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April 7, 2008
Forest City in the News
Rocky Mountian News, 5 questions for James Ratner and David LaRue, Forest City's Commercial Group
Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner might want to listed to Forest City exec James Ratner, interviewed in the Rocky Mountain News about the Orchard Town Mall:
What factored into your decision to build The Orchard?
Ratner: As a developer, you want to position yourself where there's growth. We looked at this corridor and thought there was a great opportunity here to provide a unique retail destination that would combine the lessons we've learned in the past 10 years about what customers want.
They want a real-life experience. They don't want to feel like they're going somewhere that's a Disneyland, or a pretend village. They want to go somewhere that feels like it belongs, and that's what we attempted to do here.
NoLandGrab: Meanwhile, back in Brooklyn, Bruce has never taken the hint that Atlantic Yards doesn't belong.
Denver.YourHub.com, Orchard Town Center opens
In a place where apple trees once flourished, a new lifestyle center has taken root. The Orchard Town Center, located at the intersection of I-25 and 144th, is opening for business on Thursday, April 3 when Mayor Nancy McNally, city officials and developers cut the ribbon signifying a new era of shopping for Westminster and its surrounding communities.
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The Orchard Town Center, a 983,000-square-foot-development designed in classic prairie craftsmanship, offers a pedestrian-friendly, outdoor lifestyle village with exceptional options in shopping, dining and entertainment. AMC Orchard 12, Macy's, JC Penney and SuperTarget anchor the center. Retailers will begin opening their doors on April 3 with more retailers and stores opening throughout the spring and summer.Located at the northwest corner of Interstate 25 and 144th Avenue, The Orchard Town Center features a Town Center with a sunken plaza, a giant outdoor fireplace and a children's play area that features artistically-crafted apples, apple slices and roots made of soft, resilient rubber surfacing that beckon children to climb through, under and over.
NoLandGrab: The previous article mentions that all 500 units of housing are on hold, which means this "Town Center" is currently an outdoor mall.
The Washington Post, Real Estate Company Mixes It Up Around New Nationals Stadium
Another Q&A with a Ratner-family Forest City exec:
Deborah Ratner Salzberg is president of Forest City Washington and a director of Forest City Enterprises. Salzberg, who has a bachelor's degree from George Washington University and a law degree from the University of San Francisco, has worked at the real estate company since 1985.
Salzberg told staff writer Thomas Heath about what the company is working on here and what she sees as the future of the area around the Nationals stadium.
Ratner-Salzberg discusses several Foreset City projects in the DC metro area, including The [Not-Atlantic] Yards, the Forest City box seats at the Nationals Ballpark, and her ringtone.
TradingMarkets.com, Stolen Trade Secrets?: Lawsuit Claims Exec Took $1M Study From Pulte Homes
Pulte Homes claims in a federal lawsuit that a top executive who was being laid off stole a highly confidential, $1 million Albuquerque market study and used it to create a similar report for a major competitor.
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Pulte claims [Lynn] Galindo entered into an agreement with Forest City Covington, developer of the 13,000-acre Mesa del Sol development south of the Albuquerque International Sunport, to provide that firm with a marketing study and used material from Pulte's [the Albuquerque Operating Strategic Plan ] to do so.There is no allegation of wrongdoing against Forest City, which is identified in the lawsuit but not named as a defendant.
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[Attorney Marty Esquivel] said Pulte was retaliating against Galindo because she is a witness in a case against Pulte brought by other employees in Nevada.
The Charlotte Observer, DAVIDSON IS HOME TO A DELICATE, THRIVING ECOSYSTEM, THREATENED BY DEVELOPMENT
The town of Davidson missed an opportunity to protect local wetlands. Now the town is hoping that Forest City, which owns the development right, will do the right thing.
The company has asked $2.7 million for 33 acres around the wetland, Alexander said. The company has already committed to preserving the wetland itself but, with its development plan approved, is not obligated to set aside the uplands.
"We want to be good neighbors and do the right thing," said project manager Scott Kilby, himself a trout fisherman.
But Forest City has also told the town and conservancy that its home office in Cleveland expects Summers Walk to meet profit goals.
Posted by lumi at April 7, 2008 4:12 AM