For Developers & Planners

Every community builds retail. Not every community builds a heartbeat.

When you weave the right mix of restaurants, shops, and gathering spaces into a development, you’re not just filling storefronts — you’re creating the places where neighbors meet, kids grow up, and stories begin. This is what turns a location into a legacy.

Why It Works

  • 79% of Americans say walkable access to shops and parks is important.

  • 90% of Millennials & Gen Z will pay more for it.

  • Homes in walkable communities sell for $500–$3,000 more per Walk Score point.

  • Walkable retail boosts rents by 27–54% and accelerates sales velocity.

When you give people somewhere to gather, linger, and connect, you don’t just fill space — you create loyalty, pride, and value that compounds over time.

⬅️ Rosemary Beach, Florida

Our Signature Approach

We’ve distilled decades of retail, hospitality, and placemaking experience into a proven, repeatable framework for creating retail that works — financially and emotionally.

Step 1 – Retail DNA Analysis

We uncover who your buyers are, what they value, and what’s missing in their daily lives.

  • Demographic & psychographic research

  • Competitive landscape mapping

  • Category demand & opportunity analysis

Step 4 – Partnership Model Design

A thriving retail core needs a financial structure that works for everyone.

  • Lease, ownership, and JV models

  • Activation-focused deal structures

  • Public-private funding strategies

Step 2 – Listening Before We Build

We spend time on the ground, talking with the people who will live, work, and invest here.

  • Stakeholder interviews (property owners, chefs, civic leaders, business owners)

  • On-site visioning for retail adjacencies, flow, and activation

  • Aligning your development story with community desires

Step 5 – Metrics & Media Integration

We prove the value of your retail beyond rent rolls.

  • Track home sales velocity, PR reach, event attendance, and retail performance

  • Collaborate with your PR team to turn wins into marketing stories

  • Position you as a first-to-market innovator for future projects

Step 3 – Tenant Curation & Activation

The right space without the right people is just… space. We recruit operators who bring your brand story to life and keep energy high year-round.

  • Tenant mix strategy

  • Brand scouting & recruitment

  • Pop-up & activation programming:

    • Night markets in summer.

    • Harvest dinners in fall.

    • Patio concerts in spring.

The Ripple Effect

When retail is planned with intention, it sparks more than commerce:

  • Sales Velocity – Homes sell faster and at higher price points.

  • Brand Story – PR teams excited to share the news and influencer buzz increase.

  • Community Bonds – Neighbors connect and stay engaged.

One coffee leads to a conversation.

That conversation leads to a friendship.

And over time, those friendships weave into the identity of your community.


What We’ve Delivered

  • Curated chef-led anchors that became community icons

  • Flexible retail bays that evolved with tenant needs

  • Seasonal activation calendars that kept traffic high

  • Metrics that proved ROI in home sales and the ripple effect from the amenities offered.

  • terra alma is different because of their passion. Edie works tirelessly to find the critical pieces of the retail puzzle.

    Mason Zimmerman, CEO Pope and Land

  • I recommend terra alma as partners to make your dreams come to life.

    Justin Douglas, Owner of Simple Man Distillery.

  • Edie has the inside track, the beauty is that she has her finger on the pulse months ahead of everyone else.

    Douglas Hines, Owner of The Consulate and Honeybubble

  • We are grateful for you always helping us in our business path..You have become our angel. Thank you!

    Lucero Obregon, Owner of Zocalo and Taqueria La Luz

  • There is a mutual respect and understanding in knowing what we're looking for and what we want. Finding the right location has everything to do with terra alma.

    Alex Kinjo, Creative Director, Kinjo Enterprises

Services at a Glance.

While our process is tailored to each project, these core services guide every engagement:

Retail Vision Workshop

A half-day deep dive to uncover your site’s connection potential. We look beyond square footage to design spaces that feel alive, safe, and welcoming — the kind of places that anchor a community’s daily life. This early vision work ensures retail is not an afterthought, but a catalyst for connection from day one.

Incremental Activation Strategy

Layering retail and services in phases that grow with your community. From early-stage coffee pop-ups to seasonal events, we design a rollout that steadily builds vibrancy and foot traffic. Each layer draws residents and visitors in, creating a magnetic pull that keeps your destination fresh and relevant.

Tenant/Operator Curation

Matching your development/downtown to the right local brands. Local businesses bring personality, authenticity, and a sense of place that national chains can’t replicate. Whether it’s a chef-driven café, a homegrown boutique, or a creative service concept, we identify operators who reflect your community’s culture and become its social fabric.

Advisory During Lease-Up

Staying engaged to ensure the tenant mix thrives long-term. We work alongside your leasing and property teams to keep spaces active, operators supported, and momentum strong — so the retail core remains a source of pride, connection, and economic vitality well beyond opening day.