from this afternoon's San Diego Business Journal:
Study: SDSU to Have $4.5B Impact on Region
8/31/2007
"Officials at San Diego State University announced results of a study examining the economic impact of the school on the region.
By 2025, the university’s annual economic impact will increase from $2.4 billion to $4.5 billion because of growing enrollment, which is expected to increase from 25,000 full-time students to 35,000 during the next 20 years." ....
"Researchers at Fairfax, Va.-based ICF International conducted the two-part study during a three-month span for a cost of $53,000, according to Jack Beresford, an SDSU spokesman.
Results of the study concluded that there are 100,000 alums living in the San Diego region. Two-thirds of local teachers are SDSU grads as well as 50 percent of local engineers and the majority of local nurses with bachelor’s degrees. Tax revenue generated by SDSU students will nearly double during the next two decades from $308.3 million to $587.7 million in 2025.
Scott Alevy, vice president of public policy at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, also announced the chamber’s formal support for SDSU’s campus master plan revision, which will increase academic space, student housing and services and faculty housing."
by Jaimy Lee
for the complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=27321405.9827587.1520272.4566733.5451224.186&aID2=116935&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
for links to the complete economic impact report and the campus' masterplan see: http://advancement.sdsu.edu/masterplan/
Friday, August 31, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
misc news
Retail Traffic (Aug): retail developers moving into Mexico and Latin America; area focus on FL
Business Week Small Biz (Aug-Sept): Harry Potter theme park in FL
Tradeshow Week (8/13): Las Vegas getting new venues
Tradeshow Week (8/6): Jamaica getting its first convention center
Nation's Restaurant News (8/13): stadium food policies
Business Week Small Biz (Aug-Sept): Harry Potter theme park in FL
Tradeshow Week (8/13): Las Vegas getting new venues
Tradeshow Week (8/6): Jamaica getting its first convention center
Nation's Restaurant News (8/13): stadium food policies
planning and real estate news
Journal of Planning Literature (Aug): housing and disasters (featuring Katrina)
California Real Estate Journal (8/20): CRA L.A. on Chinatown
San Diego Business Journal (8/20): Del Mar racetrack visitation up
National Real Estate Investor (Aug): Dracula's castle for sale; Las Vegas hotel construction on the rise; city review of St. Louis; mixed-use development; outlet mall retail developments
California Real Estate Journal (8/20): CRA L.A. on Chinatown
San Diego Business Journal (8/20): Del Mar racetrack visitation up
National Real Estate Investor (Aug): Dracula's castle for sale; Las Vegas hotel construction on the rise; city review of St. Louis; mixed-use development; outlet mall retail developments
Saturday, August 18, 2007
misc news
Shopping Center Business (Aug): focus on FL
Hotels (Aug): Blackstone review; feature report on the North American hotel market
Hotels (Aug): Blackstone review; feature report on the North American hotel market
Friday, August 17, 2007
misc news
Tradeshow Week (7/16); Gaylord abandons Chula Vista (CA) plans; CVB developments in Fort Worth and Baltimore; Tucson closing in on a CC hotel; area feature on the Southwest (TX, AZ, NM, and OK)
Tradeshow Week (7/30): Kansas City, MO convention business on the rise
Tradeshow Week (7/9): IN CC details announced
World Waterpark (July-Aug): Kool Runnings Water Park, Jamaica; CoCo Key Water Resort, Rockford, IL; Great Wolf Lodge, OH; Sun-N-Fun Lagoon, Collier County, FL
AZA Connect (June): aquariums online -- Shedd, Monterey Bay, and Vancouver
Fortune (8/20): Yankees; lengthy feature on New Orleans redevelopment "progress"
Tradeshow Week (7/30): Kansas City, MO convention business on the rise
Tradeshow Week (7/9): IN CC details announced
World Waterpark (July-Aug): Kool Runnings Water Park, Jamaica; CoCo Key Water Resort, Rockford, IL; Great Wolf Lodge, OH; Sun-N-Fun Lagoon, Collier County, FL
AZA Connect (June): aquariums online -- Shedd, Monterey Bay, and Vancouver
Fortune (8/20): Yankees; lengthy feature on New Orleans redevelopment "progress"
real estate and planning news
Urban Land (July): sustainable spa in Thailand; riverfront redevelopment case studies (includes, Davenport and Dubuque, IO; Little Rock, AR; Milwaukee, WI; Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN; Newport, KY; Pittsburgh, PA; Providence, RI; Tacoma, WA); London economics; Berlin transport; Tokyo building boom; affordable housing; aging college stadiums (Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and Orange Bowl); development in Vietnam; regional spotlight on CA (includes a nice piece on the Great Park); feature on Cordoba, Argentina; retirement communities in Japan; redevelopment in India
CP&DR (Aug): disposition of tribal casino cases; Fresno planning
San Diego Business Journal (8/13); San Diego Chargers ticket sales
