Despite concerns from a handful of residents, environmentalists and others that a proposed mega-retail center on one of the last major swaths of open land in San Jose will negatively affect traffic and quality of life, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday night easily approved rezoning the area for such a project.

In a 7-to-1 vote, the council agreed to change the designation of about 45 acres of land on the northeast corner of Highway 85 and Almaden Expressway to commercial use only.

The council also denied a recent appeal of the project's environmental impact report by an adjacent landowner concerned about a new traffic median that he thinks will affect some nearby businesses.

Only Councilman Kansen Chu was opposed each time, siding with the affected business owners.

Councilwomen Rose Herrera, Nancy Pyle and Madison Nguyen were absent.

Saying the appellant's traffic issues were not significant enough to halt the project, Mayor Chuck Reed supported the zoning change because he believes the new retail center will help boost retail sales tax revenue in the city. Reed estimates the city loses up to 20 percent of retail sales tax revenue that now goes to other cities where San Jose residents shop.

"We've asked staff to aggressively pursue that (issue). ... This is a project that will help us do that," Reed said. "When you compare this project to what is across the street, I would say it's vastly superior to most of the

Early on, the city's planning staff had successfully pushed for changes to the project, including more landscaping, fewer parking spaces, smaller tenant buildings and a family-friendly "village green" area. City Councilman Don Rocha, who represents the area, also responded to neighbors' concerns by getting preliminary funding approved for a pedestrian bridge that will provide access over the nearby Guadalupe River.

Rocha praised the doggedness of the nearby neighborhood associations for their suggestions for improvements, calling their work "impressive." But he also gave a public nod to Gerry DeYoung, president of Ruth and Going, which is designing the site, for responding to the public's concerns, as well as the engineering firm's willingness to invest in San Jose "at this economic time."

"Not a lot of folks are putting up private dollars to make an investment as significant as this," said Rocha.

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San Jose City Council approves mega-retail center in Almaden area

Regulatory News:

Today, Klpierre (Paris:LI) and its partners, SNCF and Spie batignolles, inaugurate ST.LAZARE PARIS, the Saint-Lazare train stations brand new retail space. It will open to the public at the end of March 2012.

Ideally situated in the heart of one of the largest retail and business neighborhoods of the French capital, ST.LAZARE PARIS features 3 mid-sized units and around 80 shops, services and restaurants. Located in an exceptional architectural setting, the new complex covers 10 000 sq.m. of GLA1, totally integrated over the stations 3 levels (train platform, street and subway). ST.LAZARE PARIS also offers underground parking for 250 vehicles.

Investor, developer and manager of shopping centers, Klpierre is the artisan of this new retail space in the heart of Paris. After winning the competition among retail real estate specialists launched by SNCF in 1996 as part of the metamorphosis of the oldest train station in Paris, the Group will have invested almost 160 million euros in this project. In July 2008, it signed a 40-year temporary occupation permit (AOT - Autorisation dOccupation Temporaire) with SNCF, going into effect on the retail spaces opening date. Klpierre handled the leasing of the space and is managing it via its subsidiary Sgc.

The space was fully leased up several months before the doors were ready to open, attesting to its appeal for retailers, won over not just by design and conception factors but also by its exceptional potentialthe result of the combined effect of the commuter traffic flow, the catchment area and the location.

"Commuter hubs and structural elements of urban planning, train stations shopping centers have certain things in common. Saint-Lazare train station is truly exceptional, in terms of the number of visitors it attracts daily as well as its location in the heart of Paris, commented Laurent Morel, Chairman of the Klpierre Executive Board. "Thanks to the singular nature of the site and the architectural qualities of the historic edifice, we were able to create a magnificent retail space and design a retail mix made of brands that respond to different buying preferences of the thousands of visitors the station draws each day. ST.LAZARE PARIS features a retail offer that combines utilitycomposed of food shopping and serviceswith pleasure, including a culture and leisure retailer, and a broad range of retail names in ready-to-wear and beauty, he adds, concluding that "this is also the story of a successful partnership with SNCF and Spie batignolles, which spanned more than fifteen years and ensured the success of this complex and ambitious project.

An exceptional retail space in the heart of Paris

DGLa and AREP were the architects of the full reconfiguration of the station and the creation of its retail space. Spie SCGPM, a subsidiary of the Spie batignolles group, carried out the construction work on this unusual project, without ever closing the station, which continued to operate normally throughout.

Modern, comfortable, functional and opening out to the city, the new Saint-Lazare train station is more transparent, offering greater insight into its spaces and their functions and a more fluid traffic flow thanks to new vertical liaisons: 4 vast shafts house 20 escalators (compared with the 8 that existed previously) and allow the natural light to bathe the entire space, all the way down to the subway level.

