vision. That includes clear messaging about why growth is being directed to specific areas, how it protects stable neighborhoods, and what benefits it delivers: fiscally and socially.
Engagement is structured and purposeful. We’re not asking the community whether change should happen. We’re demonstrating where it makes sense, what it looks like, and how it supports long-term goals.
When communication is clear and grounded in data, momentum follows.
Stakeholder MappingTogether, we identify key decision-makers, influencers, property owners, institutional partners, and potential champions, along with likely opposition. Understanding who shapes perception and policy allows engagement efforts to be targeted, efficient, and constructive.
Clarity on stakeholders reduces surprises and builds momentum.
Strategic CommunicationWe help communities clearly articulate why growth is being directed to specific corridors, how it protects established neighborhoods, and what fiscal and social benefits it delivers.
When the narrative is clear, resistance softens and confidence grows.
Identify Aligned Finance + SubsidiesWe evaluate which sites can attract private investment and which require tools such as tax increment financing, land assembly, density bonuses, or direct subsidy.
The result is a corridor strategy that is not just aspirational, but executable.