Market Analysis Executive Summary

• Allen Road between Southfield Road and Ecorse Road

• Southfield Road between Roosevelt Road and Park Avenue

• Roosevelt Road between Southfield Road and Allen Road

• Park Road between Allen Road and Regina Avenue

Please refer to the map on the facing page for the exact study area boundaries.

The following issues are addressed in this study:

Issue 1: What is the current market position of retailers in downtown Allen Park? What are consumer’s awareness levels, perceptions and shopping habits of this district?

Issue 2: What are the different patron segments served by retailers in downtown Allen Park?

Issue 3: What is the trade area currently served by retailers in downtown Allen Park?

Issue 4: To whom do retailers in Allen Park appeal? What demographic groups do the various retail types in Allen Park attract?

Issue 5: What retailers are "at risk" due to competitive, demographic and lifestyle changes? What can be done to increase consumer patronage of downtown Allen Park?

Issue 6: What additional retailers and restaurants can be supported in Allen Park? What should be the size of these retailers and restaurants?

Issue 7: What are the possible uses for the current and expected vacant retail space in downtown Allen Park?

Issue 8: What would be an "ideal" tenant mix for downtown Allen Park?

Issue 9: In summary, what should be the retail master plan for downtown Allen Park?

1. A total of 312 intercept and 304 telephone surveys were collected to determine the current shopping habits of downtown Allen Park. The intercept surveys were conducted within the defined study area and the telephone surveys were conducted within the primary trade area as defined by the intercept survey respondents. The intercept surveys were conducted between September 10 and September 20, 2001. The telephone surveys were conducted between October 15 and November 2, 2001.

Questions asked in the interview included the following:

• Respondents' current shopping habits and usage of the current retail and restaurant mix in downtown Allen Park.

• Recommendations for new retailers and restaurants in downtown Allen Park.

• Expected patronage of proposed new retailers to downtown Allen Park.

• Identification of strengths and weaknesses of downtown Allen Park.

• Origin and destination of respondents.

• Address and zip code (home or work address) of respondent (to define trade areas).

• Demographic characteristics.
   

Please refer to Appendices 1 and 2 at the end of this report for a copy of the intercept and telephone surveys.

2. We conducted a thorough field evaluation of the locational characteristics of the retailers in the downtown Allen Park study area, as defined, the week of September 10, 2001. In particular, we evaluated their physical configuration, visibility and accessibility, as well as their proximity to competitive retail facilities. We also evaluated the merchandise mix, price points, selection, presentation, service levels, and determined the approximate sales area (retail space) of these retailers.

3. Additionally, we conducted a competitive inventory of all existing and proposed shopping areas within the trade area, as well as all major shopping centers outside the trade area (60,000 GLA or larger). Our evaluation includes observations and comments regarding site characteristics, tenant mix, consumer appeal, price points, merchandising and presentation. Please refer to Appendix 5 of this report for a complete listing of shopping center competition and competitive profiles.

4. The most recent population estimates and future population projections were collected from both local and national planning authorities for the defined residential trade area. Also, we used national and local sources to estimate the worker population. Using data from both the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census and National Decision Systems, Inc., we obtained the most recent demographic characteristics, such as median household income, income distributions, median age, white-collar employment, and average household size. This data was collected for both the total trade area and for each census tract within the trade area.

5. Expenditure potential estimates obtained from National Decision Systems, Inc. were broken down into categories according to the Census of Retail Trade to calculate the expenditure potential for various retail types within the trade area. We then determined the supportable square footage of sales area for retail space for each retail category.

6. Based on the results of the competitive analysis, the consumer surveys, and the retail expenditure potential calculations, we conducted a retail void analysis. The purpose of this void analysis was to compare the supportable square footages for each retail category with the actual square footages for each category to ascertain whether there is an over-stored or an under-stored situation by retail category within the Allen Park market area.

7. Finally, based on the results of the void analysis, we identified retail types which can be supported in Allen Park. We then forecasted potential sales for these retail categories.

The following assumptions were made for this study:

1. All population data obtained from local and national sources are accurate and reflect the true characteristics of the market.

