Mixed Use

Approval of Master Plan Paves Way for Beleaguered GGP’s Massive Mixed-Use Project in Suburban Maryland

Debt-laden General Growth Properties is in the midst of restructuring after having filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy projection in April 2009, but the Chicago-based REIT is not allowing its current financial woes to sideline development plans.

Voters Reject Alameda Point Development Project

Voters in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Alameda have soundly voted down Measure B, which would have provided for development on Alameda Point, a former Naval air station.

Economy Watch – Mortgage Reforms From Out West

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed green legislation over the weekend, as covered by CPE on Monday, but also nestled in the raft of bills that he signed were major overhauls of the rules governing residential mortgages. The thrust of the reforms was to help prevent some of the mortgage origination abuses that were rampant in the mid-2000s, and which did their part to inflate the housing bubble.

Chicago CRE Industry Laments Failed Olympic Bid

The pain of Chicago’s loss of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games to Rio deJaneiro is palpable across the country, especially in the Windy City.Local officials had proposed a bevy of new commercial venues in andaround Chicago to accommodate the various competitions; the developmentactivity would have been a big boost for the city. Now, commercial realestate industry players, still reeling from the rejection, arereflecting on what might have been.

Russian Equity Partner Comes Aboard on $4B Atlantic Yards Project

The $4 billion Atlantic Yards mixed-use development–the centerpiece of which will be the Barclays Center sports and entertainment arena, future home base of the NBA’s Nets team–has new financial backing. Developer Forest City Ratner Cos. Inc. and Nets Sports and Entertainment have just signed a letter of intent to form a strategic partnership with an affiliate of Moscow-based international private investment fund Onexim Group for the development of the 22-acre project. The multi-faceted deal calls for Onexim to invest $200 million.

Anticipating Demand for Mixed-Use, DC Selects Team for 510,000SF School Redevelopment Project

The real estate sector in Washington, D.C., has suffered blows from the economic downturn and credit crunch just as other major cities have, but that is not preventing District officials from making plans to capitalize on widely anticipated demand down the road. The city has just chosen a team involving Stanton Development Corp. and EastBanc Inc. to spearhead the redevelopment of the former Hine Junior High School in the Capitol Hill Historic District into a 510,000-square-foot mixed-use destination.