Town & Country Village, a property of Ellis Partners Developers, was facing significant retail vacancy from the pandemic and a change in retail due to online shopping that required a strong strategic plan to rebrand the vision for the center and refocus priorities as an ownership group.

A plan was developed that recognized that while retail centers have long been part of community, ownership was increasingly being asked not just to be a mix of strong tenants, but a place to gather and create experience all its own. A place to feel safe and connected — just driving into the center. A place to know that not just one need can be met — but several. A place to gather for holidays with local community. With that in mind, the strategic plan included not only traditional graphic panels, but environmental art that added to the “town” and street signs for wayfinding, creating an internal sense of “village” all its own. An in-depth street naming exercise was embraced and chosen names cultivated a deeper sense of place. On-site educational panels that shared the naming stories aligned with the Stanford University based community’s innate interest in continuous learning. Partnerships with tenants and local charities encouraged use of vacancies as opportunities for connection and a plan for community engagement was part of the design and project deliverables. Use of creative illustration that played off the newly installed environmental art was used for the visuals. The vision fostered inclusion and diversity by avoiding traditional cliche diversity imagery and focused around aspects of connection all people share. The plan resulted in a dynamic experience that while increasing revenue and tenancy — in tandem, fostered community, a business goal that the long time developer was more than satisfied to integrate as a native to the area.