2. The economic conditions of the metropolitan Allen Park area will remain constant. Given the current market conditions and the market conditions of the Allen Park market over the past twenty years, in our professional opinion, we believe it is safe to assume the economic conditions of the metropolitan Allen Park market will remain constant for the next five years.

3. No major competitive changes will occur, other than those mentioned in this report.

Market Insite Group, with over thirty-five years of experience in the retail development area, is widely respected for its research abilities. This study was conducted by Mr. Jeff Hershey, Director of Professional Services, with the aid of various office staff. Combined, these individuals have over thirty years experience in locational and viability analysis of shopping districts. Although this project was commissioned by the Allen Park Downtown Development Authority, no conclusions or recommendations were promised. This report, and the conclusions and recommendations made herein, represent our independent evaluation of the City of Allen Park's central shopping district.

The following are the key findings of this study:

The existing Allen Park shopping district currently offers nearly 260,000 square feet of retail space and services (sales area). The district is currently anchored by a strong home décor base of tenants (Metropolitan Furniture Interiors and Anna’s Drapery) as well as Aco Hardware and Marshall Music. Additionally, the downtown is home to a variety of restaurants. However, the existing tenant mix offers limited shopping alternatives. As a result, Market Insite Group recommends the following additional retail space to create a more balanced shopping district within the city:

• 14,000 additional square feet of apparel and accessories, including two to three women’s apparel shops, a local outfitter store or army/navy store and a specialty shoe store.

• 18,500 additional square feet of restaurant and specialty foods including an Applebee’s or similar restaurant with a neighborhood ambiance, a Bill Knapps, a bagel/coffee shop and a soup and salad restaurant. Additionally, we recommend a vitamin/health food store.

• 37,000 additional square feet of retail to include:

  • A Radio Shack

  • Several arts and crafts stores with classes

  • A Borders outlet or local bookstore

  • General merchandise store, such as Dollar General

  • Several local furniture stores such as Casual Comfort and an antique gallery

  • A household accessory store, such as Wells Cargo or Home Goods

  • A tobacco shop offering fine cigars and pipe tobacco

  • A hobby store, such as Rider Hobby

Please refer to the Recommended New Retail table on the facing page for a list of recommended retailers as well as forecasted sales for each of the recommended retailers.

These additions will result in a total of 69,500 square feet (or 26.7%) of additional retail space.

The proposed added retail space can be obtained by new construction, converting existing vacant space to retail space, and/or converting existing office space to retail space.

Further, we recommend that the retail be encouraged to locate to create small retail "hubs" within the city to encourage cross shopping between similar retailers. As such, the furniture/antique stores should be located near Metropolitan Furniture Interiors and the hobby store should be located near Roll Models. Both new restaurants should be encouraged to locate at sites to anchor the downtown, near the intersection of Allen Road and Ecorse Road or to fill in the large vacant space between the Aco Hardware/National City Bank and the retail core along Allen Road.

The additional recommended retail space is what is supportable now within the existing trade area. As the critical mass of retail is developed in the Allen Park area, the trade area will expand, possibly enabling the area to support additional retail space in the future.

The following is our rationale for the recommended retail mix for Allen Park:

Market Insite Group conducted a "retail void analysis" of the downtown Allen Park district. As part of this analysis, the existing and projected expenditure potential was divided by average sales per square foot of retail tenants for each retail category to determine current and projected supportable retail in the trade area. Finally, the existing retail in and surrounding the market was inventoried and subtracted from the supportable retail to determine what additional retail is supportable in the downtown district. As part of this analysis, the following retail tenant types are currently "overstored" in the market, or at risk:

• Bakeries

• Drug stores

In order to remain viable in the market, the city has to either expand the existing trade area served, or the retailers must either diversify their product offerings or their wholesale business.

