Last month, Vegas Inc. reported that the owners of the District at Green Valley Ranch may replace its expansive pedestrian walkway with a paved road.

It may be an effort by the District’s owners, Vestar Development, to boost business at the Henderson retail center and give it a similar feel to another open-air shopping destination, the popular Town Square. Vestar’s plans would include 46 additional storefront parking spaces and the redevelopment of two side-walkways into paved exit routes—features also found at Town Square.

While convenient parking spots at Town Square are a nice perk, I’m not so certain they’re what the District needs. It’s a suburban shopping center; the convenience is inherent (unless you live in Summerlin and are dying for a martini from Presidio). If Vestar really wants to shake things up, maybe they should consider taking another page from Town Square’s playbook: store selection. Town Square planned for success with anchor stores like H&M and Old Navy, as well as popular retailers like Gap, Apple and Abercrombie & Fitch. Not that the District should do away with the current tenants, but filling the current vacancies with some in-demand brands just might get more feet on that street—er, walkway ...