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A local developer is taking steps to build an outlet mall in South Anchorage.

On a 27-acre swath of wetlands southwest of the intersection at 100th Avenue and C Street, the developer, JL Properties, is angling to provide 200,000 square feet of retail space for dozens of outlet shops.

The company originally bought the land last spring. From there, the question was what to do with it, said Leonard Hyde, one of the principals of JL Properties.

With little experience in the outlet business, the company looked to a group called Outlets of the Pacific, Hyde said. The group had been working to bring an outlet mall to Anchorage for several years, he said, but a large, well placed plot of land had failed to surface.

"It struck us that this one could be a possibility," Hyde said.

The location is across from Target and the Cabela's store now under construction.

The first phase of the development is estimated to cost about $70 million, Hyde said. The company is still weighing whether to commit to building an additional 200,000 square feet of space, which would be carried out in two phases.

Hyde did not say which name brands may be included in the mall. But he said the retail landscape will "look very similar to the new outlets you're seeing around the country."

Construction is scheduled to start next summer, headed toward an opening date of Oct. 1, 2015, Hyde said.

Anchorage has long awaited its first outlet mall. The malls are popular across the country for their big discounts on overstocked or undersold goods from the nation's largest retail chains.

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Outlet mall with dozens of shops proposed for South Anchorage

Retail real estate brokers and leasing agents including representatives of the American Dream project in the Meadowlands sounded optimistic about filling empty and prospective store spaces Monday as the industry gathered in New York City for an annual deal-making conference.

Brokers said they are seeing pre-recession levels of leasing activity, and developers of North Jersey properties said they are encouraged by the amount of interest they are seeing in their available retail spaces.

Things are certainly better than they were a few years ago, said George Jacobs, president of development firm Jacobs Enterprises of Clifton. Jacobs said the firms Clifton and Ridgewood retail properties are 100 percent leased and he is seeing strong interest in new urban mixed use developments in Newark and Bloomfield. The firm and its partners broke ground on a retail and residential project in Bloomfield on Monday.

Jacobs and more than 7,500 retail real estate professionals gathered at the Hilton New York hotel Monday for the two-day conference hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers. Attendance at the conference increased about 15 percent this year compared to 2012.

One of the rare mega malls currently under way, the American Dream projects agents were at the conference to meet with prospective tenants. The projects leasing team had a meeting room in an adjacent hotel and were conducting meetings throughout the day Monday.

Don Ghermezian, president of Triple Five, the developer of American Dream, said during a break in meetings that the mall is attracting a lot of leasing interest, although the company is not yet able to announce tenants. We have eight or nine leasing agents talking to us right now he said, gesturing toward the crowded meeting room.

Michael Kercheval, president and chief executive of the shopping center council said attendance at the New York conference usually is a barometer for the health of the retail real estate industry. The 15 percent increase in attendance this year bodes very well for our industry in 2014, he said.

Chuck Lanyard, president of The Goldstein Group, a retail brokerage firm in Paramus, said he uses a different measure to gauge the industrys robustness - how crowded the aisles are at the conference. If at 12 noon the aisles are too crowded to walk through, thats a good sign, and they were, Lanyard said.

In addition to being more crowded than last year, the mood at the conference is more upbeat, Lanyard said, with deals being done.

Most of the deals being negotiated at the conference involve repositioned properties rather than new developments.

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Retail representatives, inluding American Dream's builder, are optomistic on filling space

The new owners of the former Christian Science Reading Room building in downtown Buffalo have begun work to convert the historic three-story structure into a mixture of residential, office and retail space to add to the redevelopment of the 500 block of Main Street.

Peter and Rebecca McCauley will spend more than $600,000 on the renovation of 483 Main St., at Mohawk Street, after acquiring the 6,200-square-foot building located near the new headquarters of the Martin Group advertising and marketing firm, and architectural firm Carmina Wood Morris for $230,000.

Plans call for a luxury apartment on the third floor, with access to an outdoor living space on the building's flat roof. The second floor will be a combination of residential and office space, and the first floor will have a boutique retail shop. Workers from Lehigh Construction already began asbestos abatement and deconstruction on the interior, and the building should be ready for its first tenants by June 1, Rebecca McCauley said. The property, formerly called the Hudson Building after the original architects, Hudson & Hudson, is part of the 500 Block local historical preservation district, so the McCauleys have applied for state and national historic tax credits. This is the first such project for the couple, both Amherst natives who moved from the area when they married but later returned. Rebecca McCauley, 50, is an attorney and federal court clerk in Buffalo, while her 51-year-old husband is the president of Orchard Park-based manufacturer McGard LLC, started by his father nearly 50 years ago.

The couple live on a working farm in Orchard Park. I've been anxious to get involved in the rebirth of the City of Buffalo for several years, Rebecca MaCauley said. They bid unsuccessfully in 2005 on a building adjacent to the new Zeptometrix headquarters on Main Street.

We stumbled upon this building early last spring and just were delighted that we could be a part of the rebirth of the city, she said. It's just such a wonderfully exciting time.

