Bike/Ped Infrastructure Around Abandoned Suburban Malls
 

I'm working on a trail/bike route project and in the middle of it is a 80's-era suburban mall on one corner of two major thoroughfares. There are still a few businesses operating in it, and the surrounding strip mall and stand-alone restaurants continue to operate. Access roads and traffic lights were set up to handle much higher traffic loads than the area is seeing at present. Everyone anticipates that the property will be re-developed at some point, but no announcements have been made. The property owner is subdividing some lots on the perimeter.

Ideally, routing a MUP around the perimeter of the property would be a big part of connecting a 11 mile MUP to a larger network along the bayous of Houston.

I'm looking for experience others may have in a situation like this. Of course, every property owner, government and situation is different, but if anyone has any "war stories" or key lessons learned in similar situations I'd like to hear about them. With the decline of suburban malls in the United States, I'd imagine this isn't a first.

Thank you.

Don't know anything specific for your project, but in general I'd say don't skimp on the road bed and drainage underneath the road bed. Often I see paved trails, roads and parking lots that are cosmetically perfect when new but in less than a year they have the beginnings of a pothole forming as the road bed underneath the pavement settles. Then once cracks start to form in the pavement, water gets in and quickly makes a once pretty pavement a horrible mess.

The road bed is the most important part of making a road last. IMO.

I'm a little unclear on whether you're saying it's near the end of the 11 mile path. I don't have any experience on this, but maybe figuring out a way to convince the property owner that the installation of a link to that path would enhance bicycle traffic to the former mall and therefore increase the potential retail customers, you might get an ally in trying to get this done.

What specifically are you attempting to accomplish? Bike lane/s? Signals? Paint is the easiest, as there won't be anything to demolish when/if the property is redeveloped. It's also the cheapest option, and therefor the city would complain (slightly) less. Just for gods' sake, don't let them put in sharrows.