Mixed Use Development Newsbriefs

Sponsored By:





National News and Trends
Army/Navy Specials (Could Bring Mixed-Use to Former Military Sites)
Trading the Car for the Train (Has Brought Mixed-Use Projects to the Forefront)

Regional News
Mixed-Use Plan Splits Officials (in California) (CA)
Blueprint/San Diego: West Coast Turf So Hot It Sizzles (and Mixed-Use Is Part of It) (CA)
Denver, Lakewood Win EPA 'Smart Growth' Awards (for Their Commitment to Mixed-Use Development) (CO)
More Mixed-Use Headed Downtown (in Orlando) (FL)
Mixed-Use Developments: Buford Opens Its Doors (GA)
Adding Commercial Pizzazz to a Chicago Suburb (Means Mixed-Use Takes Center Stage) (IL)
Owner of Galleria Proposes Condo-Hotel Development (in Minnesota) (MN)
Miss. Wal-Marts May Apply 'New Urbanism' in Rebuilding (MS)
Towers Grow in Downtown Brooklyn (NY)
In Transit: Rolling Out Train Stations as Core Sites (PA)
Waterfront Condos Planned for Pittston (That Could Deliver Two Mixed-Use Towers) (PA)
Lofty Ambition (Is What Developer Mock Has in Planning Mixed-Use Project) (PA)
Plans Advance for 800-Plus-Acre Development (in Texas That Will Include Mixed-Use) (TX)
Forest City Plans 1M-SF Center (as Part of a Larger Mixed-Use Development) (UT)
Closings: Elm Street Development (Forms Partnership for Mixed-Use Project in Virginia) (VA)
Metro Postpones Vienna Land Sale (That Would Bring Mixed-Use to Northern Virginia) (VA)
Tribeca Village Brings Main St. Feel (to Wisconsin in the Form of a Mixed-Use Project) (WI)

National News and Trends

Army/Navy Specials (Could Bring Mixed-Use to Former Military Sites)
Wall Street Journal (10/26/05) P. B1; Corkery, Michael

Cities and towns whose military bases are on the latest closure list are not as worried about lost revenue and jobs as in the past, mainly because they are formulating plans to develop the land for a variety of uses. The city of Concord, Calif., actually requested that its Concord Naval Weapons Station be shuttered in order to make way for development. Similar plans could be in the works for Atlanta's Fort McPherson, Fort Monmouth in New Jersey and a portion of the District of Columbia's Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Rather than simply clean up properties and turn them over to the city, the Navy has hired Jones Lang LaSalle to provide advice on selling its land to developers. Many cities envision a mixed-use project like the El Toro Marine Air Corps Station in Orange County, Calif., a 3,700-acre parcel purchased by Lennar in early 2005 for $649 million. Lennar plans to build 3,400 homes, 3 million square feet of research and development space, golf courses, a cemetery, a university campus and parks on the site. Though some closed bases will not fare as well due to their rural location or pollution, developers now have the means to assess such sites to determine their profitability and capacity for reuse.
(Web Link- May Require Paid Subscription)
Return to Headlines

Trading the Car for the Train (Has Brought Mixed-Use Projects to the Forefront)
New York Times (11/02/05) P. C7; Pristin, Terry

The Federal Transit Administration reports that only about 100 of the nation's 3,300 transit stations have sprouted transit-oriented developments (T.O.D.s), mainly due to the challenges associated with such projects. Building mixed-used projects near or on top of transit stations requires collaboration between developers and transit agencies, and developers also must contend with the hassles of building while trains are in service. "These projects are much harder to capitalize and have many more moving parts than buying a building and renovating it," explains Urban Partners principal Paul Keller. However, experts believe the growing immigrant population, commuters frustrated with traffic tie-ups, demand for city living among seniors and other households and lower crime rates that make downtown lifestyles more popular will make such projects attractive. Examples include the 347-apartment Del Mar Station in Pasadena, Calif., which is bisected by the Gold Line light-rail that whisks residents to downtown Los Angeles; and a mixed-use space developed near a Metro station in the Washington suburb of Arlington, Va.
(Web Link- May Require Free Registration)
Return to Headlines

Regional News

Mixed-Use Plan Splits Officials (in California) (CA)
San Gabriel Valley Tribune (CA) (11/14/05) Esparza, Christina L.