California Real Estate Journal (8/13): Wild Rivers waterpark (Irvine, CA) under threat of demolition and development as residences by Irvine Co.: downtown L.A. lofts
New Orleans City Business (8/6); St. Charles and the tourism shortfall
CP&DR (Aug): disposition of tribal casino cases; Fresno planning
San Diego Business Journal (8/13); San Diego Chargers ticket sales
California Real Estate Journal (8/13): Wild Rivers waterpark (Irvine, CA) under threat of demolition and development as residences by Irvine Co.: downtown L.A. lofts
New Orleans City Business (8/6); St. Charles and the tourism shortfall
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
misc articles
Funworld (Aug): Universal Studios parks planned for South Korea and UAE; Kennywood purchase of Story Land (NH); Harbour Park (England); FECs and holiday events; feature on upcoming rides and attractions; Dollywood developments; new coasters for 2007; new waterparks; Cedar Fair developments; Europa Park's 4th themed hotel
M&C (Aug): Javits expansion plans; location features on -- PA; South FL; TX; VA; Savannah, GA
M&C (Aug): Javits expansion plans; location features on -- PA; South FL; TX; VA; Savannah, GA
gaming and Indian development articles
IGWB (Aug): Macau revenues up; Hard Rock Biloxi; Detroit-area casinos expanding; Vietnam on rise as resort destination
Indian Country Today (8/8): Mashpee Wampanoags (MA) casino plans; Kalispel Tribe (WA) facility expansion; Gun Lake (MI) compact approved; road improvements announced for road to Skywalk (AZ)
Native American Casino (Aug): feature on Kiowa Casino (OK) articles on golf course developments
Indian Country Today (8/8): Mashpee Wampanoags (MA) casino plans; Kalispel Tribe (WA) facility expansion; Gun Lake (MI) compact approved; road improvements announced for road to Skywalk (AZ)
Native American Casino (Aug): feature on Kiowa Casino (OK) articles on golf course developments
business journal news
Economic Development Quarterly (Aug): universities and high-tech centers; inner-city neighborhoods; BIDs -- San Diego's BID program
Business Week (8/13): misunderstanding demographics and the housing over supply
Orange County Business Journal (8/6); the annual list of OC cities including population, revenues, and largest employers
Crain's Chicago Business (7/30): map of existing and planned Chicago hotels; McCormick Place meetings market plan; feature section of 'second string" sports
California Real Estate Journal (8/6): Bass Pro Shop/Outdoor World opening in Rancho Cucamonga; San Diego v WalMart
Orange County Business Journal (7/23): OC tourism's top cities
New Orleans City Business (7/16): listing of the largest French Quarter hotels with room numbers, ADR, etc.
California Real Estate Journal (7/30): CA home sales falling; Sacramento riverfront development; Pleasanton TOD
Los Angeles Business Journal (7/30): real estate and development trends in East L.A.; annual list of public golf courses ranked by rounds played (includes greens fees)
Business Week (8/13): misunderstanding demographics and the housing over supply
Orange County Business Journal (8/6); the annual list of OC cities including population, revenues, and largest employers
Crain's Chicago Business (7/30): map of existing and planned Chicago hotels; McCormick Place meetings market plan; feature section of 'second string" sports
California Real Estate Journal (8/6): Bass Pro Shop/Outdoor World opening in Rancho Cucamonga; San Diego v WalMart
Orange County Business Journal (7/23): OC tourism's top cities
New Orleans City Business (7/16): listing of the largest French Quarter hotels with room numbers, ADR, etc.
California Real Estate Journal (7/30): CA home sales falling; Sacramento riverfront development; Pleasanton TOD
Los Angeles Business Journal (7/30): real estate and development trends in East L.A.; annual list of public golf courses ranked by rounds played (includes greens fees)
Monday, August 6, 2007
new tourism project for North Korea
from Yonhap News 8/2:
Hyundai Asan plans to spend US$3 billion for new tourism project in North Korea
"SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean company operating businesses in North Korea said Thursday it plans to spend US$3 billion by 2025 to develop an area on the North's east coast as a new tourist destination.
Yoon Man-joon, chief executive officer of Hyundai Asan, the North Korean business arm of Hyundai Group, said the company submitted the proposal to the North's authorities in June and that North Korea is expected to make a final decision as early as next month.
The new project calls for Hyundai Asan to develop the costal area from the North's eastern port city of Wonsan to Haegeumgang near Mt. Geumgang, where the South Korean company built a mountain resort in 1998.
If North Korea approves the proposal, it would be Hyundai Asan's third major economic project in the North, following the mountain resort and an industrial complex in the city of Kaesong near the inter-Korean border." ....
" Mount Geumgang, located just north of the border between the two Koreas near the east coast, has attracted more than 1.5 million visitors since 1998, Yoon said.