Additionally, the operations of a few of the existing retailers found in the downtown district should be upgraded to match the competition in the surrounding market to remain viable. There is ample expenditure potential to support the retailers, but the operations are inferior to competitive operations surrounding downtown Allen Park. These retail tenant types include:

• Personal services/hair salons

• Convenience/liquor stores

Current shoppers of downtown Allen Park are generally pleased by the district, with issues such as security and parking not an issue that is deterring consumers. However, there are things that can be done to help raise the shopping experience in the downtown and encourage additional cross-shopping in the district, including:

Currently, Allen Road offers five lanes of traffic and serves over 20,000 cars a day. Currently, traffic is maintained by traffic lights at the intersections of Garfield, White and Philomene. However, these traffic volumes, coupled with the width of the roadway, hampers and is intimidating to pedestrian traffic in the area (especially with the older consumer base being served in the area). As such, every effort should be made to calm and control traffic in the area. These include:

Signage needs to be improved throughout the district, noting first and foremost the existence of the district from both Southfield Road and on Allen Road south of Ecorse Road, as well as the location of parking throughout the district. Once retail hubs are established, signage could also direct traffic to those retail hubs, as well as to the major civic structures in the area.

Parking throughout the district is amply available and FREE, which is unique for downtown business districts. As such, both issues should be promoted whenever possible.

Businesses on the west side of Allen Road use the parking lot to the west and, as such, for most of these businesses, the primary entrance to the store is located on the west side of the building. The result is the façade facing Allen Road is left either vacant or an afterthought, with few enticing window displays to encourage pedestrians to walk by and windowshop. All businesses should be encouraged to regularly change their store fronts to keep pedestrian interest and encourage those walking by to stop in.

Most of the businesses in downtown Allen Park are locally owned and operated. While the independent business operator is a "plus" for the downtown and key for the success of the district, store hours of operation vary widely from business to business. As such, it is unclear if you should be headed downtown, exactly which business may be open or closed on that day or at that time of day. Uniform hours of business operation should be encouraged throughout the district.

A vital part of a successful downtown retail strategy is the ability to attract and retain successful retail tenants. Allen Park should create and pursue an aggressive strategy including:

The City of Allen Park’s central business district is located at:

• Allen Road between Southfield Road and Ecorse Road

• Southfield Road between Roosevelt Road and Park Avenue

• Roosevelt Road between Southfield Road and Allen Road

• Park Road between Allen Road and Regina Avenue

The district offers a mix of retail, professional offices and entertainment uses and is anchored by:

• Retail: Marshall Music, Metropolitan Furniture Interiors and Aco Hardware

• Professional Offices: U.S. Postal Service, Oakwood Health Clinic, Allen Park/Melvindale Court and Secretary of State Office

• Entertainment: Roosevelt Lanes, Allen Park Civic Arena and AMC Theater

Most of the ancillary retail and restaurants are primarily located on Allen Road, with Park Avenue hosting a core of professional offices, as well as several retailers. Both Park Avenue and Allen Road are tree lined, with public furniture, as well as street lighting, however, Park Avenue’s streetscape is the most recent of the two.

Allen Park offers a total of nearly 260,000 square feet of retail and office space, excluding the civic buildings. Of this, most of the space (42%) is either retail, restaurant or entertainment uses, with 50% used for professional or personal services. A complete profile of the businesses located in the downtown business district can be found in Appendix 5.

Regional access to the Allen Park business district is provided by Southfield Road. Southfield Road offers eight lanes of divided bi-directional traffic with "Michigan turn-arounds". Southfield Road turns into a limited access highway approximately one and one-half miles northwest of the district, after intersecting with Interstate 94. To the east, Southfield Road connects with Interstate 75 approximately one mile from the district.

Local access to the business district is excellent, as offered by Allen Road from the northeast and southwest, Ecorse Road from the west, as well as Southfield Road. Both Allen Road and Ecorse Road offers four lanes of bi-directional traffic with a center turn lane. The intersections of Southfield Road and Allen Road, and Allen Road and Ecorse Road are signaled.

Once entering the business district, traffic flow is not so easy. Park Avenue connects to Allen Road, traveling south with two lanes of bi-directional traffic. The intersection is signaled, however, traffic traveling north on Park Avenue must turn right at the intersection. Additionally, the side streets (Philomene Avenue and White Street) are one way and signaled at the intersection with Allen Road. Garfield Road offers two-way traffic, however, the intersection with Allen Road is controlled by stop signs on Garfield, with no traffic controls on Allen Road.

Painted pedestrian crossings are provided on Allen Road, and signaled at the intersections of both Philomene Avenue and White Street. Painted pedestrian crossings are provided at Garfield Road, however, the crossing is not signaled. Pedestrian crossings are also provided at all major intersections along Park Avenue, and while not signaled, are more than adequate given the stop signs and limited traffic.

