Development/Redevelopment

Woodbridge, N.J. -- Fameco Real Estate announced that Scott Jennerich has joined the Fameco organization and will be based out of its Woodbridge, N.J., office.

Jennerich previously led Trinity Real Estate Advisors, a consulting company specializing nationally in retail real estate, land development and the shopping center industry. He will join Fameco as the president of Trinity Real Estate Advisors, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Fameco Real Estate.
 

Brooklyn, N.Y. -- One of the largest commercial solar rooftop installations in the five boroughs has gone live. Ikea announced that the solar energy system on its store in Brooklyn, N.Y., now is commissioned, operational and certified by Con Edison and New York City. The 200 kW array occupies 19,000 sq. ft., with four different module types totaling 1,104 panels.

New York City -- Darden Restaurants plans to roughly double the size of LongHorn Steakhouse during the next 10 years. 

Speaking at Barclay’s Retail & Restaurants Conference in New York City, Darden president and COO Drew Madsen said LongHorn Steakhouse, Olive Garden and Seasons 52 would help drive the company’s growth going forward. Darden want to expand LongHorn Steakhouse, which currently has some 345 locations, to 600 to 800 units over the next decade.

Austin, Texas -- T. Stacy & Associates, who has been involved with some of Austin’s most iconic buildings, announced that it will reconfigure street-level space in its headquarters building at 823 Congress Avenue to a size and quality sufficient to attract a major retailer and that it has begun an aggressive search to find the “perfect tenant.”

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop is teaming up with Orlando International Airport to open a new store in mid-May. It will be the first Build-A-Bear Workshop store located inside an airport.

The Build-A-Bear Workshop store at Orlando International Airport will be located in the Main Terminal. The store will provide the same experience and interaction as mall-based Build-A-Bear Workshop retail locations.
 

Tampa, Fla. -- RMC Property Group announced it has acquired Carrollwood Corporate Center in Tampa, Fla., and is expanding and moving its corporate offices to the office building.

The Class A office building encompasses 20,000 sq. ft.
 

Seattle -- REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.), announced plans to open a new store in Greenville, S.C., this fall. It will be the company’s first location in Asheville, N.C.

The one-story, approximately 22,000-sq.-ft. store will include a bike shop for quick assemblies and repairs, and a seasonal gear rental department for customers looking to test new activities. It will also feature a community space for REI and its local partners to hold outdoor-related classes, presentations and events.

Dallas -- 7-Eleven has signed an agreement to purchase Wilson Farms, a Buffalo-based convenience store chain with 188 locations in New York State, with an expected closing in the second quarter. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.