Hi Jenna,

If you are being asked to determine the GLA of a retail floor, there is usually no reason to use the Mixed-Use Standard at all. There is no allocation of Mixed-Use Common Area (MUCA) to a retail use component, so try to avoid going through this complicated process. The Mixed-Use Standard is most useful when there is an office use component since MUCA is allocated to the office use component proportionately (as rentable area), based on the Exterior Gross Area of all the use components.

There may be a difference in the GLA of the retail floor using the Retail Standard vs the Mixed-Use Standard since use components in the Mixed-Use Standard are separated by the centerline of walls. The Retail Standard uses the centerline of walls that separate adjacent retail units only and is otherwise measured to the exterior face of common area walls and exterior walls; therefore, depending on the configuration of your building, there may be a difference between the GLA in the standalone Retail Standard and the GLA under the Mixed-Use Standard. If there is a difference and your project requires the area to be determined according to the Mixed-Use Standard, you should still be able to provide the appropriate GLA without going through the entire calculation process, by simply following the wall hierarchy rules in the Mixed-Use Standard.

I'm not sure what you mean by Method A and Method B as this pertains only to the Office Use Component and Multi-Unit Residential use component and should have no impact on your Retail calculations.