Nakheel has announced that it has taken 160 bookings for space at its upcoming retail projects in Dubai.

The Dubai developer said it had seen keen interest from restaurants and retailers for space at Nakheel's new malls and community centres.

More than 70 percent of space at Nakheel's 10,000 square metre community centre at Al Furjan - launched for lease less than two weeks ago - is already taken, while 55 percent of Nakheel 's International City neighbourhood mall is booked.

The company also said that 120 retailers have staked their claim on Nakheel Mall - a new, 418,000 sq m retail, dining and entertainment complex on Palm Jumeirah - accounting for 40 percent of available retail space.

A Nakheel spokesman said: "Our upcoming projects - be they local community centres or world class malls - will boost Dubai's economy by creating jobs in the construction, retail, hospitality and the food and beverage sectors.

"In turn, this will support Dubai's tourism industry and contribute to the government's tourism vision for 2020."

Nakheel's growing retail portfolio also includes The Pointe at Palm Jumeirah, a 136,000 sq m waterfront shopping and dining complex, open for lease this week; a mall and night market at Deira Islands; Dragon Mart Mall and Ibn Battuta Mall, both of which are undergoing significant expansion; and neighbourhood centres in Jumeirah Park and Discovery Gardens.

* Nakheel no longer responds to media enquiries from Arabian Business, nor does it grant Arabian Business access to any of its media events or announcements.

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Nakheel says 40% of new Palm mall project already booked

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) February 28, 2014

Construct-A-Lead, the Construction Industrys most efficient construction lead service, reported today that the following Florida construction projects will have the necessary approvals and will go forward. Businesses will have ample opportunities to provide construction bids and other services relative to these projects. Those interested parties are encouraged to visit construct-a-lead.com and reference the Project ID listed below to obtain direct contact information for each construction lead:

Miami, FL - 86 Southwest Eighth Street - Plans call for the new construction of a 48-story tower with 420 units, 440 parking spaces and 4,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Construction start: September, 2014 $85,000,000 Project ID: 1322835

Gainesville, FL Gainesville ALF and Memory Care - Plans call for the new construction of a 180-bed, 97,748-square-foot skilled nursing facility. Construction start: Q1, Q2, 2015, estimated, $20,000,000. Project ID: 1323247

Orlando, FL - Marriott Grande Pines Golf Club Plans call for the 207 acre golf course redevelopment into a mixed-use project with 2,384 apartments, 100 timeshare units, 150 hotel rooms and 120,000 square feet of commercial space. Construction start: Late, 2014. $425,000,000 Project ID: 1318525

Amelia Island, FL Highland Dunes Plans call for the new construction of a mixed use development with 2,000 houses, 50,000 square feet of retail or commercial buildings and a 970-student elementary school. Construction start: Summer, 2014. $450,000,000 Project ID: 1318597

Key Biscayne, FL Walgreen's Key Biscayne Plans call for the new construction of a 15,000 - 20,000 SF Walgreen's and liquor store. Construction start: Spring - summer, 2014. $2,000,000 Project ID: 1323453

Palm Beach, FL Vista Business Park - Plans call for the construction of a new warehouse/distribution project with two class-A dock-high warehouse/distribution buildings, totaling about 100,000 square feet. Construction start: Spring, 2014. $5,000,000 Project ID: 1323478

Bonita Springs, FL Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Bonita Springs - Plans call for renovations to the hotel. Construction start: June, 2014, estimated, $2,000,000. Project ID: 1323807

Orlando, FL Orlando Science School Plans call for new construction of a 2 story school. First story will be 14,567 square feet and the second story will be 15,550 square feet. Construction start: Q2, 2014. $10,000,000 Project ID: 1323674

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Construct-A-Lead Reported Today That the Following Florida Construction Projects Will Have the Necessary Approvals and ...

With a company proposing a mix of apartments and retail space for the old village hall site in downtown Lisle, trustees are trying to decide what they want to see and whether they're willing to offer incentives to make it happen.

Lisle has approved a letter of intent with Naperville-based Marquette Companies for the sale and development of the village-owned property at Main Street and Burlington Avenue. The location has been vacant since the former village hall was razed in 2003.

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Marquette wants to acquire the site and an adjacent parking lot to construct two multistory buildings with commercial space on the first floor and apartments above.

Because Lisle still owns the land, it gets a say on what plans Marquette will submit to the village's planning and zoning commission.

Mayor Joe Broda said Marquette has made several revisions to the plans to address concerns raised by the board. As a result, he said there aren't any major sticking points.

"I think we are well on our way to moving this project forward," Broda said. "Overall, the consensus of the board is we like the new revision of the product they are presenting."

Marquette, for example, initially planned to have more than 10,000 square feet of commercial space at street level along both Main and Burlington. The company has agreed to increase that to about 15,000 square feet.

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Lisle trustees providing input on plans for downtown site

Published: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 10:23 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 10:23 p.m.

New construction work on Cypress Gardens Boulevard across the street from Legoland Florida is for a 5,125-square-foot retail building expected to be built by June. The project is being developed by Winter Haven-based Swain Development. Company owner Brian Swain would not say what tenants will take up in the retail space. He is expecting one tenant to use about 2,000 square feet and a second to use about 3,000. The outparcel has been planned as part of Winter Haven Square since it was first built 20 years ago, but the success of Legoland has helped create the demand for its development, Swain said.

New construction work on Cypress Gardens Boulevard across the street from Legoland Florida is for a 5,125-square-foot retail building expected to be built by June. The project is being developed by Winter Haven-based Swain Development. Company owner Brian Swain would not say what tenants will take up in the retail space. He is expecting one tenant to use about 2,000 square feet and a second to use about 3,000. The outparcel has been planned as part of Winter Haven Square since it was first built 20 years ago, but the success of Legoland has helped create the demand for its development, Swain said.

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The Insider: More Retail Space on Cypress Gardens Boulevard

Etobicoke Guardian

Etobicoke York Community Council met on Tuesday and considered the five following preliminary reports into proposed development projects in Etobicoke:

- A rezoning application for the lands at 5239, 5245 and 5249 Dundas St. W. and 3 Aukland Rd. in Ward 5 seeks to permit the construction of a 40-storey, mixed-use building at the intersection. The development would feature 5,433 square metres of retail space in a base building fronting the corner, and 378 apartment units in a 38-storey building tower above.

- Also in Ward 5, a rezoning application for the site of 1030 and 1040 Islington Ave. (at Norseman Street) proposes the construction of 176 townhouse units on the eastern portion of the lands and a 4,024 square metre industrial building with 25 units on the western portion.

- Further north on Islington Avenue in Ward 2, an application for the rezoning of a site just south of Rexdale Boulevard seeks to permit the construction of a 19-building commercial and office development. The proposal would include a total of 2,688 parking spaces to service potential patrons of the 50,098 square metres of retail space and 17,224 square metres of office space to be built at 2200 Islington Ave. Access to the site would be provided from two existing entries on Rexdale, plus an additional entry from Islington.

- A rezoning application for the lands at 2161-2165 Lake Shore Blvd. W. in Ward 6s Humber Bay Shores area, meanwhile, seeks to allow a mixed-use development consisting of two residential towers of 49 and 14 storeys, plus a four-storey commercial building. The residential component of the development would feature a total of 660 residential units, and the development would also include 2,523 square metres of commercial space and 1,445 square metres of retail space. A five-level underground parking facility would provide for 635 residential spaces and 103 visitor/commercial spaces. The proposed development would also create two new streets and a private lane.

- Also in Ward 6, a rezoning application for 251 Manitoba St. (at Legion Road) seeks to permit the construction of a 48-storey mixed-use building containing 548 apartment units and a total of 108 square metres of ground-floor retail space. The proposed development would have a four-level, 640-space underground parking garage.

West-end councillors gave each of the preliminary reports the go-ahead, meaning all five proposals will now proceed to the community consultation phase. City staff were instructed to work with the local councillors in each instance to schedule community meetings to discuss the applications and their proposed development plans with local residents and stakeholders.

Notice of consultation will be given to landowners and residents living within a certain proximity of the sites of each proposed redevelopment.

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Flurry of preliminary reports considered at Feb. 25 community council

Andy Nelson can almost set the clocks of the Western Pawn Shop by watching the traffic pass by his storefront on Montana Avenue.

When the line of cars gets longer than his shop at2817 Montana Ave.,he knows rush hour has begun.

