Saturday, March 12, 2011

Jerome Village Virtual Walk-Thru Update

(Town Square of Jerome Village)
Jerome Village, northwest of Columbus in the village of Jerome continues to progress.  It was announced Thursday in a Columbus Dispatch Article that Compass Homes, Inc, and 3 Pillar Homes, LLC have purchased 18 sites each from Nationwide Realty Investors, ltd (Developer of Jerome Village) which brings the total to 129 lots.  Shottenstein Homes had previously purchased lots as well for the first Phase that anticipates first residents this fall.


The vision for Jerome Village is to create a place where people of different generations and social economic stages of life can live, shop, work, play and gather in a thoughtfully planned community. Quoting from the Jerome Village Website:


"Our philosophy will be the fabric for a holistic neighborhood that is built on lasting values, and built to last".

The development, when completed over the next 15 - 20 years, will include 835 acres of residential (2,500+ single and multi-family homes), 233 acres of commercial (1.5 million sf of office and retail), 70 acres set aside for schools, and 312 acres of parkland (and will be adjacent to Glacier Ridge Metro Park with includes another 1,000 acres of green space).


Here is a video that has been developed from the water color image above that depicts how the Town Center is envisioned, one aspect of this nearly 1,500 acre development. 2Reveal, located in Columbus, Ohio developed this video:

Jerome Village Town Center from 2Reveal on Vimeo.

Here is more information from the Jerome Village Website:

  

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Turkey and US Retail Development Updates

(Kanyon Mall - Istanbul)

It may seem a bit odd to write a post about retail development in Turkey and the United States.  But the economies in Europe and Asia continue to develop and although the US has pushed forward on some projects, many still languish on the boards.  We cover the continued development in Eurasia and what may prove to be a bright spot in the US.


I have discussed the explosion of Shopping “Malls” being developed in India (India Shopping Center Explosion:  94 New Malls by 2012) and now there is word out of Turkey they will be building 25 new malls in 2011. 

There are currently 266 shopping malls in Turkey and these new malls will represent an increase of 9.4% new centers.  Almost 60% of Turkey’s retail centers are in two cities, Istanbul and Ankara.  For a great resource for a list of Turkish shopping malls, see:  List of Current Shopping Malls in Turkey.

Ankara will actually have the largest mall in Turkey when completed that will be enormous with over 5,000,000 sf of space and include Ikea, the German retailer Metro Gross Market, an aquarium (also the largest in Turkey), ski run, and housing to round out the development. 

Retail development is taking off in Europe and Asia and just this last week, Macerich, the Santa Monica based developer (see The Rebirth of Santa Monica Place) of over 70 retail centers in the US, announced they will be developing a new regional shopping mall in Goodyear, Arizona, the first regional mall to break ground “in years”.  We have heard many encouraging stories from Asia (India Shopping Center Explosion:  94 New Malls by 2012), Great Britain (More Good Retail News from London), and even retail progress in Prague (Discovering Dinosaurs in Eastern Europe), but perhaps the US has turned the corner with Macerich seeing an opportunity in Goodyear.  We are definitely in need of a "good year" real estate wise. Perhaps this is the beginning of the momentum we need to get things moving again.

See the following for more details:

World Bulletin:  25 New Shopping Malls to be Built in Turkey

Today’s Zaman: Ankara to Host Turkey’s Largest Shopping Mall

SCT News Home:  Macerich Aims to Develop Regional Mall, Outlet Center in Phoenix


  

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Creative Village Update

(Image from Creative Village Proposal)


Orlando City council is moving forward with Creative Village, the $1.0 billion mixed-use development planned for downtown Orlando over the next 20 years. (see previous ATRD post:  Creating a Creative Village for the Creative Class).  


Their approval provides development rights and purchase options for Creative Village, Development, LLC, lead by Craig Ustler, to redevelop the 68 acres of land now occupied by the old Amway Arena.


This is an enormous project and will be a model for other cities wrestling with their declining downtowns if they can figure out how to finance the project.  The mayor originally stated that minimal public funds will be used to develop the property but has since committed money to help in the demolition of the 22 year old arena to help prepare the site.


For related articles, see the following:
Orlando Sentinel:  Orlando Looks Ahead to "Creative Village"


Bizjorrnals:  Orlando Moves Forward on Creative Village




  

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Trinity Leeds Update: Tenant Spaces in Demand

(Image from Land Securities Website)

Land Securities, the developer of Trinity Leeds, the recently restarted retail development in West Yorkshire, England (see previous post:  Trinity Leeds:  A Sign of the Times?), announced recently the center is two-thirds leased.  The up-tick in retail demand continues and Land Securities continues to invest in new and existing developments.

For related article see:

Retailing in the European Union: Structures, Competition and Performance Franchising in European Contract Law: A Comparison between the Main Obligations of the Contracting Parties in the Principles of European Law on Commercial Agency, Franchise and Distributio 5-Pack Premium Reusable LCD Screen Protector with Lint Cleaning Cloth for Apple iPhone 3G 8GB 16GB [Accessory Export Packaging]

Saturday, January 22, 2011

St. Louis' Ballpark Village Hits a Double

(Image from The Cordish Companies Website)

(Image from The Cordish Companies Website)

(Image from The Cordish Companies Website)

(Image from The Cordish Companies Website)

The long stalled St Louis Ballpark Village is apparently back on track after it was announced recently that financing and tenants are finally in place.  Planning for the development started in 1999 as a mixed-use development adjacent to the St. Louis Cardinals' Busch Stadium and on the site of the previous Busch Memorial Stadium location.  The project has hit many snags along the way including the loss of a major tenant in 2008 and then effects of the recession in 2009.

The project, originally a 10-acre development covering 6 city blocks lies in the heart of downtown St. Louis, near the historic arch.  The first phase of the project includes 225,000 square feet of office and 100,000 square feet of retail space, with an investment estimated at $155 million.  This first phase covers 2 of the original 6 city blocks.

The original plans touted nearly a $1 billion office and entertainment development that was to be an urban residential environment that included such destinations as boutique alley, restaurant row, live state of the art music venues, the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum as well as multiple residential towers that would overlook the ballpark. You can get a sense of what the original development included from this 2006 video announcing the details of he project:


And here is a second video that shows a virtual tour of the original proposed development from Arnold Imaging

Ball Park Village from Arnold Imaging on Vimeo.


It is unclear if the entire development will be realized but clearly there is a lot of excitement that at least phase 1 is coming to fruition. 

The project is being co-developed by the St. Louis Cardinals and The Cordish Companies of Baltimore, MD.

For related articles see: