[Great_Hizzy]

Good lord, Trae is exactly right. This thing looks like some of the condos going up in South Florida. Not bad nor good, just nothing special. And WG's crack about the strippish look of the ground floor is funny. Given the condo's location, I doubt if a true urban design with urbanely registered retail appointments would work unless you changed the dynamics of the rest of the island. Since the majority of existing homes in the neighborhood are single-home units (given what's presented in the photo) with residents who drive, they're going to want to park at this new retail center.

I suppose, though, you could've changed the design somewhat to detach the retail structures from the building more if you were trying to appease the more car-oriented clientelle. Maybe a smaller, one-story building loosely attached to the main structure via some sort of covered walkway?

Anyway, the parking lot, all things considered, is fairly minimalistic. Actually about the prefered size of a parking lot in, say, Midtown or the Med Center. The problem (for a true urbanist) is that the lot sits in front of the retail outlets, ruining the urban feel. Also, given the size of the area in which the project is to be built, it is difficult to take that same lot and place it somewhere else (or reconfigure it) without making it inconvenient or uninticing to potential consumers living outside the building (that is, people who drive). And the people who drive will undoubtedly be a big part of those reatailers' revenue.

Thus, pragmatism first, urban design second--in this context. At the least, hopefully there will be nice landscaping in the parking lot.