Gee, Why Didn't We Think of That?

Shade in the parking lots, that is; it does seem intuitive, after all. There is a front page article in today's AZ Republic that gives praise to Basha's for starting to put more shade in its parking lots:

Now, in one of those "why didn't they do this earlier" situations, the Chandler-based Bashas' chain has begun adding shade canopies at some of its store parking lots and plans to offer more.

That's a great idea. I wonder why grocers might have resisted the idea in the past.

The reason the Valley doesn't have more store parking lot shades is not only the expense but because they are considered unattractive and detract from the fronts of buildings. Some cities, shopping center owners and homeowners associations balk at them, and others are more parking-shade friendly, store representatives said.

In our experience, "unattractive and detract from the fronts of buildings" is code for "you might not be able to see our 8-foot tall signage from the road."

I actually have visited this topic before, way back in 2005:

We should also come to grips with the critical need for shade in parking lots, not just to shade our vehicles but to reduce the buildup of heat.

I think I can safely say that I have come to grips with the critical need for shade in parking lots.

This quest for shade is actually one of the hallmarks of our planning in Morrison Ranch. It is one reason we plant so many trees - along with the desire to be a reminder of our agricultural roots - that will shade the sidewalks and eventually the streets of our residential communities. It's one reason we've asked the home builders to include front porches in their designs for our communities. It's one reason that the sidewalk and overhang are so large at Lakeview Village, along with the row of trees planted in front; even though the shopping center faces the west, which is the toughest situation to shade in Arizona, there is shade in the morning from the overhang, and when the trees grow there will be shade in the afternoon as well. And, most important to all of us parking lot wanderers as gas prices are rising, it's the reason we fill our commercial parking lots with trees. I was stunned to hear that the reason shopping centers don't install trees in the parking lots was because their name signs would be obscured from the road. I assured The Mister that every person I know who shops for groceries would memorize the stores that had some shade in which to park! I guess he passed that on, because I am starting to see more trees that actually shade something in more parking lots, even outside of Morrison Ranch. There are still some that plant Mesquite trees and then chop them to death so that they provide hope but no relief from the sun, but more often I am seeing honest to goodness shade trees. I welcome it, and look forward to the day when this becomes the norm rather than the exception.

So this is a topic near and dear to our hearts, and Basha's is to be commended. We are looking forward to having a new grocer in Lakeview Village, and soon, we hope. Maybe we can find a grocer that's interested in shade.