The most recent traffic counts in the area are:

*1998 Average Bi-directional Count

** 2000 Average Bi-directional Count

*** 2001 Average Bi-Directional Count

Parking in the Allen Park business district is free and easily available. Park Avenue offers both angled street parking, as well as several paved and lit parking lots. Allen Road offers parallel parking, with an additional paved parking lot west of (and behind) the retailers/offices. The paved lots, however, are in various states of repair. Additional parking lots are provided in front of the Aco Hardware and Oakwood Health Clinic on Southfield Road.

Signage directing traffic into the business district is limited. Currently, signage is located in the median on Southfield Road noting "Allen Park" as the city, but not directing traffic into the district. Marshall Music has a plyon sign at the intersection of Southfield Road and Allen Road, with no mention of the business district. Park Avenue’s business district is signed via metal lettering on a low brick wall located on Allen Road between Southfield Road and Park Avenue. This signage is only visible to traffic traveling east on Southfield Road.

Proceeding north on Allen Road, south of the district, limited signage is provided to direct traffic along Allen Road into the district. No additional parking or directional signs are provided once entering the district.

Both primary and secondary trade areas were defined for the Allen Park business district based on the results of the intercept survey conducted in the downtown study area. As defined, the primary trade area extends:

• North to the Rouge River and Interstate 94

• East to Interstate 75

• South to Goddard Road and

• West to Pelham Road

As such, the primary trade area includes the cities of Allen Park and Melvindale, and a small portion of Lincoln Park. Based on the customer spotting, approximately 67% of the customer base lives within the defined primary trade area.

The secondary trade area serves an expanded population base (to the north to Wayne Road, east to West Jefferson and Fort Street, south to Northline Road and west to Telegraph Road). Approximately 12% of Allen Park’s business district customer base comes from the defined secondary trade area. The remaining 21% of those using downtown Allen Park come from beyond the defined trade areas.

Please refer to the trade area and retail competition map in Appendix 5 for the exact location of the trade area boundaries.

The primary trade area offers an estimated population base of 46,940 persons, which is projected to decrease slightly (2.8%) to 45,601 persons by 2006. The household base is currently estimated at 18,623 and projected to decrease slightly (2.5%) to 18,152 households by 2006. As such, the average persons per household is currently 2.5.

The secondary trade area currently has an estimated population base of an additional 81,444 persons, which is projected to decrease 3.6% to 78,534 persons by 2006. Households in the secondary trade area are estimated at 30,966 and projected to decrease 3.1% to 30,012 households by 2006. Persons per household in the secondary trade area are 2.63.

As such, the total trade area for the Allen Park central business district serves an estimated current population base of 128,384 persons. This base is projected to decline slightly (3.3% or 0.7% annually) to 124,135 persons by the year 2006. The current household base for the total trade area is estimated at 49,589 and projected to decline to 48,164 (2.9%) by 2006. Persons per household is reportedly 2.58.

The following table compares the current and projected population base for the trade area to the surrounding communities:

The primary trade area offers a median household income of $46,466 and per capita income of $21,795. The secondary trade area income levels are slightly lower ($45,220 and $20,336, respectively) resulting in a trade area total median household income of $45,689 and per capita income of $20,870. By comparison, the city of Allen Park offers a stronger median household income of $54,260 (19% higher) and per capita income of $24,341 (17% higher) as demonstrated on the following chart:

 Nearly 24% of the trade area households report income levels between $50,000 and $75,000, with an additional 21% reporting household incomes higher than $75,000. However, nearly 26% of the City of Allen Park households report incomes between $50,000 and $75,000. An additional 28% to 29% report household incomes higher than $75,000.

Of those employed in the primary trade area, 57% are employed in white-collar occupations, compared to 51% in the total trade area and 64% in the City of Allen Park. Most are employed in administrative, management and professional specialty occupations (22%), followed by 21% in clerical positions and 10% in sales.

