Monster Retail Complex Planned for West 3rd and Fairfax

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Blackburn & Sweetzer brings word of a huge development scheduled to arrive at West 3rd and Fairfax sometime in 2010. Owned by A.F. Gilmore Co, the complex includes a 25,000-square-foot anchor space, plus another 18,250 square feet of space for restaurants and retail, plus masses of parking. It is, in a word, big—the kind of big that makes all the neighbors worry they'll get accidentally squashed. Laments B&S: "What is becoming of our area, once rich with independent retailers? Finally, two floors of parking, but with no relief for our dwindling indie boutiques. And can we talk about what the traffic situation will be like?" Can we also talk about the fact that there's a recession going on? The timing for such a massive complex is not exactly what you'd call prime.
· Real Estates—Major Retail and Restaurant Development Planned for West 3rd and Fairfax [B&S]