She said they want to use the project to give work opportunities to up-and-coming young and returning professionals. For example, her marketing plan was developed by a woman who is trying to return to the marketing world after taking time off to raise a family much like Rebecca McCauley returned to law school after raising her own family while the build-out of the second and third floors is being created by a pair of young designers who are finishing up their master's degrees.

email: jepstein@buffnews.com

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New owners are thrilled to restore 438 Main St. in Buffalo

By: Krista Angela M. Montealegre, InterAksyon.com December 12, 2013 12:43 PM

Japan's Uniqlo is one of the foreign brands that set up shop in the Philippines through a partnership with the SM group.

InterAksyon.com means BUSINESS

MANILA Foreign brands are flooding the Philippine retail market this holiday season to capitalize on higher consumer spending in one of Asia's fastest-growing economies, according to a property consultancy firm.

In a report, CBRE Philippines said 13 international retailers opened shop in the country in the third quarter.

"With elevated consumption spending, business partnerships between foreign brands and local entrepreneurs are expected to yield profitable returns," CBRE said.

The Philippines economy has grown at a record pace of 7.4 percent in the first nine months of the year. Consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of the economy.

"Local retail businesses anticipate upbeat sales while European companies see the potential in the local retail market. This in turn has put pressure on mall operators to expedite the completion of construction works before the start of the Christmas season shopping," CBRE said.

FamilyMart, a joint venture between Japanese firm Itochu and SIAL CVS Retailers Inc of the Rustans and Ayala groups, continue to boost its convenience store count in business districts to cater to the needs of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

The Bistro Group is bringing Chuck E. Cheeses, the largest family entertainment chain in the United States, to the Philippines with the maiden branch to rise in Glorietta.

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More foreign retail brands setting up shop amid booming PH consumer market

Restoring degraded forests can help ensure food security, protect watersheds, improve rural livelihoods, tackle climate change, and conserve biodiversity. Photo credit: Rainforest Action Network

This post was co-written with Stewart Maginnis, head of IUCN's Forest Conservation Programme.

This week in Washington, D.C., members of the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration (GPFLR) met to advance strategies to restore degraded forest landscapes around the world. Such restoration has the potential to bring millions of hectares of land back to lifea move that could help protect watersheds, ensure food security, improve the livelihoods of rural communities, tackle climate change, and conserve biodiversity.

Forest landscape restoration is the process of regaining ecological functions and enhancing human well-being in deforested and degraded forest landscapes. It can include integrating trees into agricultural lands, restoring tracts of trees amidst a mosaic of farms and villages, recovering vast areas of intact forests, and more. Restoration can involve varying degrees of human interventionranging from actively planting trees to allowing natural processes of forest succession to occurand many things in between.

In 2011, WRI, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and research partners published Landscapes of Opportunity, the first global assessment of where forest landscape restoration might be possible. This map helped build momentum toward the Bonn Challenge, a global commitment to start restoring 150 million hectaresan area twice the size of Spainof lost and degraded forests by 2020.

Since then, several nationsranging from the United States to Rwandahave made Bonn Challenge restoration pledges, with pledges from others on the way. What some nations are asking now isnt what restoration is or where it is possible, but how can it be done successfully?

To help answer this question, WRI and IUCN assessed more than 20 examples from around the globe of forest landscape restoration over the past 150 years, including both relative successes and failures. Examples came from countries such as Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Niger, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Sweden, Tanzania, and the United States. Lessons from these countries can not only provide insights into what works, but also inspire others to restore.

History tells us that large-scale forest landscape restoration is possible.

Costa Rica witnessed its tropical forest cover decline from 85 percent of its land area at the start of the 20th century to below 30 percent by 1987. Yet through a series of restoration effortssuch as innovative financing approaches, policy reforms, and technical assistance to landownersthe nations forest cover climbed back to about 50 percent by 2010. This significant restoration yielded a variety of benefitssuch as more forest products, ecotourism, and reduced soil erosionfor the nations environment, economy, and citizens.

South Korea restored its forests on a large scale after the Korean War. Between 1953 and 2007, forest cover expanded from 35 percent to 64 percent of the countrys total area, while its population doubled and its economy grew 300-fold. Those who say a country cant grow its economy and restore its forests at the same time havent been to South Korea.

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Cleveland, OH (PRWEB) December 11, 2013

Restoration Local, one of the leading providers of water damage repair and restoration in the United States, is offering tips to property owners on proper identification of the signs associated with water damage. Knowing what to look for and how to address it is an excellent way of avoiding serious and expensive water damage in homes and businesses.

Foundations should be checked for cracks due to stress, sub par construction, or low grade materials. Many older homes will have this problem although it is increasingly found in new home constructs as well. Any foundational crack can allow access to the home by groundwater, which also sets the stage for mold growth.

Roofs may also sag under the weight of water, snow, ice, or debris, and missing or damaged shingles and flashing means serious leakage into the attic area of the home. Sagging roofs may also collapse, risking injury to anyone standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sloping floors are a problem in older homes, sometimes with as much as a five inch degree of difference from one end of the home to the other. This may also be a sign of weakness in the homes supporting structures, so it is important to make sure that all floors are properly leveled following construction or repair.

