Join Pattern and officials from Arlington County, Virginia, to learn about how increasing the flexibility of permitted uses for ground-floor commercial space can improve economic resiliency, increase foot traffic, and improve overall downtown vitality. Communities in the Hudson Valley have taken a traditional retail approach to their downtown storefronts, even as vacancy rates and regional metrics suggest that our supply of downtown retail space outstrips the demand for it. Other communities throughout the country are loosening the rules to allow different ground-floor uses that can bring activity to Main Street. Officials from Arlington will share their experience with recent zoning changes that expanded permitted ground=floor uses along the Columbia Pike Corridor, providing insights that could help Hudson Valley cities, hamlets and villages diversify and activate downtown spaces.

Thank you to our co-presenters