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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -

Now that Orlando officials have approved a Major League Soccer team, it is time to decide what the stadium will look like.

Mayor Buddy Dyer and City Soccer Club President Phil Rawlins are meeting with architects in Kansas City Tuesday to discuss the design of the new Major League Soccer stadium reports the Orlando Sentinel.

It will feature a modern, state-of-the-art look that will cost $84 million and seat about 18,000 fans. It will also have corner terraces, club seats, luxury suites, and a premium club with a restaurant and bar.

Populous, the firm hired to design the new stadium, is known for designing stadiums around the world, and even Orlando's own Amway Center.

The new stadium will be built in Parramore, bounded by Church St., Central Blvd., Terry and Parramore Ave.

Stadium construction is expected to begin this year and be completed in 2015. In the meantime, the Lions will play at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

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Architects, city officials discuss ideas for new MLS stadium design

The state chapter for the American Institute of Architects rang in the new year welcoming three area architects to its board.

Lisa H. Nice of Post Architects and Samuel Herpin of Remson/Haley/Herpin Architects have been elected to the 2014 Louisiana Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Board of Directors Executive Committee.

Nice, a Baton Rouge-based architect will serve as first vice president/president-elect. Herpin, who also works in Baton Rouge, will be the secretary/treasurer during this term.

Angela M. Morton has also been elected to the local AIA board. Morton, of Mathes Brierre Architects of New Orleans, will serve as vice president for District B.

Others elected to the 2014 Board of Directors Executive Committee were William A. Tutor, of Alexandria, president; George Minturn, of Natchitoches, vice-president-District A; and Brent A. Frick, of Lafayette, vice-president-District C.

Immediate Past President Jeffrey K. Smith, of Hammond, will also serve on the Executive Committee.

Representing America's architects since 1857, the AIA has nearly 80,000 members nationally who are licensed architects, allied partners and emerging professionals.

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AIA state board welcomes Baton Rouge, New Orleans architects

Indias decision to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail towards the end of 2012 and its FDI policy modified in April 2013 put the country back on the retailing map of the world. However, this is not the first time that India has invited global retailers to set up their shops. In 1997, the government approved 100% FDI in cash and carry wholesale stores under the automatic route and, in 2006, 51% FDI was allowed in single-brand retailing, although with prior approval from the government. In December 2011, the government fully opened up FDI in single-brand retail stores. A number of international retail brands such as IKEA and Carrefour were excited to enter the Indian market and announced their plans to start talks on investment proposals with the concerned ministries. In the much-debated and politically-sensitive multi-brand retail space, however, partial 51% FDI was proposed only in September 2012, with parliamentary approval in December 2012. Retail in India - A Growing Story

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) predicts that the Indian retail sector is poised for 15% year-over-year growth over the next five years through 2018. This robust growth picture also is painted by AT Kearney, whose 2012 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) puts India as the fifth most favourable destination for global retailers. In 2011, Indias retail industry accounted for 22% of Indias GDP and employed close to 9.4% of the labour force. Organized retail in India currently constitutes only 6-7% of overall retail trade in India, although by 2016-17 this share is projected to grow to 10%. Economic growth of about 7% over the next 10 years, rapid urbanization, a growing young demography with rising income, easy access to credit and rising brand consciousness are indeed contributing to the growth story for the country, but inconsistencies in policy-making, glaring inefficiencies in supply-chain logistics, the high cost of real estate and a shortage of good quality retail properties are the main constraints in achieving the projected growth. While there is no doubt about Indias huge market size that attracts the worlds largest retailers, retail real estate in India is still a young industry. With a history of approximately only 13 years, Indias malls make up only 80 million square feet (sq ft) of space. The global financial crisis and its lingering impacts have resulted in major delays to retail-supply additions planned for over the last five years, with 2012 seeing the lowest number of new mall completions in India since 2006. If all of the planned new supply targeted for completion between 2013 and 2015 gets delivered, India will have 100 million sq ft of mall space by the end of 2015, still a fairly small number given the market size. Visible Impact of FDI Will Take Time