Windows and doors may also suffer broken seals as a result of the home settling, allowing air and heat to escape. This drives up energy bills, as well as allowing water into the home. Similarly, siding can also be compromised, and as a result only durable, high quality siding should be used.

Water stains and mold growth are telltale signs of existing water damage, and the longer it remains unchecked, the greater the damage to the home will be. Based in Cleveland OH, Restoration Local is one of the leading providers of water damage restoration in the country, with contractors in 30 states, 24/7 availability, and same day emergency service in most cases.

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Restoration Local Offers Tips on Identifying Water Problems

Denver, CO (PRWEB) December 10, 2013

Members of Restoration Community Church will start their Christmas by serving breakfast to the homeless. The event begins at 8:00 a.m. on December 25th at Restoration Outreach Programs,1540 Boston St, Aurora, CO 80010. Restoration Community Church (RCC) is providing and serving breakfast to people who don't have a home to celebrate Christmas.

Members of Restoration Community Church will start their Christmas by serving breakfast to the homeless. The event begins at 8:00 a.m. on December 25th at Restoration Outreach Programs,1540 Boston St, Aurora, CO 80010. Restoration Community Church (RCC) is providing and serving breakfast to people who don't have a home to celebrate Christmas.

Restoration Community Church will partner with a ministry that regularly feeds the homeless; Restoration Outreach Programs. Everyone is welcome to join in serving the less fortunate on Christmas morning. RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary, via the RCC website. You can RSVP here.

This is RCCs fourth year of providing and serving breakfast on Christmas Day and Restoration Community Church members say it is the perfect way to begin the day that honors the greatest servant of all time.

About Restoration Community Church: Located in Denver, CO RCC is Christian-based church. RCCs vision is to see people transformed into the image of Christ. We believe that transformation comes when we extend ourselves on the behalf of others.

If you would like more information or to schedule an interview with RCC contact Mary Murphy at 303.619.1441.

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Restoration Community Church Members Celebrate Christmas by Serving the Homeless

Historic home preserved: Gingerbread details are the among the punch-list of restoration work done at this gothic Savin Hill Avenue home. Image courtesy Classical DetailsThe former home of Dorchester Days founding father, James H. Stark, has received a carefully-executed facelift.

Originally built in the mid-1870s by his father John Stark for James and his brother Frederick, the gothic duplex has been owned by only a handful of families over the years. Though not classified as a historic landmark by the Massachusetts Historical Committee, Savin Hill has been designated as a Boston Landmarks district, and the Stark home is undoubtedly an icon.

For the last three decades 252-254 Savin Hill Avenue has been owned by the Carney family who have spent the time and funds necessary to restore the historic home to its original splendor. Throughout their thirty-year stewardship, they have restored the homes decorative hardwood floors and its historic fireplace, among other projects.

While understanding the costs, weve still maintained the history, said Marta Carney, current resident of the iconic, double mansion.

Contractor Steve DeMeo of Classical Details has been responsible for the most recent restoration of the Gothic Revival home, which included painstaking work to replace the roofs gingerbread details. We did everything exactly as before, DeMeo said.

He and his team replaced the homes virgin barge boards, restored the bell flowers underneath, connected the gutter to the crown molding, rebuilt the skylight, and restored the homes gingerbread detailing. In addition, he did a lot of copper roof work, millwork, and dealt with lots of slate and copper difficult materials for contractors to work with.

He was an outstanding contractor, said Carney. She plans to use DeMeo and Classical Details for further restoration work in the spring.

In restoring the home while maintaining its original detailing, Carney and Classical Details are paying homage to Savin Hills rich history. The neighborhood was a 19th century vacation spot for city dwellers and morphed into a stable, middle class community.

According to the Massachusetts Historical Commission, long-term ownership of single-family homes is not uncommon in Savin Hill and the neighborhood avoided the subdivision of larger homes that occurred throughout other parts of Dorchester during the Great Depression.

Though examples of restored homes can be found all along Savin Hill Avenue and Grampian Way, the Stark double mansion is an beautiful piece of Savin Hills rich history, and thanks to the efforts of the Carney family its history will be maintained for several years to come.

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One of Savin Hill's iconic homes gets a facelift

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Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday directed the Law Department to redraft legislation proposed earlier to check exploitation in the real estate sector.

Talking to the media after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that the Real Estate Development and Regulation Bill would have provisions to ensure proper control of the real estate sector. There were many complaints now that developers of apartments and other properties were cheating people including overseas Keralites. The proposed law will protect the interests of the buyers.

The Chief Minister recalled that the Cabinet earlier discussed and decided on a draft proposed by the State Housing Board to regulate the real estate sector. However, its enactment was kept in abeyance because of a proposal by the Centre to bring legislation on the subject.

Though the Central legislation was approved by the Rajya Sabha, it was not adopted by Lok Sabha. Now, there was uncertainty about the Central law. Hence, the Cabinet decision to revive the plan for State legislation subject to the understanding that it would be modified in tune with the Central law, if one is enacted by the Centre.

Mr. Chandy said that he was not certain whether the Bill could be taken up by the coming Assembly session as replacement of Ordinances would have to be given priority.

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Kerala to bring law to regulate reality sector