The Co-operative Movement

Mixed use development is the technical term for a building with residences and store fronts and/or office spaces combined. For example, an apartment with the first floor being shops and restaurants. While co-ops consisting of these buildings are more rare, as far as I know there are some.

What are your thoughts? Is the idea of a housing co-op compatible with a commercial building that rents spaces to traditional capitalist businesses? Do you think the businesses should also have stakes in the co-op or should that be reserved for residents?

What would you thinking of a co-op mixed use building only allowing other co-ops to rent the commercial spaces? Would that work?

Going a step further, do you think a full commercial office building can ever be cooperatively owned by different businesses?