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Unconventional Shopping

5/1/2007

When the 2007 International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Spring Convention opens its doors to a throng of 50,000 retail real-estate executives this month, attendees will be presented not only with more leasing-mall exhibits than ever before, but also a lineup of projects that show innovation and progressive thinking.

The annual event, which will be held May 20-23, 2007, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, is a retail tenant’s nirvana as shopping center developers unveil new projects and a plethora of attractive leasing opportunities. Covering them all would be an impossibility, so Chain Store Age has provided a preview of some of the highlighted projects on display in Las Vegas later this month.

Center at Innovation

Location: Manassas, Va.Size: 276,000 sq. ft.Developer: Edens & AvantMajor tenants: Super Target, T.J. Maxx, plus regional and local retailersStatus: Slated to open March 2008

Center at Innovation has found itself a great home. The 276,000-sq.-ft. Super Target-anchored center, developed by Columbia, S.C.-based Edens & Avant, resides in Manassas, Va.—specifically in Prince William County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation. Surrounding the Center at Innovation’s site is prolific residential and office development activity and, because it’s the only retail piece in the vicinity, the center is expected to be highly trafficked.

Alamance Crossing

Location: Burlington, N.C.Size: 840,000 sq. ft.Developer: CBL & Associates PropertiesMajor tenants: Newly announced J.C. Penney will join Dillard’s and Belk department stores in anchoring the open-air shopping, dining and entertainment development; junior anchors include Barnes & Noble, a 16-screen Carousel West End Cinemas, as well as specialty retailers Ann Taylor Loft, Chico’s, The Children’s Place, Coldwater Creek, New York & Co., and Yankee Candle.Status: Opening is slated for August 2007.

Main Street USA is coming to Burlington, N.C., as the CBL-developed Alamance Crossing project nears completion. Architecture references small-town America, while also paying tribute to the area’s rich history in the textile and tobacco industries. Lifestyle amenities such as spacious walkways and curb-side parking lend convenience as well as enjoyment to the complex.

On display this month in Las Vegas, Alamance Crossing is one of 14 CBL projects currently under construction. Other projects include Pear-land Town Center in Houston (Pearland, Texas) and phase two of Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers, Fla.

The Arboretum

The Arboretum will draw plenty of attention at ICSC’s Spring Convention. The open-air lifestyle center in the northwest suburbs of Chicago has a premium location—at the intersection of Illinois Routes 59 and 72, along a corridor that is experiencing explosive growth. Just a mile away, in the mixed-use Prairie Stone Development, is Sears Holdings Corp.’s headquarters, the recently opened Sears Center event arena, a planned 450-room resort hotel, water park and Illinois’ first Cabela’s.

Location: South Barrington (Chicago), Ill.Size: 600,000 sq. ft.Developer: The Jaffe Cos.Major tenants: Tenant lineup will include an upscale mix of fashion-apparel brands, home-furnishings retailers, a luxury movie complex and restaurants.Status: The targeted opening date is summer 2008.

Developed by Northbrook, Ill.-based The Jaffe Cos., The Arboretum sits on the site of a former nursery and is envisioned by its developers as a true town center. “The Arboretum of South Barrington is meant to convey warmth and intimacy, but also timelessness and charm,” said Michael Jaffe, president. “It should feel as if it’s been there forever.”

Tudor-style architecture is intended to reference Market Square in Lake Forest, Ill., one of the country’s earliest integrated-use shopping centers. Fashion-apparel and home-furnishings stores will comprise about two-thirds of the retail mix, while the remaining third will be devoted to entertainment venues including a luxury cinema and destination restaurants.

City of North Las Vegas Town Center

A college scholarship will be awarded to whomever comes up with a name for the new mixed-use retail project in North Las Vegas. The even bigger winners are the community’s residents, who will have their own town center and gathering place.

The $300 million development will include a retail, dining and entertainment center, as well as a residential component consisting of about 800 units. “With its shops, dining, activities and enticing public spaces, it will be a place that will allow the community to gather in a festive atmosphere,” said Rick Kuhle, president of Phoenix-based Vestar.

Location: North Las Vegas, Nev.Size: Up to 1.3 million sq. ft. of retail, dining and entertainment, and a residential component, on 160 acresDeveloper: Vestar Development Co., with leasing services provided by Taubman Centers. The Athena Group is developing the residential and, in conjunction with Celebration Centers of America, serves as the master-plan developers of the mixed-use project.Major tenants: Lifestyle retailers, restaurants and at least one department store will be joined by an array of large-format retail offering everything from electronics to home goods.Status: Opening is slated for late 2008.

Town-center amenities such as outdoor fireplaces, pop-jet fountains, a video wall, a performance stage, shaded walkways, lush landscape and extensive pedestrian walkways will create a true lifestyle destination.

The Streets of Indian Lake

Another major retail project on display in Las Vegas will be The Streets of Indian Lake, a 405,000-sq.-ft. lifestyle center near Nashville that serves as the lifestyle retail component of a Halo Properties master plan that includes 1 million sq. ft. of office space, a retail power center and upscale multifamily housing. Columbus, Ohio-based Continental Retail Development (CRD) is the developer of the lifestyle portion. The first group of tenants, including Barnes & Noble and Regal Cinema, were announced earlier this year.

Location: Hendersonville (Nashville), Tenn.Size: 405,000 sq. ft.Developer: Continental Retail DevelopmentMajor tenants: Barnes & Noble, Regal Cinema, Lane Bryant, Jos. A. Bank, New York & Co., J. Jill, Talbots, Coldwater Creek, Bath & Body Works, Ann Taylor, Victoria’s Secret, Gymboree, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Marble Slab Creamery, The Children’s Place, Chico’s, Sunglass Hut, Francesca’s, Icing by Claire’s and Carlyle & Co. JewelersStatus: Slated to open March 2008

“We are thrilled to be bringing these great specialty retail and entertainment tenants to Hendersonville,” said David Kass, president of CRD. “This is just the first wave.”

Silver Spring Square

Although the Harrisburg, Pa., area presented a multitude of site options, Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets selected Silver Spring Square as the location of its first store in the south-central Pennsylvania market.

“That’s quite significant,” said Mac Chandler, managing director, Northeast investments, for Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers, co-developer of the project. Just as significant is what it has taken to get the community center developed.

Location: Mechanicsville (Silver Spring/Harrisburg), Pa.Size: 486,812 sq. ft.Developers: Regency Centers and T

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