REAL ESTATE

New York City -- Centro Properties Group US is changing its name to Brixmor Property Group, effective immediately. The name change follows the acquisition of the company in June by an affiliate of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI L.P.

Brixmor is the second largest owner of community and neighborhood shopping centers in the United States with 585 properties aggregating approximately 92.0 million sq. ft. and has been a leader in value-creating redevelopment over the last decade.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores on Wednesday marked the grand opening of 30 stores across 20 states. The company announced it also is remodeling approximately 100 stores this year, an 18% increase from 2010.

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 


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.

Dallas -- Cypress Equities said Tuesday that Dallas mixed-use development Village on the Green will showcase a new fine dining restaurant Aquadora.

The 6,052-sq.-ft. restaurant is slated to open before the end of the year in the space formerly occupied by GoFish.

The restaurant owners, LIG Entertainment Management, have remodeled the former GoFish dining area and extended the lounge.

Brooklyn, N.Y. -- Williams Sonoma-owned home-furnishings retailer West Elm said Tuesday that it will make its Washington State debut with a new store in Seattle, slated to open Oct. 6.

The 15,000-sq.-ft. store will feature a number of unique design details, according to West Elm, including a living wall and an art installation designed specifically for the location.

Like other West Elm stores, the Seattle location is designed using green materials and includes low-energy lighting, low-VOC paints and reclaimed hardwood floors.
 

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.