With the relaxation of the FDI policy, the government has ended a waiting period of more than seven years for multinational retailers to enter the market. The impact is likely to be a mixed initially as small retailers and middlemen/agents will face increased pressure on their business with the entry of the international retail-chain operators. However, it will work positively for farmers and small-scale manufacturing hubs as they will find large-scale buyers for their products. It will also be beneficial for customers as this will increase one-stop shopping options with access to international brands. It could require an additional 6-10 years for the market to mature. Even in China, the international giants like Wal-Mart, Tesco, Carrefour, Auchan and Costco had a long settling-in period contrary to a general perception that streamlined approval systems, government facilitation and shorter construction periods can help retailers settle down quickly. While the relaxation in FDI rules will allow a big-bang entry by global retailers, some of them have already set up their business in some way or have collaboration arrangements in place with Indian companies. For example, Carrefour opened its first cash-and-carry store in India in New Delhi, German-based Metro opened six wholesale centres in the country, Wal-Mart plans to invest about US$2.5 billion over the next five years in a joint venture with Bharti Retail and Tesco has signed an agreement with Trent Ltd., the retail segment of the Tata Group, to set up cash-and-carry stores. Additionally, Swedish fast-fashion retail giant H&M has sought permission from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to invest US$120 million in India to start a fully-owned company that will open 50 H&M stores. IKEA is currently waiting for the final approval from FIPB to open 25 stores with an investment of US$150 million. U.S. casualwear retailer Gap Inc., French apparel retailer Celio and Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo are also ready with their plans to enter India. Some Hurdles To Overcome

The impact of FDI is closely linked with how India can address economic, political and social hurdles. One of the economic hurdles is the high cost of real estate. Rents in India easily account for 9-15% of retailers revenue, which is significantly higher than the global average of 4-10%. International retailers, sensitive about real estate costs, will help to reduce the dominance of central city locations. Good but off-centre locations can bring down the land cost substantially and eventually developers can pass on these savings to their retailer occupiers with rent that is compatible with their retail business. Another hurdle is the role that Indian state governments can play in allowing FDI in the states they rule. Though the central government has allowed FDI in multi-brand retail at the Centre level, the state governments are at liberty to make their own decisions about the implementation of the policy. With Indian elections due to take place no later than May 2014, the decisions of retailers to enter India could be deferred by a few months. Also, the government has laid down some requirements before allowing FDI in retail and these can affect the business planning for international retailers. The retailers must fulfil the conditions of not less than 30% of the value of procurement needs to be sourced from Indian small industries, at least 50% of FDI brought into India should be invested into backend infrastructure (distribution centres, warehousing and logistics) within three years, minimum FDI investment of US$100 million, multinational retailers can conduct their business only in cities with a population of more than one million (54 such cities as of 2011) and a requirement of a minority Indian partner. While these conditions appear fair to most, it will still take at least 12 to 24 months before India can actually experience the fruits of FDI in multi-brand retail. India is likely to witness a new era in retailing which will be defined by the emergence of new formats and, vastly improved collaboration among the various stakeholders and experimentation with concepts such as tourism, luxury and destination-focused retail and rural retail. Upcoming large townships, mixed-use retail developments, retail centres at transport nodes and in office districts, along with a research driven approach by developers, will assist in bringing in quality supply of the right size and in the right place - and hopefully addressing the demand from foreign brands waiting to tap the extensive and mostly under-exploited Indian market.

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JLL: FDI in multi-brand retail... Hope In Abeyance

A rendering of the new 11-story Arena Place. (Courtesy Orion Construction - Jan. 7, 2014)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A plan to construct a new building in downtown Grand Rapids' arena district has doubled in size after gaining a new tenant.

The Arena Place building will now have 11 stories and cost about $45 million.

Arena Place, located at what is now a parking lot on Ottawa Avenue SW between Weston and Oakes streets, was initially envisioned as a $28 million, five-story building.

The expansion is because law firm Miller Johnson now intends to move into the building.

In total, the new Arena Place will measure more than 60,000 square feet, according to a Tuesday release from Orion Construction and DO MORE GOOD | Hanon McKendry. That includes 10,000 square feet of street-level retail space and a restaurant, as well as 101 housing units and additional office space. There will also be 250 above-ground parking spaces on three levels.

Miller Johnson, which as been located in four floors of the Calder Plaza Building on Monroe Avenue, will occupy the top four floors of the new Arena Place.

DO MORE GOOD | Hanon McKendry, MINDSCAPE at Hanon McKendry and Meritage Hospitality Group will each occupy one floor of office space.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for this spring and the building should open in the summer of 2015, Orion Construction said. Miller Johnson will move in during the summer of 2016.

The Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authorities still needs to approve the changes to the project. Orion Construction said that could happen Wednesday.