In the first seven months of this year, some 150,000, mostly South Korean guests, visited the scenic mountain.
Yoon said the company will make efforts to meet this year's target of 400,000 visitors as the North recently opened an inner side of the mountain.
The North's approval to open a wider part of Mount Geumgang and its surrounding area to tourists "indicated a normalization in relations between Hyundai and North Korea," Yoon said." ....
for the complete story see: http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2007/08/02/19/0401000000AEN20070802006300320F.HTML
Hyundai Asan plans to spend US$3 billion for new tourism project in North Korea
"SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean company operating businesses in North Korea said Thursday it plans to spend US$3 billion by 2025 to develop an area on the North's east coast as a new tourist destination.
Yoon Man-joon, chief executive officer of Hyundai Asan, the North Korean business arm of Hyundai Group, said the company submitted the proposal to the North's authorities in June and that North Korea is expected to make a final decision as early as next month.
The new project calls for Hyundai Asan to develop the costal area from the North's eastern port city of Wonsan to Haegeumgang near Mt. Geumgang, where the South Korean company built a mountain resort in 1998.
If North Korea approves the proposal, it would be Hyundai Asan's third major economic project in the North, following the mountain resort and an industrial complex in the city of Kaesong near the inter-Korean border." ....
" Mount Geumgang, located just north of the border between the two Koreas near the east coast, has attracted more than 1.5 million visitors since 1998, Yoon said.
In the first seven months of this year, some 150,000, mostly South Korean guests, visited the scenic mountain.
Yoon said the company will make efforts to meet this year's target of 400,000 visitors as the North recently opened an inner side of the mountain.
The North's approval to open a wider part of Mount Geumgang and its surrounding area to tourists "indicated a normalization in relations between Hyundai and North Korea," Yoon said." ....
for the complete story see: http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2007/08/02/19/0401000000AEN20070802006300320F.HTML
Chicago convention center hotel plans
from the Chicago Tribune 8/3:
McPier floats new hotel plan
Project would double lodging at McCormick Place
By Kathy Bergen
Tribune staff reporter
August 3, 2007
A"fter trumpeting the completion of the $882 million West Building addition Thursday, a top McCormick Place official disclosed preliminary plans for another jumbo expansion that could include a 1,500-room hotel located on the block directly north of the newly opened hall.
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority board on Tuesday is expected to consider exercising its eminent domain powers to condemn the block, clearing the way for a project that would more than double the convention center's on-site hotel offerings, Ted Tetzlaff, chairman of the board, said in an interview. Other elements could include more parking for McCormick Place, restaurants and other businesses.
This bold but risk-laden project would be in addition to the planned 600-room expansion of the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, an 800-room property owned by the authority, which is known as McPier. The agency is expected to request development proposals for the Hyatt expansion shortly, with a contract likely to be awarded late this year or early next." ....
"A manager of one of Chicago's largest trade shows says she thinks the show is losing attendance due to tight hotel supply. "We use 16,000 rooms on peak, and we could use another 2,000 to 3,000," said Mary Pat Heftman, of the National Restaurant Association's annual show at McCormick Place.
Potential attendees who cannot find rooms "either don't come or they stay out by the airport," she said, "and I'm confident many are choosing not to come, which limits growth for the city." .....
"At least some of the parcel is owned by Maine-based developers Pam Gleichman and Karl Norberg, who last fall had proposed their own mixed use for the property, including 350 residential units, a 200-room hotel and a 475-spot parking garage, according to a posted notice of a zoning change request." ....
"Pulling off a hotel expansion at McCormick Place will be anything but a cakewalk, observers say. South Loop redevelopment is expanding southward rapidly, but the immediate McCormick Place area remains devoid of restaurants, night spots and retail." .....
"Others note that on-campus hotels are becoming de rigueur for convention centers. "They are competing against other convention centers that have attached hotels," said Mark Eble, regional vice president for PKF Consulting.
And the existing Hyatt Regency, despite a feast-or-famine business cycle, is a cash cow for McPier, in part because public financing kept borrowing costs below what they would have been in the private market.
The hotel "averages $18 million to $20 million a year in operating income for us, which is very significant," McPier Chief Executive Juan Ochoa said." .....
for the complete story see: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri_mccormick0803aug03,0,4975147.story
****************
and From the Chicago Tribune 8/2:
McCormick may add 1,500-room hotel
By Kathy Bergen
Tribune staff reporter
1:21 PM CDT, August 2, 2007
"Even as McCormick Place officials unveiled the $882 million West Building addition Thursday, they are moving swiftly toward another massive expansion, this one a potential mixed-use development that could include a new 1,500-room hotel directly north of the newly opened hall.
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority board on Tuesday is expected to consider exercising its eminent domain powers to condemn the block, clearing the way for a project that would more than double the convention center's on-site hotel offerings, said Ted Tetzlaff, chairman of the board.