"At 5 oclock, its the worst," he said.

The construction site where the new Empire Parking Garage is being built, on the corner of Montana Avenue and North 27th Street, has taken up one of the driving lanes since January 2013, creating a bottleneck that backs up traffic morning and night.

"When youre pinching from three to two (lanes), its tough," said Nelson, the pawn shop owner. "Then the train comes through and everyones trying to take a right, its something."

The city-owned project originally had a planned completion date of mid-February.

But a record-breaking winter and some initial funding setbacks put construction of the $16 million structure behind schedule.

It is being built by Sletten Construction of Great Falls.

Left turns from Montana onto North 27th also are restricted.

The parking spaces in front of the pawn shop have been replaced by traffic cones and a temporary blinking sign, instructing drivers to merge right.

Continued here:
Harsh winter, funding delays put construction of Empire Garage behind schedule

Pedestrian killed by UPS truck in Roanoke Pedestrian killed by UPS truck in Roanoke

Updated: Monday, February 24 2014 8:17 PM EST2014-02-25 01:17:00 GMT

Roanoke City Police say a pedestrian has died after being hit by a UPS truck around 6:30p.m. along Elm Avenue. Police say the pedestrian died at the scene and the accident is under investigation. Police

Roanoke City Police say a pedestrian has died after being hit by a UPS truck around 6:30p.m. along Elm Avenue. Police say the pedestrian died at the scene and the accident is under investigation. Police

Updated: Tuesday, February 25 2014 6:02 PM EST2014-02-25 23:02:51 GMT

BLACKSBURG - A new wave of businesses and people will move to downtown Blacksburg in a few months, as construction on the Brownstone building is set to wrap up by September.The four-story building will hold office and retail space on the first two floors and upscale condominiums on the third and fourth floors. Almost 60 percent of the space is already sold, which is good news for the downtown economy.Because of the construction, several nearby roads had to be closed temporarily, but the prop...

BLACKSBURG - A new wave of businesses and people will move to downtown Blacksburg in a few months, as construction on the Brownstone building is set to wrap up by September.The four-story building will hold office and retail space on the first two floors and upscale condominiums on the third and fourth floors. Almost 60 percent of the space is already sold, which is good news for the downtown economy.Because of the construction, several nearby roads had to be closed temporarily, but the prop...

Updated: Tuesday, February 25 2014 5:13 PM EST2014-02-25 22:13:09 GMT

"They really made contributions that softened the blow of the great recession."

"They really made contributions that softened the blow of the great recession."

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Brownstone building to bring businesses and residents to downtown Blacksburg

Construction to transform an old retail space into the new Meadowridge Library on Madisons west side will start March 5.

Scherrer Construction Company will start breaking down walls at the former Ace Hardware space Wednesday, March 5 at 10 a.m., according to a release.

The Greentree, Orchard Ridge, Meadowood and Prairie Hills neighborhoods needed an improved hub of community engagement and activity with a scope broader than the existing library, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said in the release. We appreciate the partnership of the foundation in making this goal a reality.

The project will feature three new spaces including 2,000 additional square feet of library space with special areas designated for computers, teens and children, an expanded Meadowood Neighborhood Center and 3,000 square feet of shared space featuring a 110-person meeting room and community kitchen, according to the release. The kitchen space will host after-school snack programs, nutrition workshops and neighborhood suppers.

The library portion of the $2.3 million project will cost $1.7 million, with construction expected to be complete by December, officials said.

The Meadowridge Library is already well loved, and I am certain that our patrons will be thrilled with this bigger and better new library, Meadowridge Library Supervisor Alice Oakey said. This entire project has been a wonderful collaboration between the library, the city and the community, and will benefit all of us.

The Madison Public Library Foundation will host a construction kickoff event to celebrate the beginning of the project and to raise donations for the project, organizers said.

Refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the Meadowridge Library at the kickoff event, according to the release. To encourage donations, the Friends are offering a dollar-for-dollar match up to $10,000.

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Construction on library, community center set to start

Hong Kong remains the worlds most expensive city for global retailers, outpacing New York, Paris and London.

LOS ANGELES-Hong Kong remains the worlds most expensive city for global retailers, outpacing places like New York, Paris and London, where prime rents also continue to reach record-breaking levels, according to new research from global property advisor CBRE Group, Inc.

