MAJOR TENANT HAPPENINGS Knoxville, Tenn. - The Goody's Family Clothing chain recently opened six new stores, three in Georgia and one each in North Carolina, Texas and Virginia. In Georgia, the Knoxville, Tenn.-based company opened a 30,000 sq. ft. store at East-West Commons shopping center in Austell; a 39,000 sq. ft. location at Bradley Park Crossing in Columbus; and a 27,900 sq. ft. store at Cofer Crossing shopping center in Tucker. The other locations included a 22,560 sq. ft. store at Sampson Crossing Shopping Center in Clinton, N.C.; a 31,500 sq. ft. unit at Montgomery Plaza Shopping Center in Conroe, Texas; and a 25,400 sq. ft. store at Riverside Shopping Center in Danville, Va. Goody's is a retailer of moderately priced apparel and currently operates 264 stores in 16 states.
CENTER OPENINGS Whitestone, Queens - Triangle Plaza II, a two-story, 160,000 sq. ft. retail building in Whitestone has opened. A development of locally based Triangle Equities, the complex features Toys 'R' Us and Kids 'R' Us on the ground floor with a 12-screen theater above. The theater, operated by Boston-based National Amusement Inc., is the first in Queens with stadium seating. New York-based R.C. Dolner Inc. served as general contractor on the project.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS Beverly Hills, Calif. - Locally based Regent Properties has entered into an agreement with the city of Beverly Hills to partner in the development of a $25 million retail complex with parking for 415 cars on a site located one block east of famed Rodeo Drive. The plans call for the project to feature a 75,000 sq. ft. to 80,000 sq. ft., high-end retail complex that would include an "icon" building, featuring large-format tenants and potentially an area for outdoor dining. An important component of the city-owned project will be a subterranean parking garage below the retail complex. Construction is expected to begin in January 2000 and be completed the following year.
Las Vegas - Phoenix-based Westcor and Las Vegas-based Circus Circus Enterprises Inc. have entered into an agreement to jointly own and develop a high-end retail project connecting the Luxor Hotel and Casino and the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Nordstrom's first Nevada store is expected to anchor the project. Current plans include a three-level, 1.2 million sq. ft. project featuring a retail bridge spanning Mandalay Bay Road and more than 5,000 parking spaces. It will be the retail centerpiece of the one-mile long stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard frontage owned by Circus Circus Enterprises, which the company has dubbed "Mandalay Mile." Nordstrom will occupy a 225,000 sq. ft. store in the project, which is scheduled to open in 2001. The retail complex will be designed by Seattle-based Callison Architecture (Nordstrom's exclusive architect) and Las Vegas-based Klai Juba Architects.
EXPANSIONS Minami Funabashi, Japan - Expansion work is under way on the Lalaport Shopping Center in Minami Funabashi, a suburb of Tokyo. The 1.5 million sq. ft. complex will add a new, three-level specialty retail component and dining destination. Included are 350,000 sq. ft. of lifestyle-oriented tenants, a 350-seat food court and a separate three-story-restaurant building to accommodate approximately 15 to 20 dine-in restaurants. The center is anchored by Daiei, a general merchandise tenant, and Sogo department store. The developer of the project is Lalaport Co. LTD, an entity of Tokyo-based Mitsui Fudosan. The Dallas and Tokyo offices of Baltimore-based RTKL Associates Inc. are serving as the project's design architect. The local architect for the project is Tokyo-based Fujita Corp. The expansion is scheduled to be completed in June 2000.