This project would be in addition to the planned 600-room expansion of the McCormick Place Hyatt Regency, which now has 800 rooms. The authority, known as McPier, is expected to request development proposals for the Hyatt expansion shortly." ....
for the complete story see: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070802-mccormick-new-hotel,0,2861997.story
McPier floats new hotel plan
Project would double lodging at McCormick Place
By Kathy Bergen
Tribune staff reporter
August 3, 2007
A"fter trumpeting the completion of the $882 million West Building addition Thursday, a top McCormick Place official disclosed preliminary plans for another jumbo expansion that could include a 1,500-room hotel located on the block directly north of the newly opened hall.
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority board on Tuesday is expected to consider exercising its eminent domain powers to condemn the block, clearing the way for a project that would more than double the convention center's on-site hotel offerings, Ted Tetzlaff, chairman of the board, said in an interview. Other elements could include more parking for McCormick Place, restaurants and other businesses.
This bold but risk-laden project would be in addition to the planned 600-room expansion of the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, an 800-room property owned by the authority, which is known as McPier. The agency is expected to request development proposals for the Hyatt expansion shortly, with a contract likely to be awarded late this year or early next." ....
"A manager of one of Chicago's largest trade shows says she thinks the show is losing attendance due to tight hotel supply. "We use 16,000 rooms on peak, and we could use another 2,000 to 3,000," said Mary Pat Heftman, of the National Restaurant Association's annual show at McCormick Place.
Potential attendees who cannot find rooms "either don't come or they stay out by the airport," she said, "and I'm confident many are choosing not to come, which limits growth for the city." .....
"At least some of the parcel is owned by Maine-based developers Pam Gleichman and Karl Norberg, who last fall had proposed their own mixed use for the property, including 350 residential units, a 200-room hotel and a 475-spot parking garage, according to a posted notice of a zoning change request." ....
"Pulling off a hotel expansion at McCormick Place will be anything but a cakewalk, observers say. South Loop redevelopment is expanding southward rapidly, but the immediate McCormick Place area remains devoid of restaurants, night spots and retail." .....
"Others note that on-campus hotels are becoming de rigueur for convention centers. "They are competing against other convention centers that have attached hotels," said Mark Eble, regional vice president for PKF Consulting.
And the existing Hyatt Regency, despite a feast-or-famine business cycle, is a cash cow for McPier, in part because public financing kept borrowing costs below what they would have been in the private market.
The hotel "averages $18 million to $20 million a year in operating income for us, which is very significant," McPier Chief Executive Juan Ochoa said." .....
for the complete story see: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri_mccormick0803aug03,0,4975147.story
****************
and From the Chicago Tribune 8/2:
McCormick may add 1,500-room hotel
By Kathy Bergen
Tribune staff reporter
1:21 PM CDT, August 2, 2007
"Even as McCormick Place officials unveiled the $882 million West Building addition Thursday, they are moving swiftly toward another massive expansion, this one a potential mixed-use development that could include a new 1,500-room hotel directly north of the newly opened hall.
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority board on Tuesday is expected to consider exercising its eminent domain powers to condemn the block, clearing the way for a project that would more than double the convention center's on-site hotel offerings, said Ted Tetzlaff, chairman of the board.
This project would be in addition to the planned 600-room expansion of the McCormick Place Hyatt Regency, which now has 800 rooms. The authority, known as McPier, is expected to request development proposals for the Hyatt expansion shortly." ....
for the complete story see: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070802-mccormick-new-hotel,0,2861997.story
Asian hotel rates on rise
from today's Hotels enewsletter
Hoteliers Across Asia See Room Rates Soar
Deloitte
August 6, 2007
"Half year results from the HotelBenchmark™ Survey by Deloitte show that the hotel market in Asia Pacific is seeing much stronger growth this year than last.
Room revenue per available room (revPAR) across the region is up 14.1% to US$97 – outperforming the 9.4% growth achieved in 2006. Improvements have been driven by double-digit increases in average room rates, which now stand at US$137.
Asia Pacific continues to build on, and benefit from its position as the world’s second most visited region after Europe. For the first time last year, Asia’s volume of international tourism receipts equalised with the Americas. And the region is not stopping there. Latest figures from the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) show that it has seen the strongest growth in international tourist arrivals during the first four months of 2007 – clearly great news for hotel industry.
The key winners in 2007 have been Asia’s resort destinations. Bali has continued to recover despite fresh travel warnings and achieved the region’s highest revPAR growth at 58.6% in the first half of 2007. This marks an incredible turnaround for the resort island, which has struggled since the bomb attacks in 2002 and 2005. Improvements have been largely driven by a 37.6% occupancy rise, underlining returning public confidence – with direct foreign arrivals reaching an all time high in the first quarter.