CBREs quarterly ranking of 97 prime retail locations/markets across the globe shows that competition in the worlds leading cities is getting even stronger. This demand is being fueled by high-end retailers willing to pay record rents for the most coveted shops, while development levels are at historic lows resulting in a shortage of prime retail space.

Hong Kong (US $4,334 per sq. ft. per annum) is the worlds most expensive location for prime retail rents by a substantial margin, followed by New York (US $3,300 per sq. ft. per annum), Paris (US $1,452 per sq. ft. per annum) and London (US $1,356 per sq. ft. per annum).

There has been a lot of discussion about the strength of luxury retailers versus those that serve the mid-market, says Raymond Toto, global chair of of Research, CBRE. CBREs research provides further evidence that prime retail rents are strong in most markets and rose further in key global markets like New York, London and Tokyo.

In many locations, prime retail rents have been buoyed by a shortage of available space in prime market areas and fervent demand from luxury brands. This lack of prime space has pushed some retailers toward secondary assets and markets. With construction levels at or near their troughs in many locations, this trend will likely continue in 2014.

Retailer demand in Hong Kong is focused on prime locations rather than secondary streets. The most sought-after prime streets are Russell Street inCauseway Bay, Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, and Queens Road Central in Central. These locations which all recorded very tight vacancy continue to attract both global and local retailers.

New Yorks Fifth Avenue continued its ascent into record territory during Q4 2013, with the luxury thoroughfares average asking rent rising 4.8% quarter-over-quarter to an all-time high of US $3,300 per sq. ft. per annum. For a 5,000-sq.-ft. space, that would translate to US $16.5 million per year in rent. Other prime luxury streets in the northeast US also saw strong growth, including Newbury Street in Boston (up 6.7% quarter-over-quarter) and Walnut Street in Philadelphia (up 5.8% quarter-over-quarter) reporting the largest increases.

The retail market in France was characterized by heavy polarization, with substantial demand focused on prime space, especially in and around Paris. Significant interest from international retailers for the limited amount of available prime locations in Paris has resulted in steady rent growth over the past two years, with Paris average prime asking rent up 80% since Q1 2012. Sustained demand from international retailers will continue to support high street rents in 2014.

Strong demand for prime retail locations in London has pushed rents to record levels. The luxury sector is a huge driver of exponential rental and key money growth. The limited availability of space compared to demand for prime streets has led to increased demand for space in secondary locations in central London. However, the U.K. market is heavily polarized with poorer secondary shopping centers and high streets suffering increasing levels of vacant space and falling rents.

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Hong Kong Still the Priciest Retail Market

STORRS Buoyed by their successes so far, the developers of the Storrs Center at the University of Connecticut will begin construction this summer on the next major phase of the $120 million project, adding 200 apartments, a daycare center and more storefront space.

And marketing will begin this spring on the last phase of townhomes and condominiums, with construction possible next year.

"We're running to the finish now," Howard Kaufman, managing member of the Tuxedo Park, N.Y.-based LeylandAlliance, the project's master developer, said Monday. "We're going to finish this."

Similar plans dating to as early as the 1950s and '60s collapsed in the face of recession, lack of financing or construction restraints.

All of the 300 apartments built so far in the first phase are leased, said Jeffrey Resetco, vice president of construction and development at Education Realty Trust Inc. of Memphis, Tenn., which is heading up construction of the rentals.

The first phase will wrap up this summer, with the addition of an additional 92 apartments. Those units are already 98 percent pre-leased, Resetco said.

All the commercial space in the first phase is now leased and has drawn high-profile tenants such as UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma, who opened a restaurant there. Commercial space has been leased to more than two dozen stores and professional offices, plus attractions such as the Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry, scheduled to open Saturday.

The Mansfield town council Monday night was expected to get an update on the progress of Storrs Center.

Storrs Center is being privately developed in conjunction with the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, a coalition of town, university, business and community members that formed more than a decade ago to guide the project through the planning and permitting process.

The next phase was once named Village Street but has been rechristened "Wilbur Cross Way," a nod to the former Connecticut governor. Wilbur Cross Way now incorporates a building that LeylandAlliance had once hoped would become a hotel. Those plans were rejected by the town last year.

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Storrs Center Ready For Next Phase