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Klépierre inaugurates ST.LAZARE PARIS, the new Saint-Lazare train stations retail space: 80 retailers sharing an ...

Former theater-turned-church space at White Oaks Mall will convert to use for retail outlets once a major remodeling project is finished this summer.

Conversion of the former White Oaks Cinema space at the south end of the mall will take a couple of months longer than the rest of the mall renovation because of the unusual configuration, general manager Maureen Bluhm said Tuesday.

Work on the mall commons area, food court and exterior are scheduled for completion in May. The former theater space should be finished in July.

The (theater) chairs had been removed, and thats about it, Bluhm said during an update tour of the mall on Tuesday. The walls were still here, all the screens. Some projectors were here and some sound systems were here.

Bluhm said the sloping floors of the former theater must be raised in some spots and lowered in others to match the level of the rest of the mall. The work, which will include new west-side entrances, also required installation of new support columns,

Taking this floor out is a big project, said Bluhm. She said the conversion would add about 42,000 square feet of retail space to the mall.

White Oaks Cinema closed in 2008. The iWorship Center of Springfield used the space from early 2010 to the fall of 2011.

Bluhm said mall officials are in discussions with potential retail tenants, but that the construction must first be completed.

The first major renovation of the mall in 18 years started last summer, and marketing director Christine Lahmann said the exterior work, mall commons and food court work is on schedule for completion in May.

She said the current lineup of food-court tenants would remain the same, but that the area would have a new layout.

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Former theater-church space at White Oaks Mall to go retail

Epping House N Home, a bulky goods centre with a difference will be a feature of Northpoint Enterprise Park.

Legislative changes are helping bulky goods outlets, writes Philip Hopkins.

A BULKY goods centre to be built at Epping in Melbourne's north has been given a fillip by recent Baillieu government planning changes.

Private developer, the McMullin Group, will build the centre, dubbed Epping House N Home, in the Northpoint Enterprise Park, a 120-hectare estate in the commercial and industrial heart of the City of Whittlesea.

McMullin's development director John Purdey said the centre would tap into Whittlesea's forecast population growth of 10,000 new residents per year for the next six years. Epping's catchment is now estimated at 209,000.

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The centre will be located on the corner of Edgars Road and Cooper Street, about 1.5 kilometres from High Street and Epping Plaza.

The establishment of the bulky goods centre was given a shot in the arm by amendments to retailing legislation by Minister for Planning Matthew Guy.

The policy changes revised the bulky goods definition, broadening the scope of retail activities that could be included in such centres. Further, the previously restrictive minimum floor space requirement of 1000 square metres was dissolved.

Jones Lang LaSalle's director of retail leasing Jaycen Willox said the move brought flexibility and clarity to both current and prospective tenants. ''Restrictive minimum floor space requirements under the previous scheme were thwarting the capacity of growth within the bulky goods sector,'' he said.

Original post:
Retail lift for Epping centre

wwltv.com

Posted on March 20, 2012 at 6:20 PM

Updated today at 6:37 PM

Katie Moore / Eyewitness News Email: kmoore@wwltv.com | Twitter: @katiecmoore

NEW ORLEANS -- After sitting vacant for years, crews began construction Tuesday on a big, new development in the heart of Mid-City.

So far, the developer has leased the space to a mix of retail and restaurants, and it borders plans for the Lafitte Greenway.

The property at the intersection of North Carrollton Ave. and Bienville Street is one of the hottest pieces of commercial real estate in New Orleans, and a $38 million new development is breathing life back into the once-sleepy site.

I think it's gonna be a big opportunity to really anchor this commercial area on Carrollton Avenue for Mid-City. It's gonna be a hub of activity, said Townsend Underhill, vice president of Stirling Properties.

It's the site of an old Ford dealership, and thats one of the reasons it's taken years to get it re-developed. The land had more than 10 gas tanks underground.

This was an environmentally contaminated site. So, before we could do anything we had to clean up the environmental contamination. So, that was a risk, Underhill said.

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Developer breaks ground on Mid-City Market

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved plans Tuesday to convert parking lots into apartments and senior housingat the Marina del Rey harbor.

The plan calls for changing the zoning of two parking lots into housing - a 526-unit apartment complex and a 114-unit senior citizens facility, which will include 3,500 square feet of retail space, said Michael Tripp, planning specialist for the county Department of Beaches and Harbors.

The plans also will reduce docking spaces in the harbor for boats to accommodate the construction of space for larger boats and to comply with standards on wider docks to meet the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act, Tripp said.