The median age of the primary trade area is 39.9 years. By comparison, the total trade area has a median age of 38.2 years. The City of Allen Park has the oldest population base with a median age of 41.7 years, followed by Melvindale (37.5 years) and Lincoln Park (37.1 years). The median age for Wayne County is 35 years. Nearly 34% of the primary trade area’s population base is aged 50 years or older, compared to 37% of Allen Park, 30% of Melvindale and 29% of Lincoln Park.

Racially, the primary trade area is primarily white (95%). Most are married (57%) and live in owner-occupied housing (80%). Most drive alone to work (85%), with an average travel time of 20 minutes. Of the females aged 16 years or older, most (40%) are not in the labor force and have no children in the household. An additional 30% are working with no children in the household.

The secondary trade area is also primarily white (93%), married (56%) and living in owner-occupied housing (79%). Most drive to work alone (86%) with an average commute time of 21 minutes. Of the females aged 16 years or older, 35% are not in the labor force with no children and 32% are working with no children.

Please refer to the population and demographic profiles located in Appendix 3 for further details.

To help determine purchasing patterns of the Allen Park consumer base, Market Insite Group conducted a MicroVision lifestyle analysis of the primary and secondary trade areas. MicroVision lifestyles are an attempt to place consumers into 50 categories based on their purchasing patterns. Households are based on the ZIP+4 level of geography, enabling the system to identify households on the smallest geographic level possible.

The strongest lifestyles identified in the primary trade area are the Home Sweet Home, White Picket Fence and Settled In categories. Combined, these three lifestyles encompass nearly 60% of the households in the trade area. Alone, White Picket Fence comprises 44% of the households in the secondary trade area. The lifestyles reflect both the older customer base, as well as the higher median household income levels found in the City of Allen Park, compared to the surrounding communities.

The following table details the primary lifestyles of the primary and secondary trade areas:

Please refer to Appendix 4 for the lifestyle profile reports for the primary, secondary and total trade area, as well as for a detailed description of the primary lifestyles found in the Allen Park area.

In addition to the residential population base, the Allen Park downtown business district also serves a population base that works nearby. In total, an additional 5,651 persons are employed within one mile of the central business district by 616 businesses. Most of the employment base is employed in either the retail sector or the service sector (34% and 33%, respectively). The following table details the daytime employment within a one-mile radius of the downtown, by business type:

Please refer to Appendix 3 for the complete daytime employment report for a one-mile radius of the downtown business district.

Direct competition to the Allen Park business district is located to the northwest in Dearborn and to the southeast in Wyandotte. The Dearborn West Village business district is anchored by Westborn Market, as well as a strong core of restaurants. In total, the district offers nearly 190,000 square feet of retail space, centered primarily along Michigan Avenue. Reflective of the neighboring population base, the appeal of retailers in the area are mixed, both in age, appeal and ethnicity.

The business district in Wyandotte is much smaller in size, with only approximately 76,000 square feet of retail space and 22,000 square feet of professional and personal services. The Wyandotte business district appeals strongly to the close-in demographics and neighboring Wyandotte General Hospital, offering a mix of apparel and gift retailers. The following table compares Allen Park’s retail base to both Dearborn and Wyandotte.

As noted in the above table, both Dearborn and Wyandotte offer not only a stronger percentage of apparel and accessories, but also a larger square footage of retailers in this category. Additionally, both competing shopping districts offer a stronger percentage of restaurants and food related tenants in the core shopping district.

Regional and shopping center competition to the Allen Park business district is found approximately one mile east of the district at the Lincoln Park Shopping Center. This is an older center anchored by a large Sears unit (331,000 square feet). The Sears unit occupies slightly more than half of the entire space offered at the center (643,011 square feet). Other retailers include Dunham’s Sporting Goods and Old Navy, as well as a theater with eight screens.

Stronger regional shopping center competition is offered to the north (approximately three and a half miles north) at the Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn and three miles south at Southland center in Taylor. Both centers are anchored by JC Penney and Marshall Field’s, with Fairlane also anchored by Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue and Sears. Of the two, Fairlane is larger (1,400,000 GLA compared to 903,000 GLA). However, the retail sales reported at Fairlane Town Center are weak in comparison to the retail offered.

Community shopping centers located within the defined secondary trade area include Sunrise Shopping Center and Taylor Commons, over a mile west in Taylor. Additionally, Lincoln Park Plaza is located on the southeast periphery of the trade area in Lincoln Park. Of the three centers, only Taylor Commons is newer, anchored by a strong Kroger unit.