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Arena Place project in GR adds 6 stories

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View, a Milpitas, Calif.based maker of architectural dynamic glass, has raised $100 million in equity funding from Madrone Capital Partners. http://www.viewglass.com

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Houston-based developer of cellular immunotherapy products, has raised $14.7 million in new Series B funding. The round now stands at $34.4 million total. Backers include AVG Ventures and Remeditex Ventures. http://www.bellicum.com

Mashable, a tech content site, has raised $13.3 million in its first round of outside funding. Updata Partners led the round, and was joined by New Markets Venture Partners, Social Starts and individual angels. http://www.mashable.com

Isarna Therapeutics, a German developer of cancer drugs, has raised 13 million in new VC funding. AT NewTec led the round, and was joined by return backer MIG. http://www.isarna-therapeutics.com

Mediant Communications LLC, a New York-based provider of outsourced shareholder communications services, has raised $7 million in growth equity funding from existing shareholder Argentum Capital Partners. http://www.mediantonline.com

Remitly Inc., a Seattle-based mobile money transfer service that allows immigrants in the U.S. to send money home, has raised $5.5 million in Series A funding. QED led the round, and was joined by Trilogy Partnership, Founders Co-Op, TomorrowVentures, Bezos Expeditions and individual angels. http://www.remitly.com

Dianrong, a Shanghai-based peer-to-peer lending site, has raised "tens of millions of dollars" of new VC funding from Northern Light Venture Capital. http://www.dianrong.com

American Industrial Partners has acquired the Transportation Products unit of Carlisle Companies Inc. (NYSE: CSL). No financial terms were disclosed. The business makes specialty tires, wheels and power transmission belts for a wide range of end markets. http://www.americanindustrial.com

Clearlake Capital Group has acquired a majority stake in PrimeSport, an Atlanta-based sports travel and entertainment management company, from ticket resale company RazorGator. No financial terms were disclosed. The seller was RazorGator, whose shareholders include Kleiner Perkins, Oak Investment Partners and Steamboat Ventures. http://www.primesport.com

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A COUPLE who saved a former 18th century flint mill and transformed it into their home are to feature on a popular TV series this week.

The Grade II listed building in Stone had begun to collapse when Alan and Dora Appleby began the mammoth rescue project in 2011.

Now their efforts have been filmed for Channel 4s The Restoration Man, which is presented by well-known architect George Clarke.

Viewers can watch the dramatic moments unfold when the episode is screened on Wednesday evening.

For Alan, who works as a chartered surveyor, it was not just a chance to create a unique home with bags of character.

The flint mill is also an important relic of Staffordshires industrial heritage as it was used to grind flint for Josiah Wedgwoods pottery factories.

Alan said: This old building has been rocked to its roots over the decades, but its given good service to a number of trades and industries.

Now weve given it a new lease of life, not only as our home, but as a base for my own business.

The building in Mill Street had lain abandoned since the 1960s and was used as a dumping ground before the Applebys stepped in to rescue it.

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Historic Stone flint mill to feature on Channel 4's Restoration...

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A COUPLE who saved a former 18th century flint mill and transformed it into their home are to feature on a popular TV series this week.

The Grade II-listed building in Stone had begun to collapse when Alan and Dora Appleby began the mammoth rescue project in 2011.

Now their efforts have been filmed for Channel 4's The Restoration Man, which is presented by architect George Clarke.

Viewers can watch the dramatic moments unfold when the episode is screened tomorrow evening.

For Alan, who works as a chartered surveyor, it was more than simply a chance to create a unique home with bags of character.

The flint mill is also an important relic of Staffordshire's industrial heritage as it was used to grind flint for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery factories.

Alan said: "This old building has been rocked to its roots over the decades, but it's given good service to a number of trades and industries.

"Now we've given it a new lease of life, not only as our home, but as a base for my own business."

The building in Mill Street had lain abandoned since the 60s and was used as a dumping ground before the Applebys stepped in to rescue it.

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Stone couple's efforts to transform an old flint mill to feature...

Honking geese soar overhead in a V formation, buffeted by bitter gusts off nearby Lake Erie, while flocks of mallards bob along the shore. Even blanketed in snow, the sprawling wetland south of Monroe is a magnet for water birds one reason a public-private project is under way to improve it.

Crews are building levees, canals and pumps that will regulate water levels and upgrade fish passageways in a 946-acre section of Erie Marsh, making it a better home for wildlife and limiting the spread of invasive plants.

Its an example of decades-old efforts by government agencies and private groups to rebuild Great Lakes coastal wetlands such as swamps, bogs and marshes that have been depleted by development. A federal report released in November suggests the work is beginning to pay off.

The eight-state Great Lakes region extending from western New York to eastern Minnesota was the only section of the U.S. where coastal wetland acreage increased during a five-year period when scientists took extensive measurements with satellites and field photography.

The gain was modest 13,610 acres, an area not quite as large as the New York City borough of Manhattan. Yet it happened as the rest of the nations coastal wetlands shrank by 360,720 acres. The loss amounted to less than 1% of the U.S. total but continued a longtime negative trend.

Wetlands dont have the cachet of spectacular natural features that oceans and mountains do. Theyre sometimes dismissed as worthless, especially by those wanting to cover them with shopping centers or highways. But they help prevent floods by absorbing excessive rainwater. They are known as natures kidneys, filtering out pollutants that otherwise would wash into lakes and rivers, and also provide vital wildlife habitat nesting grounds for ducks and geese, temporary refuges for migratory birds and spawning areas for fish.

