This site once housed a Builder's Square store in a very large building with an equally large parking lot. The building appears completely incompatible with the adjacent community just to the east especially because the service side of the building faced the neighborhood. Ironically, residents actually appreciate how the structure reduced the impact of White Bear Avenue and its commercial establishments on their neighborhood. 

The long range recommendation for the site suggests that North St. Paul Road would be diverted along Ripley, eliminating the angled intersection with White Bear Avenue and creating more developable blocks north of Larpenteur. These more developable blocks would contain commercial that is oriented towards White Bear Avenue. The former Builders Square building is slated for re-use as a church with possible accessory community uses including children's day care, and classrooms. Other possible uses include a book-store or small cafe owned by the church. 

Over time, the commercial areas currently existing along White Bear Avenue and North St. Paul Road are redeveloped to focus on the avenue. This creates a contiguous corridor of commercial use that works together from the Hillcrest Shopping Center, to the newly developed commercial north of Larpenteur. The commercial and residential uses along Larpenteur Avenue, east at White Bear Avenue mirror each other block by block. This knits these two districts together, creating a more understandable neighborhood that supports community living.

The second site is located immediately northwest of Maplewood Mall. An 80 acre parcel, this study area is currently occupied by an old homestead, with two ponds and extensive stands of evergreens and deciduous trees. The site is lovely, and valuable because it is zoned for commercial use and because of its proximity to the mall.

A good sign system will contribute to the friendliness and legibility of the community. Such a system should:

• Provide a unified framework for sign systems at the various commercial districts (e.g. Minnehaha and White Bear, Hillcrest District, etc.)
• Standardize and codify important features of the district systems, such as size, setback, orientation and location of signs
• Be appropriate to the district (signs on the older buildings in St. Paul should relate to pedestrians as well as passing motorists)
• Be well designed (understated): the sign system has the potential to add to the character and identification of the various districts; and
• Provide clear identification of the avenue's businesses.

The White Bear Avenue Signage Guidelines have been developed to support these objectives:

At the turn of the century, commercial establishments served the immediate residential neighborhood and clustered around street intersections convenient to streetcar stops and other generators of neighborhood activity, such as churches and schools. These commercial intersections were focal points of daily life for their neighborhoods. Sonny Heck's store at the corner of Case Avenue was a commonplace building constructed in the early twentieth century as a dry goods store with an upstairs meeting room, where-for a period of time-church services were held. The original facade has been greatly altered and a one story wing was added along the White Bear Avenue front in the 1950s. The building is currently used as a convenience store with apartments on the second floor; its original features are obscured by signs and by alterations. The proposed renovation returns the building and its addition to their original character. Inspired by an early photograph of the building, the turn-of-the-century building would have new windows and storefront designs and would be re-sided with clapboard siding and trimboards in keeping with its original character. The 1950s addition is shown with clerestory windows to flood the interior with natural light and a new, more welcoming entry. While the two buildings have little in common, they can comfortably co-exist, if the renovation sets up a sensitive relationship between their proportions, lines, materials, and colors. 

By the middle of the century, the automobile had become "king of the road" and White Bear Avenue responded with auto-oriented businesses. Possibly the most memorable of these is Jerry's Drive-In, which has operated south of Larpenteur Avenue since the late 1940s. Originally constructed of stone and glass with a simple, streamlined canopy, Jerry's was a destination for the neighborhood and a place to see and be seen. Over the years, as the interest in drive-ins waned, the front canopied parking area was filled-in to accommodate restaurant seating. The concrete block facade of this in-fill presents a rather forbidding face to the avenue. With current nostalgia for the Fifties, now is the time for a return to the open appearance of the canopy. The illustration shows a restoration of the open canopy for car service with a smaller walk-up dining/take-out area. Another option would be to enclose the canopied area in glass curtainwalls or glazed garage doors so that year-round use of the space is possible. The remodeling of Jerry's should recognize the Fifties kitsch element in form, detail, lighting, and color. 

During the 1970s, as Jerry's enclosed its drive-in area and as our love affair with the automobile fell victim to a general malaise about raising energy costs and conspicuous consumption, Minnehaha Tavern was constructed at the intersection of White Bear Avenue and Minnehaha. Its windowless concrete masonry facade was a response to the era, but offers little to the street or to the patrons sitting inside. Concurrent with this study, the city and county are considering proposals to widen White Bear Avenue at this intersection to create safer traffic conditions. This roadway widening will necessitate the redesign of the tavern's front facade. This redesign presents an opportunity to reorient the building entrance off of White Bear Avenue, to blend the building with its landscape, and to introduce windows into the dining area. This would enhance the dining experience while creating a more open relationship to the street and improving on the image of the building without obscuring its original character. 

Hillcrest Shopping Center spans several decades in its construction and commerce. Starting at the far-reaches of the growing suburbs in the 1950s and built one storefront at a time, Hillcrest became the retail magnet on White Bear Avenue. As times and the development passed it by, Hillcrest has proved the adage, "Left alone, the Mall dies." With increasing commercial development further north in Maplewood and especially with the success of Maplewood Mall, Hillcrest could no longer compete for major retailers. Although, in recent years, it has undergone a cosmetic facelift to reposition it in the retail market, Hillcrest cannot be successful without major surgery. Hillcrest is composed of large, deep lease-holds, which are neither expansive enough for contemporary "big box" national retailers nor small enough for intimate, locally-owned shops. The study looks at short and long term redevelopment options for Hillcrest. The short-term redesign of Hillcrest proposes selectively demolishing portions of the shopping center to create retail courtyards surrounded by shallow leasehold spaces with greater exterior surface for display and visibility. This short-term approach would also allow for the re-use of the east side of the shopping center buildings for additional retail space or for office uses. Three retail courtyards are proposed with signs at White Bear Avenue identifying the shops surrounding each courtyard and pedestrian ways leading from the avenue through the parking lots and courtyards to a greenway connecting into the neighborhoods along Gary Place. The character of the redesigned shopping center would be intimate and carefully landscaped to enhance the shoppers' experience as they move from the parking areas through the varied shopping courts. The storefronts around the courtyard should be highly articulated and create an environment that draws shoppers to explore.

The long-term proposal calls for the demolition of Hillcrest in its entirety and the redevelopment of its site for a mix of uses. Free-standing retail structures are proposed along White Bear Avenue. Viewing from the avenue between these smaller buildings, passersby would see an open plaza extending the length of the new development. Fronting the east side of the plaza, three larger buildings are proposed, which include a mix of retail, office, and residential space. These buildings would be three stories in height and would wrap around parking structures serving the redevelopment area. The feasibility of this aggressive redevelopment of the Hillcrest site is dependent on increased residential and commercial development on adjacent sites.