Indonesia wasn’t alone in seeing the fortunes of its island resorts improving; Penang experienced revPAR growth of 18.4%, driven by rising average room rates. Meanwhile further up the coast in Thailand, Phuket is booming. Double-digit rises in both occupancy levels and average room rates have caused revPAR to swell by 39.6% to US$111 – considerably higher than its Indonesian and Malaysian rivals. This is largely due to the increased accessibility of the islands, as low-cost airlines connect these resorts to the region’s gateway cities.
This trend also allows developed resorts such as Phuket to take business tourism away from cities. Bangkok has struggled with this, while the uncertain political situation and the New Year bombings have also discouraged visitors. There have also been problems at Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi Airport with cracks on the runway which have restricted international flights. Occupancy in the Thai capital is down 7.8% compared to last year, curbing revPAR at US$82.
Rival cities are also benefiting; in Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City recorded 49.0% revPAR growth - the region’s second highest - while Hanoi grew 34.4%. A shortage of hotel rooms in Vietnam is also enabling hoteliers to drive up performance. Singapore and Manila also continued their impressive form, with strong revPAR rises driven by average room rates.
Much has been reported about China’s growth, but their heavyweight partner India is shining in 2007. With a limited supply of rooms and increased demand in the business travel sector, Mumbai saw the region’s third highest revPAR growth, an impressive 46.7% increase to US$197. This was again driven by soaring average room rates, which at US$253 are the highest in Asia.
China meanwhile is seeing huge developments in its hotel industry. New hotel openings in all sectors of the market have diluted occupancy levels and slowed performance growth. Shanghai, which will see its supply grow by over 6,000 rooms in 2007, has seen revPAR fall 1.2% to US$97 in the first half of 2007, although this remains on a par with the regional average." ....
for the complete story see: http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=u:651672407&start=1&nid=3457
also see the Deloitte newswire for further info: http://www.hotelbenchmark.com/pressroom/pressreleases/06082007AsiaPacific-EN.aspx
Hoteliers Across Asia See Room Rates Soar
Deloitte
August 6, 2007
"Half year results from the HotelBenchmark™ Survey by Deloitte show that the hotel market in Asia Pacific is seeing much stronger growth this year than last.
Room revenue per available room (revPAR) across the region is up 14.1% to US$97 – outperforming the 9.4% growth achieved in 2006. Improvements have been driven by double-digit increases in average room rates, which now stand at US$137.
Asia Pacific continues to build on, and benefit from its position as the world’s second most visited region after Europe. For the first time last year, Asia’s volume of international tourism receipts equalised with the Americas. And the region is not stopping there. Latest figures from the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) show that it has seen the strongest growth in international tourist arrivals during the first four months of 2007 – clearly great news for hotel industry.
The key winners in 2007 have been Asia’s resort destinations. Bali has continued to recover despite fresh travel warnings and achieved the region’s highest revPAR growth at 58.6% in the first half of 2007. This marks an incredible turnaround for the resort island, which has struggled since the bomb attacks in 2002 and 2005. Improvements have been largely driven by a 37.6% occupancy rise, underlining returning public confidence – with direct foreign arrivals reaching an all time high in the first quarter.
Indonesia wasn’t alone in seeing the fortunes of its island resorts improving; Penang experienced revPAR growth of 18.4%, driven by rising average room rates. Meanwhile further up the coast in Thailand, Phuket is booming. Double-digit rises in both occupancy levels and average room rates have caused revPAR to swell by 39.6% to US$111 – considerably higher than its Indonesian and Malaysian rivals. This is largely due to the increased accessibility of the islands, as low-cost airlines connect these resorts to the region’s gateway cities.
This trend also allows developed resorts such as Phuket to take business tourism away from cities. Bangkok has struggled with this, while the uncertain political situation and the New Year bombings have also discouraged visitors. There have also been problems at Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi Airport with cracks on the runway which have restricted international flights. Occupancy in the Thai capital is down 7.8% compared to last year, curbing revPAR at US$82.
Rival cities are also benefiting; in Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City recorded 49.0% revPAR growth - the region’s second highest - while Hanoi grew 34.4%. A shortage of hotel rooms in Vietnam is also enabling hoteliers to drive up performance. Singapore and Manila also continued their impressive form, with strong revPAR rises driven by average room rates.
Much has been reported about China’s growth, but their heavyweight partner India is shining in 2007. With a limited supply of rooms and increased demand in the business travel sector, Mumbai saw the region’s third highest revPAR growth, an impressive 46.7% increase to US$197. This was again driven by soaring average room rates, which at US$253 are the highest in Asia.
