I'm not sure we're totally on the same page.

I'm not saying that there shouldn't be mixed use, or that people in cheap apartments don't deserve amenities...I'm just saying that as far as I see it, we are in more dire need of housing than we are in light commercial spaces. There are tons of vacant storefronts and housing is insanely tight, so we should build what we need. I think we're much better off putting 400 residential units on this plot than putting 200 residential and a handful of commercial spaces.

Beyond that, a nice piece of property like this - right on the water and out of the way - is much better suited for residential, and those hypothetical businesses will be much better off along already-commercial main roads where no one would want to live. The businesses want the traffic, the apartments don't. No need to shoehorn things in places that don't suit them.

But lastly, I want to make it clear that I am still open to learning more. Those are my impressions, but I don't have a particularly educated or firm opinion here.