Scientists say the continental U.S. has lost roughly half of the wetland acreage that existed before the European settlement era. Wetlands have been relentlessly filled and drained for farms, housing and cities.

The biggest losses from 2004-09, the period covered by the study, were along the Gulf of Mexico, where coastal wetlands form a crucial buffer against storm surge during hurricanes. They have been battered by decades of erosion and salt water intrusion caused largely by flood-control projects and development. Atlantic coast acreage also dropped substantially.

Replacing wetlands is a primary goal of an Obama administration program called the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that is focusing on the regions biggest environmental problems. Separately, the U.S. and Canada signed an agreement last year to upgrade the lakes water quality that calls for boosting wetlands.

If theres a cure-all for the Great Lakes, wetland restoration is just about the highest on the list as anything gets, said Cameron Davis, a senior adviser with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Great Lakes wetlands restoration efforts paying off as acreage grows

Kuwaits prime minister shuffled his five-month-old cabinet, appointing Anas Al-Saleh as finance minister and Ali Al-Omair as the ninth oil minister in 10 years.

The appointments were approved by Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, who also issued a decree accepting the resignation of seven former ministers, state television reported. Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabahs cabinet includes four Islamists, a Shiite and a woman, Hind Al-Subeeh who was named minister of social affairs and labor as well as state minister for planning and development.

The Dec. 23 resignations followed grillings of cabinet members by lawmakers over alleged mismanagement and corruption, which also targeted the premier.

Sheikh Salem AbdulAziz Al-Sabah, who served as Kuwaits central bank governor for 25 years and was appointed finance minister in August, had called for fiscal discipline and criticized the governments spending policies. His replacement, Al-Saleh, held the commerce and industry portfolio prior to the shuffle.

The challenge for the cabinet is how to handle and deal with the feisty parliament, Abdullah Al-Shayji, chairman of the political science department at Kuwait University, wrote on his twitter account after todays changes. All of the ministers questioned by legislators have left or been removed from the cabinet.

Al-Omair, who holds a PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Kent, has been a lawmaker since 2006. Hes a member of the Islamic Salafi Alliance.

Sheikh Jaber has now formed six cabinets since his appointment in Nov. 2011 as the OPEC member grapples with political disputes that have led to repeated dissolutions of parliament and ministerial resignations. The instability has slowed implementation of the countrys $110 billion development plan to diversify its oil-reliant economy.

To contact the reporter on this story: Fiona MacDonald in Kuwait at fmacdonald4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at shajimathew@bloomberg.net

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Kuwait PM Shuffles Cabinet, Appoints New Finance, Oil Ministers

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In Florida, there are few top tier elected positions available at the state level for ambitious pols. Until recently, the three Cabinet races locked up by incumbents promised to be a snoozer this election year for all but the very top of the ticket -- the governor's race.

Then chief financial officer Jeff Atwater announced he's ready to ditch his $129,000 state job for one that makes nearly three times the salary: president of Florida Atlantic University. The search committee on Monday picked Atwater, and former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux among 10 candidates to interview. If Atwater is named to the post, the governor could appoint a temporary replacement and open the door to politicians from both parties to scurry for the open seat.

Here's the latest line-up of who's considering the job should Atwater leave:

* Rep. Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee: "There are a lot of moves on that board before it before that happens and all of that is out of my control. If theres a vacancy I would consider it."

* House Speaker Will Weatherford:It's too early to speculate on a position that isn't even vacant, spokesman Ryan Duffy said via email. The Speaker is focused on preparing for the upcoming Session and has not given much thought on his next step beyond then.

* Senate President Don Gaetz:Several people have called with words of encouragement, but he is hesitant to weigh in on what is currently a hypothetical scenario, Gaetz spokeswoman Katie Betta said via email. Right now President Gaetz is focused on the three years left in his term in the Senate, and particularly this last session as Senate President.

* State Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, who ran unsuccessfully for chief financial officer in 2006, said the decision should be left to the governor but that he felt he would make a good fit. Its a job that matches my skill set very well and my professional experience, Lee said.The Brandon Republican has also been considered as a possible running mate for Scott this fall. Lee said he said he sees pros and cons to both jobs.

* State Sen.Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, said he is interested but:Im holding back from making any kinds of big decisions like that until the situation becomes clear, he said.

* StateSen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, who also applied for the FAU job but was rejected by the search committee, is also being heavily recruited for the post said Sen. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek. Waldman, who had been recruited to run against Atwater, said he is not interested in the post.

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Scurry and speculation over open Cabinet seat grows