China meanwhile is seeing huge developments in its hotel industry. New hotel openings in all sectors of the market have diluted occupancy levels and slowed performance growth. Shanghai, which will see its supply grow by over 6,000 rooms in 2007, has seen revPAR fall 1.2% to US$97 in the first half of 2007, although this remains on a par with the regional average." ....
for the complete story see: http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=u:651672407&start=1&nid=3457
also see the Deloitte newswire for further info: http://www.hotelbenchmark.com/pressroom/pressreleases/06082007AsiaPacific-EN.aspx
Costa Rican resort plans
from today's GlobeSt:
Last updated: August 6, 2007 11:58am
Revolution Plans $800M Costa Rican Resort
By Erika Morphy
"WASHINGTON, DC-Steve Case's real estate venture, Revolution Places--launched to develop sustainable, high-end, resort communities--has selected its first destination, Cacique, Costa Rica. The 650-acre, $800-million development is scheduled to open in 2010.
Revolution was unable to be reached for comment by press time. The resort group is a unit of Case's holding company, Revolution LLC, which he seeded with $500 million in 2005 when he founded the company. The goal embellishes the traditional concept of sustainable development to take advantage of a handful of emerging trends in global travel, including ecotourism, condo ownership at resort locations and green building standards." ....
"Located on the northwest coast of Guanacaste, the Cacique resort, for instance, will be built with environmentally friendly designs to reduce energy and water demand. Spatial, wind and solar patterns also will be taken into account in order to maximize natural ventilation, shade and daylight. The resort will establish a recycling and solid waste management program as well as create on-site treatment facilities to reuse wastewater. Finally, electrical power will be purchased from renewable sources.
At the same time the resort is geared to the luxury travel set, including the planned condos. The resort will include estate sites, custom and semi-custom whole ownership residences, resort-loft living and Exclusive Resorts club memberships.
Amenities will be provided by a handful of companies known for their high end services. One&Only Resorts will develop a 120-unit, all-villa property, with each room situated on its own compound with an Pacific Ocean view. The resort will include a Miraval: Life in Balance, a top-ranked destination spa that's marking its first exotic location expansion for this brand. It will offer 100 programs for 120 rooms and 60 villas on 50 acres of private grounds. Exclusive Resorts, another top luxury destination club, has committed to custom design and purchase 30 residences in a private enclave. Also coming is a Tom Doak 18-hole golf course, and the first Agassi-Graf Tennis and Fitness Centers, personally designed and programmed by Andre Agassi and Stefi Graf." ...
For the complete story see: http://www.globest.com/news/964_964/washington/162909-1.html
Last updated: August 6, 2007 11:58am
Revolution Plans $800M Costa Rican Resort
By Erika Morphy
"WASHINGTON, DC-Steve Case's real estate venture, Revolution Places--launched to develop sustainable, high-end, resort communities--has selected its first destination, Cacique, Costa Rica. The 650-acre, $800-million development is scheduled to open in 2010.
Revolution was unable to be reached for comment by press time. The resort group is a unit of Case's holding company, Revolution LLC, which he seeded with $500 million in 2005 when he founded the company. The goal embellishes the traditional concept of sustainable development to take advantage of a handful of emerging trends in global travel, including ecotourism, condo ownership at resort locations and green building standards." ....
"Located on the northwest coast of Guanacaste, the Cacique resort, for instance, will be built with environmentally friendly designs to reduce energy and water demand. Spatial, wind and solar patterns also will be taken into account in order to maximize natural ventilation, shade and daylight. The resort will establish a recycling and solid waste management program as well as create on-site treatment facilities to reuse wastewater. Finally, electrical power will be purchased from renewable sources.
At the same time the resort is geared to the luxury travel set, including the planned condos. The resort will include estate sites, custom and semi-custom whole ownership residences, resort-loft living and Exclusive Resorts club memberships.
Amenities will be provided by a handful of companies known for their high end services. One&Only Resorts will develop a 120-unit, all-villa property, with each room situated on its own compound with an Pacific Ocean view. The resort will include a Miraval: Life in Balance, a top-ranked destination spa that's marking its first exotic location expansion for this brand. It will offer 100 programs for 120 rooms and 60 villas on 50 acres of private grounds. Exclusive Resorts, another top luxury destination club, has committed to custom design and purchase 30 residences in a private enclave. Also coming is a Tom Doak 18-hole golf course, and the first Agassi-Graf Tennis and Fitness Centers, personally designed and programmed by Andre Agassi and Stefi Graf." ...
For the complete story see: http://www.globest.com/news/964_964/washington/162909-1.html
San Diego airport expansion
from today's San Diego Business Journal
Agency Trying to Get $650M Airport Project Off the Ground
By MIKE ALLEN - 8/6/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Constrained on all sides, the single-runway Lindbergh Field has seen passenger traffic grow to the point that it needs at least two more gates to handle it. In addition, traffic going into and out of the airport continues to create bottlenecks.
“We are already behind the eight ball. Today we’re short by two gates,” said Keith Wilschetz, director of airport planning for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the agency that manages the downtown airport. “And every year we’re going to be behind by another gate or two.” .....
"Airport managers say a short-term remedy is to expand Terminal 2 or the farthest west terminal by 10 gates from its current total of 41.
The expansion plan that is still being examined also calls for constructing an elevated road to the terminal for easier traffic access, a possible five-story parking garage, and an overnight parking area for passenger jets that must be grounded to comply with a no-fly curfew from 11:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
The latest cost estimate on the project is $650 million, Wilschetz said." ...
"However, not everyone is convinced that the airport authority’s plans are best for Lindbergh and the region.
Fourth District Supervisor Ron Roberts is adamantly opposed to the gate expansion project, saying the authority’s immediate action plan makes no sense in light of the agency’s earlier plans to build additional gates at the northeastern side of the airport.
More than 10 years ago, Roberts said the airport plans were to construct a mass transit center at Pacific Highway, along with ramps that would take traffic from Interstate 5 into the airport. Also, there were plans to acquire land from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot to enlarge the airport’s taxiways, and possibly build another runway.
Roberts said he and other members of the San Diego Association of Governments’ transportation committee will be taking a hard look at the airport’s environmental report. Sandag is a regional planning agency." ...
"Passenger Counts Soaring
As more carriers, particularly regional airlines such as ExpressJet and Frontier, provide direct service to certain cities, the airport has seen its passenger counts rise annually in the last four years. Last year, 17.5 million passengers flew from and into the airport, up only 0.6 percent from 2005. But that number was up 6.7 percent from 2004.
In the first half of 2007, more than 8.6 million passengers came through Lindbergh, with the heaviest travel months, July and August, still to be counted.
Airport managers are also intent on using 44 acres of land just east of the existing commuter terminal the agency will get that formerly belonged to Teledyne Ryan. This year, the authority has begun assessing the extent of the site’s contamination in advance of cleaning it up. Teledyne Ryan used hazardous materials on the site during decades of aerospace manufacturing.
The gate expansion project was initially planned for the late 1990s when the airport expanded and improved Terminal 2, then called the West Terminal. At the time, the project included installing utilities and other infrastructure at the terminal that would permit adding a row of 10 new gates at a future date." ........
for the complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=18211637.7737948.1508871.4092485.210346.122&aID2=116058&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
Agency Trying to Get $650M Airport Project Off the Ground
By MIKE ALLEN - 8/6/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Constrained on all sides, the single-runway Lindbergh Field has seen passenger traffic grow to the point that it needs at least two more gates to handle it. In addition, traffic going into and out of the airport continues to create bottlenecks.
“We are already behind the eight ball. Today we’re short by two gates,” said Keith Wilschetz, director of airport planning for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the agency that manages the downtown airport. “And every year we’re going to be behind by another gate or two.” .....
"Airport managers say a short-term remedy is to expand Terminal 2 or the farthest west terminal by 10 gates from its current total of 41.
The expansion plan that is still being examined also calls for constructing an elevated road to the terminal for easier traffic access, a possible five-story parking garage, and an overnight parking area for passenger jets that must be grounded to comply with a no-fly curfew from 11:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
The latest cost estimate on the project is $650 million, Wilschetz said." ...
"However, not everyone is convinced that the airport authority’s plans are best for Lindbergh and the region.
Fourth District Supervisor Ron Roberts is adamantly opposed to the gate expansion project, saying the authority’s immediate action plan makes no sense in light of the agency’s earlier plans to build additional gates at the northeastern side of the airport.
More than 10 years ago, Roberts said the airport plans were to construct a mass transit center at Pacific Highway, along with ramps that would take traffic from Interstate 5 into the airport. Also, there were plans to acquire land from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot to enlarge the airport’s taxiways, and possibly build another runway.
Roberts said he and other members of the San Diego Association of Governments’ transportation committee will be taking a hard look at the airport’s environmental report. Sandag is a regional planning agency." ...
"Passenger Counts Soaring
As more carriers, particularly regional airlines such as ExpressJet and Frontier, provide direct service to certain cities, the airport has seen its passenger counts rise annually in the last four years. Last year, 17.5 million passengers flew from and into the airport, up only 0.6 percent from 2005. But that number was up 6.7 percent from 2004.
In the first half of 2007, more than 8.6 million passengers came through Lindbergh, with the heaviest travel months, July and August, still to be counted.
Airport managers are also intent on using 44 acres of land just east of the existing commuter terminal the agency will get that formerly belonged to Teledyne Ryan. This year, the authority has begun assessing the extent of the site’s contamination in advance of cleaning it up. Teledyne Ryan used hazardous materials on the site during decades of aerospace manufacturing.
The gate expansion project was initially planned for the late 1990s when the airport expanded and improved Terminal 2, then called the West Terminal. At the time, the project included installing utilities and other infrastructure at the terminal that would permit adding a row of 10 new gates at a future date." ........
for the complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=18211637.7737948.1508871.4092485.210346.122&aID2=116058&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
San Diego-Gaylord hotel/Convention center deal still may be in the works
from today's San Diego Business Journal:
Gaylord May Still Move Ahead on $1B Chula Vista Hotel/Convention Center
By MIKE ALLEN - 8/6/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Local labor leaders dismissed a proposal by Gaylord Entertainment on a $1 billion Chula Vista hotel/convention center project last week. But some observers say the Tennessee-based developer may still move ahead with plans.