West Covina, Calif., spent over $200,000 to have consultancy Studio 111 develop a mixed-use plan for downtown, but turnover of two council members has created an obstacle. Both new council members are wary of mixed-use development, they believe it is a burden on existing parking spaces and also must be evaluated against current downtown school and utility infrastructure. However, proponent and continuing councilman Roger Hernandez is confident that mixed-use development will go forward. Hernandez says the "urban village" concept has been successful in other California areas such as Alhambra and Pasadena, and that West Covina's sleepy Glendora Avenue can use a similar mixed-use boost. Young professionals who live in West Covina are especially enthusiastic about future mixed-use projects, says Hernandez.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Blueprint/San Diego: West Coast Turf So Hot It Sizzles (and Mixed-Use Is Part of It) (CA)
Wall Street Journal (10/26/05) P. B6; Sadovi, Maura Webber

For some time now, San Diego has had one of the hottest commercial and residential property markets in the country. While the pace of the local housing market has cooled a bit recently, the National Association of Realtors pegs the metro area's average residential price at $605,600--the third highest in the country behind San Francisco and Orange County, Calif. Looking at commercial real estate, investors continue to gobble up office and apartment properties that also rank among the most expensive in the United States. Downtown San Diego, meanwhile, is proceeding with a couple of major redevelopment projects, including JMI Realty's mixed-use Ballpark Village project that will boast up to 3.2 million square feet of residential units, stores and offices. At the same time, the U.S. Navy is being pressured to select a developer to revamp a more than 14-acre parcel of plum waterfront land into a mixed-use development. The site, to be called the Broadway complex, would contain up to 2.9 million sq. ft. of retail, office, hotel and museum space. Still, some are wondering just how long the San Diego market can stay this hot--especially as available land has become increasingly scarce in the densely populated region.
(Web Link- May Require Paid Subscription)
Return to Headlines

Denver, Lakewood Win EPA 'Smart Growth' Awards (for Their Commitment to Mixed-Use Development) (CO)
Rocky Mountain News (11/16/05) Fillion, Roger

Denver and nearby Lakewood, Colo., were among five communities across the country that won the National Award for Smart Growth Achievement from the Environmental Protection Agency for developments that promote smart growth principles. The Denver Urban Renewal Authority was honored with the overall excellence award for its redevelopment of an abandoned theme park into the mixed-use Highlands' Garden Village. The city of Lakewood and the Lakewood Reinvestment Authority, meanwhile, were recognized for redeveloping a dilapidated shopping mall into a walkable downtown area known as Belmar. An EPA statement read: "By placing storms, homes, parks and workplaces on a small grid of blocks with narrow streets and generous sidewalks, Belmar makes it easier for people to walk, bike, drive or take transit when they go shopping or commute to work."
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

More Mixed-Use Headed Downtown (in Orlando) (FL)
Orlando Business Journal (11/07/05)

Highwood Properties is planning to build a $100-million mixed-use development at Rosalind Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Orlando. Dubbed Capital Plaza III, the project will be comprised of 120 condominiums, a 175,000-square-foot office tower, a 130-room hotel, upwards of 15,000 square feet of retail space and a parking garage. The project is still in the planning phase, according to Highwoods senior vice president Mike Beale, and plans have not yet been submitted to the city.
(Web Link- May Require Free Registration)
Return to Headlines

Mixed-Use Developments: Buford Opens Its Doors (GA)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (11/16/05) P. 1J; Chidi, George

After several years of resisting new residential development, the city of Buford, Ga., appears to be warming up to mixed-use development projects that combine retail and office space with multifamily housing. Buford recently approved the first mixed-use project to be built within city limits--a $20 million development located across from the new Buford City Hall that includes townhouse condominiums, boutique retail space, offices and a bank. While much of the northern part of Gwinnett County has been rapidly expanding in recent years, Buford has resisted residential development in favor of more profitable commercial construction. City officials say they are cautious about adding residential space because they want to keep the city's celebrated school system intact and do not want to add to traffic woes. Urban planners say mixed-use projects cut down on traffic by allowing residents to walk to grocery stores, restaurants and shops. Having witnessed the success of mixed-use developments in neighboring cities, Buford officials are now ready to approve more mixed-use projects in the city, says Caleb Racicot of Tunnel-Spangler-Walsh & Associates, the engineering firm that helped Buford complete its Livable Cities plan. While many are applauding the new mixed-use development in Buford, merchants located in the city's historic downtown area are raising concerns about the potential loss of customers.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Adding Commercial Pizzazz to a Chicago Suburb (Means Mixed-Use Takes Center Stage) (IL)
New York Times (11/16/05) P. C11; Sharoff, Robert