There will be about 9% fewer wet boating slips, from 4,761 to 4,349. But the number of dry slips will rise from 817 to 1,114. Overall, the total number of boat slips will decrease by about 2%.

The countys strategy of redeveloping Marina del Rey, led by Supervisor Don Knabe, has drawnstrong criticism from a group of residents, who argue the county is moving the marina away from being dedicated to public recreation.

Bruce Russell, a consistent critic of the countys marina plans, told the supervisors Tuesday that the marina was not built for the several thousand well-heeled apartment dwellers the county wants to shove in there. It was built for the 10 million residents of the county, and they need and deserve their public park and public access parking."

County officials, however, assert that the marina is aging and needs to be revitalized. The marina is also a valuable piece of property whose lease revenues help fund the county budget.

In addition to adding these housing units, were also adding 10 acres of open space, Tripp said. The marina was built in the 1960s, and many of these buildings are getting old. Theyre past their prime." He added: Housing in West Los Angeles is in short supply.

Tripp said the plans approved Tuesday also permit the construction of a 1.46-acre wetland park on Via Marina, will expand Burton Chace Park, and convert a parking lot and trailer lot that houses county workers into a dry-dock warehouse where boats can be stored.

Continued here:
L.A. County supervisors OK new apartments in Marina del Rey

BALTIMORE, MD--(Marketwire -03/20/12)- Williams Scotsman, a leading provider of modular space and storage solutions in North America, today announced the opening of Atlanta South, its third branch in Georgia.

"Based on a variety of factors including industry analysis and customer surveys, we realized our southeast customers would greatly benefit from another full-service Williams Scotsman branch," said Joseph Vecchiolla, senior vice president of US Field Operations for Williams Scotsman. "There is great demand for our products and services in this area and our Atlanta South branch improves our proximity to many customers in the southern part of the city."

The Atlanta South branch is located at 8105 Williams Road in Palmetto, Ga. The branch officially opened on March 1 and allows Williams Scotsman to operate more efficiently, resulting in better support for its customers.

Williams Scotsman currently has more than 100 locations throughout the US and serves a diverse array of sectors.

About Williams Scotsman Williams Scotsman, an Algeco Scotsman company, offers space solutions for the construction, education, energy, industrial, commercial/retail, healthcare, and government markets, with operations in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Williams Scotsman serves customers' modular space and storage needs through a network of nearly 100 locations throughout North America. In addition to its core leasing business, the company manages and develops permanent modular structures. For more information visit http://www.willscot.com.

Algeco Scotsman is a leading global business services provider focused on modular space and storage solutions. Operating as Williams Scotsman in North America, Algeco in Continental Europe, Elliott in the United Kingdom and Eurobras in Brazil, the company and its affiliates manage a fleet of more than 320,000 units, with operations or affiliates in 37 countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States. The company has a reputation for exceptional customer service, flexibility in meeting customer needs, innovative products and services, and efficient business operations. Algeco Scotsman's global scale and local market expertise enable it to provide exceptional value to its customers.

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Williams Scotsman Continues US Expansion

Morrisville, NC (PRWEB) March 19, 2012

CASTO, one of the countrys leading real estate organizations, announced today that Phase II construction of the mixed-use lifestyle center, Park West Village, will begin. Park West Village is located at the southwest corner of Cary Parkway and NC-54/Chapel Hill Road.

Another 200,000 square feet of retail space will commence this month, stated Shannon Dixon, VP of Development, Leasing & Asset Management for CASTOs Southeast operations.

Joining Park West Village is a 55,000 square foot, state-of-the-art 14-screen cinema, operated by Stone Theatres, formerly Consolidated Theatres. This location will be one of several new theatres opened by the founder of Consolidated Theatres, Herman Stone. Mr. Stone commented on his choice of this location by saying, The Raleigh market has always been a strong market and when it came time to choose one of our first locations after the sale of Consolidated, it was key for us to find the best site with great demographics, upward movement in population and a strong developer. Park West hit on all three for us. The architecture of the project will lend itself to unique design for the theatre with a prominent water feature at the entrance; a signature item consistent with Stone Theatres throughout the eastern United States.

Additionally joining the project includes Gander Mountain and The Wine Guy Bistro. Gander Mountain, the outdoor superstore, will occupy 52,000 square feet. The Wine Guy Bistro, based out of Columbus, Ohio, will be 6,000 square feet and plans to offer wine samplings with a retail wine shop and great, savory food selections.

About Park West Village Ideally situated at the heart of one of the most desirable locations in the country, Park West Village is a new 100-acre mixed-use development that includes a town center district, a community center with sought-after major retail anchors, upscale casual restaurants and a movie theater, all of which will be mixed with residential, office and hospitality. For more information, please visit http://www.parkwestvillage.net.

About CASTO CASTO, a fully integrated real estate organization since 1926, is a recognized leader in the ownership, management, acquisition and development of commercial shopping centers and multi-family residences, office buildings and corporate parks. CASTOs growing portfolio currently includes over 23 million square feet of commercial property and nearly 4,000 residential units located primarily throughout the Midwestern and southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. CASTO currently has more than three million square feet of retail in development. To learn more about CASTO call (888) 400-0878 or visit http://www.castoinfo.com.

Originally posted here:
CASTO Announces Phases II and III to Commence Construction at Park West Village

South Market District, the proposed apartment and retail project near the future Loyola Avenue streetcar line, will appear before the Industrial Development Board Tuesday to ask for a property tax abatement to help the project get off the ground. The project is coming together a little more slowly than expected, but it has grown in scope since it was announced in December 2010.

The developer, the New York- and New Orleans-based Domain Cos., had originally hoped to build 450 apartments with 125,000 square feet of retail space in a sea of parking lots downtown. But Domain was able to acquire additional land in the area, so it now plans to develop 559 apartments and 178,213 square feet of retail space that it hopes will provide more traction to a burgeoning area of downtown.

Matt Schwartz, a principal in the Domain Cos., said that Domain hopes to close the financing and begin construction this summer on the first phase of the $69.1 million South Market District project. Schwartz hopes to announce the first-phase retailers early in the summer.

The timing for later phases of the project will depend on how solid a response the retailers get. "The demand is certainly there on the multi-family side. I think the demand is there on the retail side. Project timing will really be determined by the pace at which we get retailers to commit to the leases," Schwartz said.

Today's Industrial Development Board meeting is the opening shot for discussion about possible incentives from the city on the project, and evaluating the impact of the project -- and any tax breaks -- on the city's finances.

According to a project summary provided by the IDB, Domain has asked the city to make a payment in lieu of property taxes, or "PILOT," of $114,000 a year for 15 years, for a total of payment of $1,710,000 to the city. The $114,000 per year is slightly higher than the property taxes that are paid on the undeveloped land.

Schwartz said that Domain's actual proposal calls for annual increases in the PILOT of 3 percent or the change in the consumer price index, whichever is greater. That means the amount that Domain is proposing to pay the city is higher than what the summary sheet depicts.

The first phase of the project will be funded with about $8.4 million in equity contributions from the owners, about $55 million in loans, $4.9 million in equity investments from the federal new markets tax credits program, and $806,626 in Louisiana Enterprise Zone rebates.

Domain has also applied to the state for money that could help cover the costs of widening sidewalks along Girod Street to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment. Domain got permission from the city to close a lane of traffic along Girod and make other streetscape changes in the area.

South Market District LLC is 32 percent owned by CKL Associates LLC, which is wholly owned by business man Paul Flower, whose company, Woodward Design Build, will be the general contractor on the project.

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South Market District proposal will appear before Industrial Development Board Tuesday

Posted: 3:38 pm Mon, March 19, 2012 By DanEmerson Tags: David Frank, Jim McComb, Norman Bjornnes, Sherman Group

One of the most successful transit-related retail developments in the nation is Trolley Square in the San Diego suburb of Santee, Calif., said Minneapolis-based retail consultant Jim McComb, who traveled there for a Hennepin County study. The city of Santee acquired land where the San Diego light rail transit line terminates and developed a shopping center with big-box retailers such as Target, PetSmart and Bed, Bath & Beyond. (Submitted photo: city of Santee, Calif.)

Developing successful retail businesses along light rail transit lines is not a matter of build it and they will come. City planners and developers wish it were that simple.

To succeed, any retail location needs a certain amount of traffic passing by plus visibility and convenient access. Those elements are not always present along rail lines, experts say. Planners also preach the message that transit-related retail development doesnt happen overnight.

Its complicated, said Minneapolis-based retail consultant Jim McComb, who has studied transit-oriented retail development nationwide. He has traveled LRT lines in about a dozen cities, including Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Houston and St. Louis.

McComb, president of the McComb Group, points out that a number of LRT lines in those cities were developed along railroad right of way, which tends to be more industrial than residential.

Retail is not going to thrive in those areas, he said.

Those who plan and develop station areas, McComb said, often dont understand the dynamics of what makes a good retail location, which can result in poor performance.

Light rail is not like commuter rail, which typically runs between cities rather than within cities, McComb said. The people who use LRT lines generally live nearby, so those riders do not represent new potential customers. Also, there generally arent large groups of people boarding at each station throughout the day.

But retail associated with light rail can be successful if it is done correctly, McComb said.

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Retail along light rail lines isn’t automatic fit