Real Estate

San Francisco -- Grosvenor Americas said it has appointed Steve O’Connell to the position of development manager in the company’s San Francisco headquarters office.

O’Connell will oversee the development process from property identification and purchase through design, entitlement, construction, leasing, and stabilization. He was previously with Swinerton Builders in San Francisco as a construction project manager on large urban mixed-use projects.

Indianapolis -- Kite Realty Group said that that Marco’s Pizza has leased 1,737 sq. ft. at Bridgewater Marketplace, located in Carmel, Ind. Bridgewater Marketplace has a total GLA of 55,180 sq. ft.

Great Clips has leased 1,627 sq. ft. at Naperville Marketplace located in Naperville, Ill., a 162,111-sq.-ft. center anchored by TJ Maxx, Petsmart and Caputo’s Fresh Market.

Learning Express Toys has leased 3,704 sq. ft. at Oleander Point in Wilmington, N.C., a 57,782-sq.-ft. Whole Foods-anchored center.
 

Any early skepticism about the longevity of mixed-use has been silenced. The art of combining components to create a live-work-play project has evolved into a science. And those that have become particularly adept at building, leasing and managing mixed-use properties say that the right formula makes for a successful development. 
Chain Store Age talked with three top developers of mixed-use projects and uncovered several trends that are governing, and continuing to evolve, the format.


Trend #1: Adding local flavor 


Dallas -- SRS Real Estate Partners said Tuesday that it has hired three new team members in the Newport Beach, Calif., office.

Steve McClurkin, Garrett Colburn and Nichole Slykhous have joined the SRS Newport Beach office to focus on tenant representation, specializing in expanding national retail and restaurant concepts. They will also continue consulting with landlords on outdoor malls/lifestyle centers throughout the western United States.

New York City -- Office Depot will celebrate the grand opening of its new store in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 27.

The new store features a number of upgrades designed with the customer in mind, including colorful and clear signage, and carpeted floors for a warmer feel. The floor plan is simple to navigate with a layout that is intuitive, logical and convenient for the customer to shop.

Pittsburgh -- Dick’s Sporting Goods announced it is opening two stores this week, in Yonkers, N.Y., and Norcross, Ga.

The Yonkers location will be the retailer's 32nd store in the state of New York and their 458th nationwide. The Norcross location will be the retailer's fifteenth store in the state of Georgia and their 459th nationwide.