The $190 million Sherman Plaza is the most expensive development in the history of downtown Evanston, Ill. The mixed-use project now underway consists of a 25-story condominium tower with a two-story base that will contain approximately 153,000 square feet of retail space. Developers Tim Anderson of Focus Development and James Klutznick of Klutznick-Fisher Development Co. are also planning a 12-story public parking garage as part of Sherman Plaza, which will have space for as many as 1,585 vehicles. The first tenants will not be able to move in until May 2006. To date, though, all but a few of the 253 residential condos have been sold and roughly 80 percent of the commercial space has been leased. Anchoring the retail portion will be a Barnes & Noble, which is moving from a different location locally. Barnes & Noble COO Mitchell Klipper remarks, "We move 10 to 15 stores a year into better locations, and this just happens to be one of them." Many consider the development of the mixed-use Church Street Plaza in 2003 to be a turning point for Evanston in getting projects of this nature off the ground. Church Street Plaza boasts 205 condos, a Hilton hotel, nearly 200,000 sq. ft. of retail space and a multi-screen movie theater.
(Web Link- May Require Free Registration)
Return to Headlines

Owner of Galleria Proposes Condo-Hotel Development (in Minnesota) (MN)
Minneapolis Star Tribune (11/16/05) Serres, Chris

Owner and developer Warren Beck is proposing the construction of a new 18-story condominium and hotel building in Edina, Minn., at the east end of the parking lot of the Galleria shopping center, which Beck owns. If the project is approved by both the Edina Planning Commission and the City Council, construction of the new high-rise would begin next year, with a mid-2008 completion date. The new high-rise would include 11 floors of condominiums above a seven-story Westin Hotel. Both hotel guests and condo residents would have access to luxury amenities. Another 18-story condominium and mixed-use high-rise was proposed in the city of Edina by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach last month. The two developments highlight both local developers' willingness to build up in Edina--where available land is scarce--and the city's goal of creating an "urban village" setting around Centennial Lakes and the Southdale Center mall.
(Web Link- May Require Paid Subscription)
Return to Headlines

Miss. Wal-Marts May Apply 'New Urbanism' in Rebuilding (MS)
USA Today (11/15/05) P. 5A; El Nasser, Haya

Wal-Mart executives will meet with the architects and planners involved in Mississippi's rebuilding efforts early next year. The big-box retailer is planning to rebuild two stores demolished by Hurricane Katrina, reportedly considering a couple of designs that incorporate the concept of New Urbanism. One of the proposals involves the creation of a mixed-use Wal-Mart Village, complete with nearby apartments, condominiums and townhouses; parking behind the building; and sidewalks in front to facilitate pedestrian access. The Downtown Wal-Mart proposal, meanwhile, would replace the retailer's strip-mall front with an urban street-front façade. Wal-Mart, long criticized for creating sprawl, has not yet formally chosen a particular design for its new Gulf Coast stores. "They've contributed to the dislocation, the disconnection of urban form in towns because they're such a huge building and a huge parking lot," says Fisher & Hall Urban Design's Laura Hall, leader of the Pass Christian, Miss., rebuilding team.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Towers Grow in Downtown Brooklyn (NY)
New York Times (10/19/05) P. C6; Chamberlain, Lisa

Brooklyn's Class A office sector boasted a third-quarter vacancy rate of only 6.8 percent, one of the lowest in the country. Now, the borough's downtown business district is poised for a major transformation that will include commercial, residential and mixed-use components. The area has around 2,000 new housing units, 4.5 million square feet of offices and another 900,000 sq. ft. of stores in various stages of planning. Much of this activity is the result of a rezoning of the area that went into effect on July 1, 2004. The new zoning allows for residential development and provides for denser commercial and mixed-use developments. The center of downtown Brooklyn's new commercial core is Willoughby Square, which will be bordered by a trio of large mixed-use towers. Two are now in the planning process, with the third still speculative. Cushman & Wakefield's Glenn Markman states, "The next wave of commercial activity is going to be a different type of tenant from the usual back office. It's going to be publishing companies, media firms and entertainment companies that recognize that their labor pool lives in Brooklyn now."
(Web Link- May Require Free Registration)
Return to Headlines

In Transit: Rolling Out Train Stations as Core Sites (PA)
Philadelphia Business Journal (11/07/05) Kostelni, Natalie

Transit-oriented developments are gaining popularity in many markets across the country, providing easy access to mass transit and shopping and reducing dependency on vehicles. TODs are generally comprised of housing, retail, schools and other public services. Near Philadelphia, communities such as Ardmore, Narberth, Paoli, Chestnut Hill, Swarthmore, Marcus Hook, Doylestown, Jenkintown and Lansdale are looking into TODs. The region's first TOD is Dewey Commercial's Station Square in northern Montgomery County, comprised of 346 garden apartments and 50,000 square feet of retail and commercial space near the Pennbrook commuter train station. "We view TOD as a key strategy to encourage the revitalization of older communities and to create a community's identity," says Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission deputy director Richard Bickel. A study by the commission that began in the 1990s pinpoints possible locations for 40 mixed-use TOD projects across the region. It is hard to get public support for TODs, mainly because residents worry about additional traffic. However, Bickel notes that TODs "enhance the tax base, revitalize a community [and] better create a center point and central place that gives a community more identity."
(Web Link- May Require Free Registration)
Return to Headlines

Waterfront Condos Planned for Pittston (That Could Deliver Two Mixed-Use Towers) (PA)
Wilkes Barre Times Leader (PA) (10/21/05) P. A1; Buffer, Michael P.

Explaining that Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell wants to back projects that "transform cities," Larry Segal--executive director of the Governor's Office of Housing and Revitalization--says a proposed condominium development in Pittston has won a seal of approval from his office. Developer Daniel Siniawa envisions a pair of 10-story, mixed-use towers housing 98 condo units, four penthouses, a restaurant and some retail and office components. Depending on their views of the Susquehanna River, the residences would be priced from $180,000 to $350,000, with the penthouses starting at $400,000. In a presentation this week on the project, architect Alex Belavitz said the $35 million development would massage the local economy and boost property values citywide. He projected that the buildings could be ready for residential and commercial occupancy by the end of 2007.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Lofty Ambition (Is What Developer Mock Has in Planning Mixed-Use Project) (PA)
Johnstown Tribune-Democrat (11/03/05) Faher, Mike

Johnstown, Pa., developer Alan Mock, a native of the mill town who recently returned to the area from Florida, has received $245,000 in grant funding for a mixed-use project coming to the downtown area this winter. Work already is underway on the Mock Tower Lofts and Cool Beans Coffeehouse at 137 Clinton St. The first-floor café will include a 10-by-6 foot screen and a performance stage, making it more than "a place to get coffee," according to Mock, who prefers to think of it as "a cultural environment." The second floor will house nearly 2,700 square feet of offices. Finally, the two residential loft units in this phase of the project are located on the building's third floor and will be offered up for sale. Phase two, meanwhile, will include five more lofts on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors--these units for rent, rather than ownership. Mock and his wife plan to take the seventh floor for themselves. With both residential and commercial components, Johnstown city manager Jeff Silka said Mock's project is just what the downtown corridor needs. "We really need the new housing stock," he stressed.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Plans Advance for 800-Plus-Acre Development (in Texas That Will Include Mixed-Use) (TX)
GlobeSt.com (11/14/05) Gore, Connie

Fairview, Texas, officials are confident that an 800-acre, mixed-use project is much closer to getting off the ground. Infrastructure work for the commercial land will commence early next year in tandem with the development of a two-mile stretch of the future Fairview Parkway. The first phase is expected to take two and a half years to finish. The targeted acreage's northern portion eventually will offer 3,500 multifamily housing units, 2.4 million square feet of mid-rise and high-rise office space, another 600,000 sq. ft. of retail space and 300 single-family homes. The southern portion will offer 800,000 sq. ft. of stores and another 1.3 million sq. ft. of offices. Richardson Properties controls 350 of the 800 acres in Fairview through a development pact with a local family. The firm will be selling 200 of these acres to the MGHerring Group, a Dallas-based mall developer. MGHerring also has 180 acres under contract in nearby Allen, setting up what will be a seamless development of residential and retail space between the two cities.
(Web Link- May Require Free Registration)
Return to Headlines

Forest City Plans 1M-SF Center (as Part of a Larger Mixed-Use Development) (UT)
GlobeSt.com (11/07/05) Ritter, Ian

Forest City Enterprises is in the planning stages of the Terrace at Traverse Mountain, a 1-million-square-foot, open-air shopping center in Lehi, Utah. The center is part of a four-million-square-foot, mixed-use master-planned community and will feature stores geared toward the area's median household incomes of $82,000. The project will be similar to one the Ohio-based REIT opened in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., in 2004. Colm Macken, head of Forest City's Western Region, states, "The attraction here is that most of the high-end housing is going into this area. It's just going to get better over time." Groundbreaking is set for the first quarter of 2008 with spring 2009 grand opening expected. Forest City owns a total of 41 regional malls and specialty shopping centers nationwide.
(Web Link- May Require Free Registration)
Return to Headlines

Closings: Elm Street Development (Forms Partnership for Mixed-Use Project in Virginia) (VA)
Washington Post (10/31/05) P. D3; Hedgpeth, Dana

Elm Street Development has teamed up with NV Retail to break ground on a new mixed-use project in western Loudoun County, Va. The new development will include 158 single-family residences, approximately 120,000 square feet of retail space and another 22,000 sq. ft. of new offices. The project, which also will include a four-acre public park, is on track for a fourth-quarter 2006 completion.
(Web Link- May Require Free Registration)
Return to Headlines

Metro Postpones Vienna Land Sale (That Would Bring Mixed-Use to Northern Virginia) (VA)
Washington Post (10/21/05) P. B1; Rein, Lisa

The board of directors of the Washington, D.C., area's Metro subway system agreed late last month to hold a public hearing on the possible sale of land that it owns to developers of a controversial mixed-use project at the Vienna Metro station in Northern Virginia. Before the $1.5 billion appropriations bill for Metro passed a House committee this month, Rep. Thomas Davis III (R-Va.) softened language that would have prevented the agency from leasing or selling the 3.75-acre parcel in question. Pulte Homes has been in talks with Metro to acquire the land. The developer's contention is that it would be a crucial link between the Vienna subway station and its 56-acre, mixed-use MetroWest development, which will include 13 residential, office and retail towers. Davis, aware that intense neighborhood opposition to the project's size has been brewing, intervened with a threat that he hoped would convince the county Board of Supervisors to scale back the 2,250 homes planned at the site. The vote on the land sale has been postponed until next month following a public hearing to be held on Nov. 1. Among the groups seeking fewer homes in MetroWest is Fair-Growth, which called the decision to hold a hearing on the land sale a "very good step."
(Web Link- May Require Free Registration)
Return to Headlines

Tribeca Village Brings Main St. Feel (to Wisconsin in the Form of a Mixed-Use Project) (WI)
Madison Capital Times (WI) (11/11/05) P. 10D; Ames, Ann Marie

Earlier this month, T. Wall Properties took the wraps off a plan for a 24-acre mixed-use project in Middleton, Wis. Dubbed Tribeca Village, the urban-style, pedestrian-friendly development will include a half-dozen office buildings, a hotel, more than 150 units of multifamily housing and approximately 326,000 square feet of stores. The retail component will include both "Main Street"-style shops and larger, branded stores. According to T. Wall Properties founder Terrence Wall, space will be at a premium in the small triangular development. He adds, "Here we'll have some urban retail stores as well as small shops that are a destination for the local population. This is truly mixed-use . . . [and] we're not wasting any space." Tribeca Village will be the newest project in Middleton's TIF district, which also includes the Airport Road business district, Morey Field airport and the Parmenter Street corridor. Middleton city officials like that T. Wall will be taking nearly all of the risk and borrowing the money for the development project.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

© Copyright Information, Inc.

The links at the end of each abstract are to the publisher, publication, or article. Some links may require registration or subscription. Information, Inc. is not affiliated with the referenced publications.

To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your email address, please email NAIOP at mixeduse@naiop.org

To inquire about sponsoring this newsletter, please contact Christopher Ware at (800) 666-6780.