Additionally, the secondary trade area also offers two Super K units, one in Lincoln Park and the other on the periphery of the Allen Park city limits.

Please refer to the competitive profiles and map in Appendix 5 for the exact location of the major retail competition in the greater Allen Park market.

During September 10 to September 20, 2001, an intercept survey was conducted by Market Insite Group of consumers visiting the Allen Park downtown business district. The 312 respondents were asked questions concerning shopping habits, both in the business district, as well as in the surrounding community. Additionally, respondents were asked what changes would be needed in the downtown area to encourage them to visit the district more often. The survey instrument, as well as the complete results, can be found in Appendix 1. The following are the results of the survey.

• By far, most people surveyed were in Allen Park to shop. In total, 45% of respondents came to shop, followed by 12% for dining, and 8% to visit the Secretary of State office. Only 7.5% of those surveyed are working in downtown Allen Park.

• Of those surveyed, most visited downtown Allen Park one to six times a week (54%), followed by daily (29%) and monthly (14%). Of those visiting the downtown area on a weekly basis, approximately the same visit the area once, twice or three times a week (12%, 14% and 13%, respectively). Of those visiting on a daily basis, 82% visit only once a day.

• The time of day most visit the downtown area is well distributed, with most (27%) visiting at no particular time. Most patrons also visit the district during no particular day of the week. The following charts demonstrate the time of day and day of the week patrons are most likely to visit the district:

• Of those surveyed, most visited the area to shop (31%) with Aco Hardware the most mentioned store. Restaurants were also a strong reason for visiting the downtown area (17%), with Ted’s Coney Island the most frequently noted restaurant. Banks were also frequently mentioned (15%) by respondents. The average amount spent was highest for professional services. Consumers average expenditure for shopping was $25 and $11 for restaurants.

• The mean time spent in downtown Allen Park is reported as 61 minutes. Most respondents reported one hour as the average time spent (28%), however, 41% of the respondents spend less than one hour during an average visit.

• When asked how often in the past three months they had visited retail/restaurant/service types in downtown Allen Park, gas stations had the highest number of responses (206) with an average of 13 visits. Casual restaurants and drugstores were next with 170 responses/10 visits and 159 responses/9 visits, respectively.

• The one shopping area most patronized by those surveyed was Southland Mall (36%), followed by Lincoln Park Shopping Center (18%) and downtown Allen Park (10%). Only 3% mentioned Fairlane Town Center. Twenty-two percent (22%) mentioned a discount department store or super-center such as Kmart, Wal-Mart, Meijer or Target.

• When respondents who indicated they patronized areas other than Allen Park more often were asked why, most mentioned the variety of stores (10%), proximity to home (9%), more stores (8%) and everything in one place (7%). Better prices, store selection and convenience were mentioned by 6% of the respondents. Locational issues, such as cleanliness and safety were rarely mentioned.

• When those respondents who indicated they patronized Allen Park most often were asked why, proximity to home was the major factor (34%) followed by the desire to support local businesses (14%).

• Other shopping areas mentioned by all respondents included Super K/Lincoln Park (14%), Meijer/Taylor, Southland Mall and Lincoln Park Shopping Center (11%), Wal-Mart/Taylor (8%) and Downtown Allen Park (7%).

The following chart details the mean rating of Allen Park’s central business district:

• When asked what restaurants they would like to see downtown, most mentioned Applebee’s (8%), followed by a steakhouse, family-style restaurant, high quality restaurant or Mexican restaurant (4%). Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Ruby Tuesdays were also chain restaurant names mentioned.

• When asked what businesses they would like to see downtown, apparel stores were most frequently mentioned (7%), followed by a supermarket (5%), Kmart, a shoe store, Home Depot and Meijer (3%).

• Suggested improvements to the downtown area include the following:

  • Better parking 5%

  • Roadwork 5%

  • More stores 4%

  • New business facades 3%

  • More apparel 3%

  • More police presence 3%

  • Improve road appearance 2%

  • Cleanliness 2%

  • More parking 2%

The following table details suggested improvements by category:

• When asked if angled parking on Allen Road would change the patronage of the downtown area, most said they would visit that area about the same (57%), with nearly the same stating they would visit more often or less often (21% and 22%, respectively).

