Development/Redevelopment

In 2013, when Plainsboro (New Jersey) Plaza lost its grocery anchor, prospects appeared bleak for the once-thriving center. A new town center concept erected across the street in this affluent locale bordering Princeton had siphoned off shoppers in a big way. According to a report in the Trenton Times, two-thirds of the Plaza emptied while Plainsboro Village Center was 96% leased.  

The first phase of NewMark Merrill’s redevelopment of the Village at the Peaks in Longmont, Colorado — a 500,000-sq.-ft. lifestyle center — has been completed.   The company purchased the 50% vacant Twin Peaks Mall in 2012 for $8.5 million and has since pumped $90 million into construction of the new project in a private partnership with the city of Longmont that included a $32 million public bond.  

At Home on Friday started trading its shares on the New York Stock Exchange.    The Plano, Texas-based retailer has been growing its store base at a rate of 20% annually for the last three years, reported the Dallas Morning News. It now operate 115 stores in 29 states across the South and Midwest.     

Weis Markets on Thursday announced it has converted and reopened five former Mars Super Markets as Weis Markets stores located in Baltimore County, including two locations in Dundalk and individual units in Essex, Arbutus and Carney.  

Ikea has tabbed a 123-acre parcel 17 miles north of downtown Denver as the potential site of its second location in the metro. The Swedish furniture retailer made its debut in the area with a store in Centennial in 2011.   Ikea set no time frame for the opening of the second store, though the city of Denver has begun the process of incorporating a new Ikea into the master-planned retail center destined for the site in Broomfield at the intersection of Interstate 25 and State Highway 7.  

Tuesday Morning is showing off its updated prototype at two locations.   The chain’s expanded store at Preston Shopping Center, Dallas, and new store at Parker Central Shopping Center, in Plano, feature new fixtures, flooring, improved lighting and a redesigned store layout that makes it easier for customers to shop. The format also includes an expanded assortment of goods.  

Three current franchisee groups will introduce a total of 17 new Dunkin’ Donuts shops to the Atlanta area following deals signed with Dunkin’ Brands. Four of the units will be co-branded with Baskin-Robbins.  

The benefits of density and densification are a fundamental tenet of “new urbanism,” the guiding set of principles exerting a significant influence over real estate development, urban planning, and municipal land-use strategies.