| Wal-Mart proposal hits snag
A Wal-Mart spokesman says the retailer is still committed to its project in Hartland Township, even after its developers expressed disappointment after the plans were tabled last week. The Hartland Township Planning Commission on Thursday tabled a preliminary site plan by Farmington Hills-based Grand Sakwa Properties for a 114,500-square-foot shopping center and Wal-Mart "supercenter" near Blaine and Highland (M-59) roads. .
Central Valley outlet mall sold
Northwest Outlets of Walnut Creek has purchased the Prime Outlets shopping center in Tracy for $20.5 million from Prime Retail LLC of Baltimore, Md. The 40-store, 155,000 square foot outlet mall on a 20-acre site along I-205 had been on the market for about four months. Its the third outlet mall that Northwest has bought from Prime Retail, a unit of Lightstone Group LLC, of Lakewood, N.J., one of the nations largest privately held real estate owners in the country. .
Future of Medley Centre: Customers would come to unique stores ...
The next owner, Scott R. Congel, a principal with The Pyramid Cos., has significant experience running malls in New York and Massachusetts. And like Medley Centre, many of these malls face competition from other local malls. The Palisades Center in West Nyack, for example, succeeds despite competition from stores in nearby New York City and New Jersey. I've visited this mall myself, being drawn by its sheer size and offerings including an ice skating rink, bowling alley and restaurants not found in Rochester. I visited Medley Centre this past weekend, and it is a beautiful mall. The two-story design is more modern than that of other local malls and looks more like the malls where I am used to shopping near Boston and Washington, D.C. Eastview Mall is nice but it's one story. So, how many people do you know drive from one end of the mall to the other in order to avoid having to walk a long distance carrying heavy bags? The idea that there is a crime problem at Medley Centre is a joke.
Handicapped parking still challenged
The readers of the Herald-Mail are in for a treat: No Iraq civil war, no Bible verses, no hospital complaints, no political arguments, no grammar correction, no ill-treated veterans outrage, no gas price increase anger, no teacher salary pros and cons, no illegal immigrant resentment; only a subject that affects everyone: Handicapped parking. All of us have seen the blue signs with the white wheelchair. The question is, where are those signs located? The new post office near the Long Meadow Shopping Center has six regular parking spaces, closest to the building entrance. Two handicap parking spaces take slots seven and eight, nowhere close to the door. Furthermore, there is only one "dip" in the sidewalk to permit a challenged customer to access it. First Look Photo, on Eastern Boulevard, has a very ingeniously designed overhead, under which six cars can park for the customers to get into the store.
INSTANT URBANISM NEW URBAN CENTERS TAKE ON A STAGE-SET FEEL IN BAY ...
There's a disconnect between the way that an increasing number of Bay Area suburbanites would like to live, and the buildings that we see as a result. These people crave a sense that they're part of the action and a lifestyle that is at once convenient and cosmopolitan. They want easy access to districts that offer diversity and surprise, where shops and housing and civic activities are all close by. Until recently, the only places that met this description were neighborhoods in San Francisco, Oakland and a handful of smaller Bay Area downtowns. But that's changing fast -- suburbs throughout the region are home to projects that claim to create urbane oases amid the sprawl of shopping centers and detached homes. So far, though, the buildings that accompany the hype are more branding exercises than architecture.
Mother's Day ideas to celebrate moms from all walks of life
She brought you into this world, changed your diapers, put up with your temper tantrums and molded you into the upright citizen you are today. Let's face it: Mom deserves more than a card on Mother's Day. Use these ideas to create a Mother's Day she'll never forget. Brunch Mom: You can't lose with one of San Diego's lavish brunch spreads. Treat that special woman in your life to omelet stations, caviar, delectable dessert trays and more. Foodie Mom: Create culinary magic with Mom at a food class in Balboa Park. Or scan the weekly list for more cooking events. Learn (and taste) all the secrets from San Diego chefs, and have a blast doing it. Dining out more her style? Indulge at San Diego's newest restaurants. Cultured Mom: Make Ma feel hip again on M-Day Eve at Ray at Night, see her maternal instinct combat Beckett's existentialism, and then calm her down with a bit of ballet and brunch.
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