• By far, most visiting the district came from home (60%) followed by those coming from work (14%). Similarly, most were headed home afterwards (57%) followed by those heading toward a store (14%) and work (9%).

• Of those surveyed, 59% were Allen Park residents. Additionally, 77% of the Allen Park respondents have lived in the city for more than 10 years.

• The following are the demographics of those responding to the survey:

  • Median age 47 years

  • Median Household Income $53,485

  • Sex – Male 56%

  • Sex – Female 44%

  • Ethnicity – White 95%

  • Ethnicity – African American 4%

• A strong percentage of those surveyed had shopped in downtown Allen Park within the past week (63%), with an additional 14% having shopped the district within the past two weeks.

• Only 9% of those surveyed had never visited the downtown area. When asked why, most (58%) of these respondents said that there were not enough variety of stores.

• Over the past six months, most (28%) had made 1 to 10 visits downtown, followed by 20% and 19% who had visited the district 11 to 20 times and 21 to 30 times, respectively. However, most respondents (14%) said they visited the downtown weekly (24 times in 6 months), followed by the bi-weekly shoppers (11% - 12 times in 6 months).

• Once again, most people surveyed come to Allen Park to shop. In total, 34% of respondents said they came to shop, followed by 16% to eat and 15% to do their banking. Nine to ten percent of the respondents came downtown to visit either the government offices or professional offices. An additional 8% went to the movie theater.

• The time of day most respondents visited the downtown area is well distributed, with most (34%) visiting in the morning (7 am to 11 am), 17% visiting during lunchtime (11 am to 1pm) and 25% visiting in the afternoon (1 pm to 5 pm). An additional 13% reported they visited the area during no particular time. As found in the intercept survey, most patrons visit the district during no particular day of the week. The following charts demonstrate the time of day and day of the week patrons are most likely to visit the district compared to the results of the intercept survey:

• Of those surveyed, by far most visit the area to shop (63%). Professional services were mentioned by 13% of respondents and restaurants were mentioned by 12% of respondents.

• The mean time spent in downtown Allen Park is reported as 1 hour 10 minutes. Most respondents reported less than one hour as the average time spent (32%), followed closely by one hour (30%). An additional 21% reported they spent two hours in the downtown area.

• Most come to the downtown area from home (97%) and return there after visiting the downtown area (80%).

• The following chart details the mean rating of Allen Park’s central business district:

• The shopping area most patronized by the telephone respondents is the Southland Mall (40%), followed by Lincoln Park Center (21%). Only 9% of the respondents named downtown Allen Park as their primary shopping area.

• When asked why other areas were patronized more often than downtown Allen Park, variety of stores was most mentioned (8%), followed closely by proximity to home (also 8%), better selection, better value, more stores and better sales (7%).

• Those respondents patronizing downtown Allen Park most often, do so because of the proximity to home (25%) and convenience (13%).

• However, downtown Allen Park is used as a secondary shopping place for nearly 13% of shoppers, with only Southland Mall named more often (14%).

• When asked what they would like to see added to downtown Allen Park, most mentioned apparel stores (9%), women’s apparel (7%), and a supermarket (8%). Specific stores, such as JC Penney, Meijer, Target and Wal-Mart were mentioned by 7%, 6%, 6% and 4% of those surveyed, respectively.

• When asked what restaurants they would like to see downtown, most mentioned Applebee’s (11%), followed by a steakhouse (9%) and family-style restaurant (7%), the same as suggested in the intercept survey. Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Ruby Tuesdays were also chain restaurant names mentioned, just as in the intercept survey.

• Suggested improvements to the downtown area include:

• More Apparel 14%

• More Stores 11%

• Better Parking 7%

• Roadwork 5%

• Shoe Store 4%

• More Parking 4%

The following table details suggested improvements by category:

• Of the respondents, most (65%) were Allen Park residents. Many of the residents have lived in Allen Park for a substantial period of time (62% have lived there more than 20 years, with 41 to 50 years the largest recorded answer). Only 20% of the respondents have lived in Allen Park ten or fewer years.

• The following are the demographics of those responding to the survey: