New construction of a $165-million project near the TD Garden will provide the area with space for a hotel, apartments, restaurants and retail businesses, according to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

The BRA approved the construction of The Merano, a project in the Bulfinch Triangle that will create 240 construction jobs and 275 permanent jobs, according to a BRA press release.

The project will consist of a 210-room Marriott Courtyard hotel as well as 230 residential apartments, restaurants and retail stores on the ground level, said John Meunier, COO and vice president of project management and development at the Boston Development Group, which is heading the project.

“The approval of The Merano is a sign of the great economic development momentum in the Bulfinch Triangle,” said Boston Mayor Thomas Menino in an email to the BRA. “With the addition of 230 units of housing at The Merano, on top of the more than 800 units already under construction or under review in this area, the Bulfinch Triangle is well on its way to becoming a 24-hour residential neighborhood.”

The Merano complex project is part of a larger ongoing development project to revitalize the economy in the Bulfinch Triangle and North Station area, said Melina Schuler, assistant director of media and public relations at BRA.

“Projects like The Merano are key to improving the city and moving these revitalization efforts forward,” Schuler said.

Meunier said he believes The Merano project will have a positive impact on the Downtown Boston area.

By adding a nationally branded hotel alongside residential apartments, more people will be residing in the area, resulting in more “pedestrian activity” at the street level, he said.

Schuler said the $165 million cost is mainly funded by private investors and developers who view Boston as a valuable city to invest in and expect their projects to do well.

The BDG agreed to contribute $50,000 to a traffic study by the Boston Transportation Department of the Bulfinch Triangle neighborhood, according the press release.

The BDG will also contribute $75,000 to support neighborhood improvements, $300,000 to the Boston Crossroads Initiative, $12,000 to the Bulfinch Triangle Streetscape Improvements Initiative and $500,000 for a future neighborhood park, totaling about $1 million in public improvements, according to the release.

The BRA first approved the plans for The Merano in 2008, which included two hotels, office space, stacked parking and space for retailers and restaurants, according to the release.

But due to the closure in office occupancy after the economic recession, the plans were revised to replace the offices with residential apartments, Meunier said.

Richard Parr, the director of policy at A Better City, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve transportation, land development and more in Boston, said it is a great thing to construct more residential buildings near the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Vibrancy and economic activity will spill over into the parks, Parr said.

Parr also said building more houses near transportation creates more density in the core of the city, which is good for the environment and causes a much smaller carbon footprint.

The Merano project will begin construction in the spring and is expected to finish in two years, Meunier said.

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The Merano hotel to spark economic momentum downtown

This artist’s rendering shows what the Infusion Technology Center will look like when it is completed in Innovation Square. (Submitted by Trimark Properties)

Published: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 5:59 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 5:59 p.m.

The Infusion Technology Center is one step closer to starting construction at Innovation Square at the former Shands AGH site.

Front Street Commercial Real Estate Group of Gainesville was recently appointed as the property’s exclusive broker. Managing Director Nick Banks said they are looking to fill the space with biomedical and high-tech companies. The center also will need businesses such as law firms to provide in-house services, and retail outlets and restaurants to lease the ground floor.

Banks said he hopes to start signing contracts in the next 30 to 45 days, and construction is planned to start late this year.

“It’s very exciting,” he said. “There’s so much momentum behind this project.”

The 150,000-square-foot building is the first private development in Innovation Square. It will be next to the Florida Innovation Hub at UF, an incubator for technology-based start-ups. It is hoped that workers at the two buildings will collaborate.

“We envision that it is likely when they (the start-ups) do graduate that many will go right next door to the Infusion Technology Center,” said Jane Muir, director of the Innovation Hub.

Trimark Properties, developer of the Infusion Technology Center, also plans to build the UF INSPIREation Hall in the square. John Fleming, managing member of Trimark, said it will be a dormitory for entrepreneur-minded students attending UF. It will be open to students of all majors and ages and, in addition to housing, will have a 150-person space to be used for classes, dinners and events.

Construction is planned to start in early 2013.

Fleming said it was a well-planned strategy that Trimark Properties would one day develop with UF. In Innovation Square, it hopes to help create an environment where people can work, play and live.

“Our hopes are to support the University of Florida’s efforts in creating a really urban, unique research park,” he said.

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First private company closer to joining Innovation Square

ATLANTA, Feb. 21, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has signed contracts with LTL ATL JV and Paradies-Atlanta II, LLC giving the green light to more than 20 retail concessions at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's international terminal.

The new shops -- which include Spanx, MAC, Tommy Hilfiger and Kiehl's -- will be in the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal, its new Concourse F and adjoining international Concourse E.

"We're thrilled to be moving forward with these brands for the international terminal," said Aviation General Manager Louis Miller. "I'm confident our passengers will enjoy these world-class shopping options as they travel to and from Atlanta."

Retailers that will open with the international terminal and Concourse F this spring are Brookstone, CNN International News, Clutch, Kiehl's, MAC Cosmetics, Luxury Boutique, Simply Books/French Meadow Cafe, Sunglass Icon, Sweet Auburn Market Cafe (departures level, pre-security), Tommy Hilfiger and Touch Table.

Concourse E locations, which will be phased in throughout the next 18 months, are Able Planet, CNBC News, CNN.com, Johnston & Murphy, The New York Times News/Goldberg's Deli, Magellan's, Pandora/Brooks Brothers, Shades of Time, Soundbalance, Spanx, Sunglass Icon, Swarovski and The Wall Street Journal News.

The Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal and its 12-gate concourse are scheduled to open this spring. The 1.2 million-square-foot facility connects with the existing international concourse, creating a world-class, 40-gate travel complex.

The international terminal will eliminate the need for Atlanta-bound passengers to recheck their baggage. Passengers will access the international terminal via I-75 at Exit 239.

Click here to see a video update of the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal.

###

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson is the world's busiest airport, serving more than 92 million passengers annually with nonstop service to more than 150 U.S. destinations and nearly 80 international destinations in more than 50 countries. The Airport is a frequent recipient of awards of excellence for concessions, operations, architectural engineering and construction - including the 2011 Global and North American Airport Efficiency Excellence Award from the Air Transport Research Society (for more information, go to http://www.atrsworld.org). It is undergoing $6 billion-plus in capital improvements, which include a new, energy-efficient rental car center; a new, 12-gate international terminal (for more information, go to http://www.atlanta-airport.com/internationalterminal/); and aesthetic and functional upgrades to its concourses, people movers and parking services. For more information, go to http://www.atlanta-airport.com. Check out the Airport's YouTube channel by visiting http://www.youtube.com/AtlantaHartsfield, and become a fan on Facebook.

Contact:
Al Snedeker
404-382-2364

This information was brought to you by Cision http://www.cisionwire.com

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World-Class Shopping in Store for Hartsfield-Jackson's International Terminal

chris atchison Special to Globe and Mail Update Published Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 11:00AM EST Last updated Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 11:24AM EST

If the insiders are right, Canada’s commercial property market is about to get an industrial-level facelift.

Their prediction: a slew of shiny new 500,000-square-foot-plus facilities will be constructed in the next five to 10 years featuring ceiling heights of at least nine metres, in large part to accommodate high-tech automated materials handling systems.

More related to this story

The reason developers will move toward building more of these large-scale distribution facilities, explains Stan Krawitz, president of Toronto-based commercial real estate consultancy Real Facilities Inc., is tied to changes in the way Canadians are shopping for everything from books to electronics.

In Mr. Krawitz’s view, the growth of e-commerce is driving the need for an increased supply of high-tech distribution centres across the country as retail sales move increasingly from the brick-and-mortar model of high-street or mall shopping, to virtual browsing and buying.

“Online shoppers spent about $16-billion in Canada last year,” Mr. Krawitz says. “If we look at the U.S. model, where Web sales account for about eight per cent of their retail sales, then you could start to do the math that if we approached eight per cent in Canada, we would need to triple or quadruple the number of distribution-based warehouses we’ll need to accommodate that demand.

“Canadians are by definition slower adopters of technology and changes in retail habits, but we do get there.”

Demand for those large distribution facilities is also being driven by an influx of space-hungry international retailers such as Target, but Mr. Krawitz stresses that it’s largely the growth of online shopping – which is being fuelled in part by an explosion of mobile devices that allow for easy in-store price comparisons and online purchasing – that will push commercial developers to meet the facilities needs of major online retailers.

Market circumstances may be right for a property development boom on the distribution front.

A recent report by commercial property consultancy CB Richard Ellis noted that fundamentals in Canada’s industrial property sector remain strong. The firm predicts that availability rates will drop to 6 per cent this year from 6.5 per cent in 2011, while net rental rates will experience a year-over-year increase from $5.37 to $5.45 per square foot. But the strongest growth opportunities – aside from facilities to support the energy sector – are the large, next-generation warehouse properties, the report concluded.

This trend toward building more distribution facilities doesn’t mean that traditional manufacturing in this country is dead, according to David Bowden, CEO of commercial property consultancy Colliers Canada. On the contrary, he sees a continued need for highly specialized advanced manufacturing facilities.

“Especially where goods are bulky, we’re seeing a return to domestic manufacturing as opposed to having to deal with the cost of shipping those bulkier items such as furniture [overseas],” Mr. Bowden explains. “I think we’re going to see a balance between distribution warehousing as well as manufacturing-specific buildings, but the weighting will be towards the former.”

What does that mean for the lower-ceilinged stock of industrial buildings that were designed largely for light manufacturing use and simply can’t accommodate a distribution-focused conversion?

“For some existing stock, it might mean lower rents, but for others the real estate might be cast into entirely different commercial uses,” Mr. Bowden says.

Jeff Flemington, a senior vice-president with commercial property brokerage Avison Young Inc. in Toronto, points to Ontario towns such as St. Thomas and Cornwall as examples of former manufacturing centres that are seeing a repurposing or demolition of their old supply of light industrial buildings for other commercial uses. Those former factories are being converted into everything from retail spaces, to residential lofts in the case of trendy turn-of-the-century brick-and-beam buildings.

Even in cases where companies do need traditional manufacturing space, he says, many are opting to build new facilities rather than upgrade older stock due in large part to increased relocation costs as land prices continue their steady climb.

The rest is here:
Virtual buying pushes warehouses to new heights

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Citi Community Capital (Citi), Next Street, Carver Community Development Corporation and NCIF joined Jackson Development Group to announce the closing of permanent financing for 4469 Broadway. This recently-completed 8-story residential and commercial building is located at West 192nd Street and Broadway in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan.

This new development consists of 85 units of affordable and workforce rental housing; a new home for a Columbia University-affiliated Head Start program that serves more than 300 young children; 8,500 sq ft of retail space occupied by Deals, a Dollar Tree Stores retail chain; a 60-space parking garage; and office space. An estimated 135 construction jobs were created, and the project is expected to lead to more than 100 permanent jobs.

“This project is an example of our continued commitment to improving New York’s neighborhoods by bringing in a combination of much needed affordable housing, retail and community services. Our financing partners did an excellent job of stepping up and putting their resources back into communities that they serve,” said Neil Weissman, principal, Jackson Development Group.

“My colleagues at Citi and I are excited to have played a role in financing this important project,” said William Yates, director, Citi Community Capital, “Faced with a tight deadline, the project sponsors and our financing partners truly came together and managed to close a very complex transaction. Our role in this project is emblematic of Citi’s commitment to lend and invest in the communities where we do business.”

Permanent financing for 4469 Broadway was structured through the New Markets Tax Credit Program, a federal initiative designed to spur new or higher investments in businesses and real estate projects located in low-income communities. Citi provided $10.2 million in equity and a 7-year $17 million leverage loan for the project.

“In today’s market, financing for mixed use development is extremely challenging, even more so when that project is located in lower income communities. Next Street is incredibly proud to have secured both senior leverage debt and tax equity to help our client rebuild this block of Washington Heights,” said Gloria Lee, Partner, Next Street, which served as advisor to Jackson Development Group.

“The 4469 Broadway project is an example of catalytic community development through partnership. Carver had the pleasure of working with Jackson Development, Next Street, NCIF, and Citi, all trusted community partners that came together with one goal. Through patient capital and financing expertise from Citi, Carver continues its more than 60-year mission of working with community partners to meet the financing needs of the underserved in the Washington Heights community,” said Blondel A. Pinnock, President, Carver Community Development Corporation.

Saurabh Narain, Chief Executive with National Community Investment Fund summed it up with, “NCIF is a proud participant in this high-impact transaction that will bring much-needed affordable housing and early childhood education to the Washington Heights community. NCIF would like to thank all the project partners, particularly Carver, an NCIF investee and a community development anchor in low- and moderate-income communities throughout New York City.”

About Citi Community Capital

Citi Community Capital (CCC) is a premier financial partner with nationally recognized expertise in financing all types of affordable housing and community reinvestment projects. CCC's origination, structuring, asset and risk management staff across the country provides creative financing solutions designed to meet their clients' needs. CCC helps community development financial institutions, real estate developers, national intermediaries and nonprofit organizations achieve their goals through a broad, integrated platform of debt and equity offerings. Additional information may be found at http://www.citicommunitycapital.com

About Next Street

Next Street was founded in 2005 on the idea of providing growing companies in urban markets with the same level of expertise that investment banks, Madison Avenue, and the elite consultancies provide to Fortune 500 companies. Next Street portfolio companies now generate $600 million in annual revenues and employ over 4,000 people. Most are located in low-income areas. Two thirds are women- or minority-owned businesses. One third are nonprofit organizations. The firm has worked with over 100 small businesses to date. To learn more about the firm’s clients, partners and capabilities, please visit http://www.nextstreet.com.

About Jackson Development Group

Jackson Development Group, LTD., including its construction division, Jackson Builders, LLC, is a New York-based real estate development company specializing in residential and mixed-use commercial construction. The principals of JDG have been pioneering innovative development strategies since 1996.

About Carver Bancorp, Inc.

Carver Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for Carver Federal Savings Bank, a federally chartered stock savings bank. Carver Federal Savings Bank, the largest African- and Caribbean-American run bank in the United States, operates nine full-service branches in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. For further information, please visit the Company's website at http://www.carverbank.com.

About NCIF

National Community Investment Fund (NCIF) is a non-profit private equity trust fund established in 1996 to invest private capital in CDFI-certified banks around the country that have a mission of economic and community development. NCIF is the largest investor of equity in CDFI banks (by numbers) in the country and has provided thought leadership by developing its proprietary Social Performance Metrics methodology – a tool that enables investors measure the social and economic development impact of CDFI banks. NCIF is also focused on strengthening the capacity of the banks in the NCIF Network. Total assets under management are approximately $150 million including $128 million of NMTC allocations.

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Citi and Next Street Structure New Markets Tax Credit Transaction to Finance 4469 Broadway, a Mixed Use Development

Home » business » Boutique looks ahead as Rainy Hill kicks off

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn
The Nation February 22, 2012 1:00 am

Managing director Prab Thakral said the new project would be on a 5-rai (8,000-square-metre) plot with gross leasable space of about 20,000 square metres.

He said the company would announce details of the project in the next few weeks.

"We have acquired the plot on Sukhumvit with a long lease period of about 30 years. Construction of our new brand-extension retail project will start next year and will take about 18 months," Prab said.

He said the new project would position itself for mid-market retailing, a little lower than its Rain Hill community mall, which targets the upper mass to high-end markets.

"Thailand is experiencing a consumer-driven boom because of its fast-growing middle class. The opportunity for retail is quite large in the Kingdom," Prab said.

The Boutique Group yesterday officially opened its Rain Hill community mall, which has been developed under the concept of "The Cosmopolitan Hangout".

Located on Sukhumvit Soi 47 in the heart of Bangkok, the mall, which cost more than Bt400 million, features more than 40 leading brands, hand-picked to cater to the urban lifestyles of the capital's residents.

The retail complex is designed to be an ideal meeting place of a true eco-conscious retail mall and a hip urban lifestyle, the group says.

Prab said the community mall would turn this location into the newest favourite among target customers, including business professionals in the Sukhumvit area, Japanese expatriates, and residents of Sukhumvit, including the Oakwood and Citadines projects.

"We expect our Rain Hill retail complex to achieve its return on investment within the next five to seven years," he said.

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Boutique looks ahead as Rainy Hill kicks off

WILLIAMSBURG — The problem for WJC middle schools may not be lack of space, but poor use of it.

The James City Citizens Budget Advisory Committee has spent the last few months walking the halls of all three schools to assess every nook and cranny to avoid new construction.

The committee shared its report this week with Superintendent Steven Constantino and his administrative staff. The School Board is next, as well as a rigorous review by school officials.

“A lot of this is not ‘big think,’” said David Jarman, a member of the committee. “It’s just: Can we be more efficient in our utilization of classroom space?”

They found readily available space by reconfiguring rooms. That will preclude trailers, new wings, or building anew –– for nearly a decade.

Last month the School Board looked at several options for overcrowding. It would cost $29.5 million to convert James Blair back to a school and build a new central office.

The School Board decided on trailers at Berkeley for now, but the Budget Advisory Committee is encouraging another look. Jarman said that if WJC continues to do “business as usual,” it will continue to erect small, fancy schools and “sub-optimize” space within them.

3 BIG OPPORTUNITIES

* Increasing class sizes by two students could free up 10-12 classrooms. That alone would accommodate 250 students, alleviating half the problem for the next decade.

It’s a move the school division is already considering to save money as it faces a $7.5 million operational shortfall. Increasing ratios by one student per classroom could eliminate 24 teachers and save $1.7 million. 

* Repurposing activity rooms, auditoriums, gyms, music rooms and art rooms could yield six additional classrooms.

David Jarman said his group found that WJC has historically overbuilt and created large open spaces and high ceilings throughout its schools. Eliminating some programs not essential to the core curriculum would free up space as well. “It’s a difficult issue because it trades off programmatic issues for space issues,” he said. 

* Optimizing full-size classrooms could also make more room within the school. Jarman said some classrooms are only used half of the day and that more efficient scheduling could lead to more efficient space.

Moving storage to an off-site location, converting teacher lounges into classrooms and eliminating non-teaching use of classroom space are other ways the committee’s report identified to improve use of space.

At Berkeley, 11 rooms are used for paper storage, while Hornsby has nine storage spaces for books. Berkeley also has one full-size classroom broken into five offices, and another classroom full of exercise bikes.

Posted comments are for meaningful discussion that is germane to the article. No personal attacks or insults. Submit complaints by clicking Report abuse.

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Space utilization study in hands of School Board

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Construction has returned to the Interstate 65 corridor south of Nashville, the region's most popular location for corporate offices.

The question that remains unanswered is whether Nashville's commercial real estate industry has shaken off the lingering effects of the recession and is ready to create new corporate addresses in other areas of the city. According to The Nashville Ledger, developers have announced projects in most of those areas but have been waiting for the economy to improve (http://bit.ly/zSlwYa).

"There's going to be a breakout, but not this year," says Tom Frye, managing director of CB Richard Ellis' Nashville office.

He predicts another reasonably healthy year for the commercial real estate industry but expects everyone to continue exercising caution about building speculative office space which, by definition, is constructed before it is taken by tenants. That was common before the economic downturn but has not been seen for several years - until now.

Boyle Investment Co. is under way with the area's first speculative office building since 2006. The seven-floor, 177,577-square-foot building is part of the company's Meridian development in the Cool Springs Mall area in Williamson County. Boyle also is building a much smaller 15,000-square-foot mixed use building. Both are expected to be finished this summer.

'We all felt that if a corporate headquarters wanted to come to Williamson County, there were not any large office blocks available," Boyle spokesman Shelby Larkin says.

"Although it's risky, it's a calculated risk," she adds. "We do have some leases signed (and) we feel strongly about the Williamson County economy."

Cool Springs, which has the second-best occupancy rate in Middle Tennessee at 6.1 percent, has new office space construction and more in the planning stages.

Boyle isn't alone in that sentiment. Even though no one has been building speculatively in Cool Springs, companies in search of upscale office space continue to move there. Cool Springs and nearby Brentwood now have a vacancy rate of just 6.1 percent, according to an end-of-2011 market survey by CB Richard Ellis. Only the West End-Belle Meade area in Nashville has a lower vacancy rate.

Over the course of 2011, growing or relocating companies took 650,000 square feet of office space off the market across the region. That was somewhat less, but not drastically less, than the typical pre-recession "absorption rate" of 700,000 to 750,000 square feet, says CB Richard Ellis' Frye.

Nashville's overall office market, as measured by the firm's survey, had a vacancy rate of 12.7 percent at the end of last year. The rate reported in the survey varied widely in different parts of the city.

"You have pockets that are doing very well right now," says Pat Emery, president of Spectrum Properties, which manages about 1.4 million square feet of office space in the Cool Springs area, about a third of Cool Springs' total.

Developers are ready to start building when they sense the time is right. Some projects are already moving forward.

Highwoods Properties will build a new 203,000-square-foot corporate headquarters for LifePoint Hospitals. The seven-floor building will be in Brentwood's Seven Springs development. Nashville is considering tax breaks for LifePoint to encourage the company to move from Williamson County to Davidson County.

South of Cool Springs on I-65, Boyle is creating its mixed-use Berry Farms development. Berry Farms, which is being developed in phases over time, will eventually feature more than 3 million square feet of office space ranging from corporate campuses, multi-story buildings, smaller professional offices and mixed use space that combines offices with retail and restaurants. Other buildings will combine office and residential spaces.

"The whole idea of Berry Farms is that sooner or later, Cool Springs is going to fill up. Berry Farms is the next step" south along I-65, says Frye.

___

Information from: The Nashville Ledger, http://www.nashvilleledger.com

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I-65 south of Nashville regains construction work

The last dead zone along an otherwise bustling North Carrollton Avenue commercial strip is about to stir to life. After closing on financing and land acquisition this month, Stirling Properties officials say they are poised to green light construction on the Mid-City Market, a Winn-Dixie-anchored shopping center that will include a mix of smaller retail outlets.

Workers are scheduled to start prepping the site in the 300 and 400 blocks of North Carrollton as early as Friday, said Townsend Underhill, vice president of development for Stirling. He said demolition should commence next week on the dormant Bohn Ford dealership building, which will be replaced by the planned 53,000-square-foot supermarket.

Underhill said the $38 million project is set to open in about a year. To date, about 80 percent of the 107,000 square feet of space at the site has been leased.

In addition to Winn-Dixie, businesses that have signed on as tenants are Office Depot, Neighborhood Pet Market by Jefferson Feed, Felipe's Taqueria, Pinkberry frozen yogurt, Five Guys burgers and fries and Pei Wei Asian diner.

Five of the signed tenants will be housed in three new buildings that will front on North Carrollton Avenue. A renovation is planned for the former Harry's Ace Hardware building, which will be home to Office Depot and Jefferson Feed.

Underhill said negotiations continue with four other retailers.

When fully operational, the development is projected to generate more than $60 million in annual retail sales. Underhill said the project will create about 365 permanent jobs and employ 275 construction workers.

The supermarket will be modeled after the Winn-Dixie store on Louisiana 21 in Covington, which opened in February 2010 as a national prototype for the Jacksonville, Fla., company.

Like the north shore location, the new store will have stained concrete floors, high ceilings, soft lighting and a 30-foot open-air covered entryway with produce displayed farmers-market-style in open boxes. The new store also will offer a yogurt bar, olive bar, salad bar, wing bar and a seafood case that's about twice the size of a regular store's, as well as nuts and dried fruit sold by the pound.

The grocery will be set at the back of the Bohn Ford site.

In recent months, the development team and City Hall haggled over a design detail that threatened to delay the start of construction.

Winn-Dixie officials wanted a two-way crossing of the proposed Lafitte Greenway to allow customer access to an adjacent, overflow parking lot. Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration and advocates of the 3-mile-long park opposed the idea.

In the end, the city and the developer agreed to a one-way crossing.

"We reached a solution to allow the development to go forward while still preserving the integrity of the greenway," said Aimee Quirk, Landrieu's economic development chief.

As part of the compromise, the developer agreed to pick up the tab for safety features, including speed bumps and signage, and some landscaping. Quirk said the city also reserves the right to close the crossing if it is deemed a safety risk down the road.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall on the $7 million Lafitte Greenway, which will connect Armstrong Park on the edge of the French Quarter to Canal Boulevard where Lakeview meets Mid-City. Plans call for the project to be finished in the spring of 2014.

Mid-City Market's amenities will include terraced outdoor seating and pedestrian plazas, benches, bike racks, trellises and landscaping throughout to complement the greenway.

The stretch of North Carrollton between Canal Street and Orleans Avenue has rebounded since Hurricane Katrina, with a bank and other small businesses joining several new restaurants and a few established eateries that reopened at their old locations.

The Mid-City Market site is the only dormant tract along the strip. Winn-Dixie had a Mid-City location before the storm, but the site became a Home Depot after Katrina.

City Councilwoman Susan Guidry, who represents the area, said the shopping center and linear park represent "exciting new opportunities" for the neighborhood.

"This has the potential to create a premier destination shopping experience that is easily accessible by car, bike, streetcar and walking through the Mid-City neighborhood," Guidry said.

In the past, Guidry has commended Stirling officials for working with the Carrollton Design Review Committee, a citizens' group that advises City Hall on commercial development in the area.

The new supermarket will be directly across the street from Rouses. Before Katrina, there were three grocery stores in the area: Winn-Dixie; Sav-A-Center, which was bought out by Rouses in 2007; and a Robert Fresh Market at the corner of Canal and Carrollton, which is now a Walgreens.

Frank Donze can be reached at fdonze@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3328.

Continued here:
Work on Mid-City Market is slated to begin

GREENSBORO, N.C., Feb. 20, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE:SKT - News), announced today that construction has begun on the new 328,000 square foot Tanger Outlet Center Westgate in Glendale, Arizona. Situated on 38-acres, the Tanger Outlet Center Westgate in Glendale, Arizona will be located on Loop 101 and Glendale Avenue in Western Phoenix. This site is adjacent to Westgate City Center, Jobing.com Arena, University of Phoenix Stadium, Cabela's and The Renaissance Glendale Hotel and Spa.

The 328,000 square foot first phase of this upscale Tanger Outlet Center is underway, offering the nation's best outlet shopping including some 85 brand name outlet stores at opening. The modern design will feature a pedestrian friendly layout that will function as an open-air mall with both covered and uncovered landscaped courtyards and a park-like setting throughout the complex. The Tanger Outlet Center will create 700-800 jobs during construction and 900 full and part-time retail jobs upon completion.

"We are pleased to begin construction in this dynamic Phoenix market," said Steven B. Tanger, President and Chief Executive Officer. "The area serves as an excellent opportunity for our outlet concept. Phoenix has such a healthy regional population coupled with one of the most vibrant visitor markets. We feel confident they will enjoy our leading brand names and designer outlet stores offering substantial savings. We are happy to find a home in Glendale and bring Tanger Outlets to Arizona this year."

"Tanger's new location in Glendale means new jobs, new brand name shopping opportunities for residents and tourists and an increase in tax revenue for the city, " said Ed Beasley, Glendale City Manager. "The hundreds of thousands of visitors who come to the Sports and Entertainment District in Glendale each year now have another destination attraction with the opening of the new Tanger Outlet Center."

Glendale, Arizona is one of the largest cities in Arizona with a history going back more than 100 years. The city has become known for its significant transformation in the past decade, growing from a bedroom community to a city featuring a world class Sports and Entertainment District. Glendale will host the 2015 Super Bowl after previously hosting the 2008 Super Bowl. Glendale is also home to the Fiesta Bowl, and BCS championship games. All of these amazing events have generated millions of dollars in revenue to benefit the entire state of Arizona.

An official Ground Breaking Ceremony is scheduled in the weeks to come. At this ceremony, Tanger Outlets will share the project timeline and some of the enticing brands and designer outlets that will be opening at this center.

ABOUT TANGER FACTORY OUTLET CENTERS, INC.

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE:SKT - News) is a publicly-traded REIT headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina that operates and owns, or has an ownership interest in, a portfolio of 39 upscale outlet shopping centers in 25 states coast to coast and in Canada, totaling approximately 11.8 million square feet leased to over 2,500 stores operated by 450 different brand name companies. More than 175 million shoppers visit Tanger Factory Outlet Centers annually. For more information on Tanger Outlet Centers, call 1-800-4TANGER or visit the company's web site at http://www.tangeroutlet.com

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Construction Begins on the New Tanger Outlets