At a news conference Aug. 1, union officials said a proposal made by Gaylord in late July was a “nonstarter” because it failed to provide for hiring local workers first." ....
"In July 2006, Chula Vista, the port and Gaylord entered into a development agreement on 32 acres of prime bay front land to build a 2,000-room hotel and a 400,000-square-foot convention center. The city and port agreed to invest $308 million into the $1 billion project that was said to create 6,500 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent hotel jobs." ....
"Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox said the unions’ decision to stop talking robbed the city of “the opportunity to work with this established and successful company.”
“Gaylord promised to give first dibs to local union contractors and said the company would use their best faith efforts to hire people from Chula Vista and surrounding areas,” Cox said.
Despite the apparent demise of the Gaylord project, some said the developer may still go forward on the Chula Vista project, but without a project labor agreement, or PLA.
Not Legally Required
The pacts are not legally required but have become common on large projects when public funding is involved.
PLAs are usually negotiated with unions as a way to nail down all the various aspects of constructing a major project, including the union scale wages, starting times, and whether nonunion contractors can bid on contracts." ....
"Gaylord may have wanted to avoid having the unions and other parties challenge the project as it moves through regulatory approvals.
Raising environmental and legal objections to the project would increase the cost, and possibly derail it entirely, said George Hawkins, president of Associated Builders and Contractors of San Diego, another trade association for local contractors.
Gaylord agreed to negotiate with labor on a PLA because with an agreement in hand, regulatory approval would likely be easier to obtain, Hawkins said.
Besides challenges during the environmental review process, parties could also file legal challenges in the courts. That tactic caused two years of delays in building Petco Park." ....
for complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=38211536.5682585.1508923.1425568.1603234.322&aID2=116062&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
Gaylord May Still Move Ahead on $1B Chula Vista Hotel/Convention Center
By MIKE ALLEN - 8/6/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Local labor leaders dismissed a proposal by Gaylord Entertainment on a $1 billion Chula Vista hotel/convention center project last week. But some observers say the Tennessee-based developer may still move ahead with plans.
At a news conference Aug. 1, union officials said a proposal made by Gaylord in late July was a “nonstarter” because it failed to provide for hiring local workers first." ....
"In July 2006, Chula Vista, the port and Gaylord entered into a development agreement on 32 acres of prime bay front land to build a 2,000-room hotel and a 400,000-square-foot convention center. The city and port agreed to invest $308 million into the $1 billion project that was said to create 6,500 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent hotel jobs." ....
"Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox said the unions’ decision to stop talking robbed the city of “the opportunity to work with this established and successful company.”
“Gaylord promised to give first dibs to local union contractors and said the company would use their best faith efforts to hire people from Chula Vista and surrounding areas,” Cox said.
Despite the apparent demise of the Gaylord project, some said the developer may still go forward on the Chula Vista project, but without a project labor agreement, or PLA.
Not Legally Required
The pacts are not legally required but have become common on large projects when public funding is involved.
PLAs are usually negotiated with unions as a way to nail down all the various aspects of constructing a major project, including the union scale wages, starting times, and whether nonunion contractors can bid on contracts." ....
"Gaylord may have wanted to avoid having the unions and other parties challenge the project as it moves through regulatory approvals.
Raising environmental and legal objections to the project would increase the cost, and possibly derail it entirely, said George Hawkins, president of Associated Builders and Contractors of San Diego, another trade association for local contractors.
Gaylord agreed to negotiate with labor on a PLA because with an agreement in hand, regulatory approval would likely be easier to obtain, Hawkins said.
Besides challenges during the environmental review process, parties could also file legal challenges in the courts. That tactic caused two years of delays in building Petco Park." ....
for complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=38211536.5682585.1508923.1425568.1603234.322&aID2=116062&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
San Diego hottel/vacation rates
from this morning's San Diego Business Journal
San Diego on $7,000 a Night or $200 a Day
By CONNIE LEWIS - 8/6/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Thanks to successful marketing and promotion, along with a great climate, attractions and proximity to Mexico, San Diego has gone from a sleepy Navy town in the 1950s to one of the nation’s top tourism destinations today.
However, some would argue that it has yet to achieve the status of a world-class destination, and if they’re using hotel room rates as the measure, they’re right. This year, San Diego’s rates average $137 per day compared with New York at $254, London at $217 and Paris at $229, according to industry analysts." ...
"Traveling In The Lap Of Luxury
One of Bob and Carol’s main reasons for coming to town is to watch the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Padres on the evening of Aug. 27 and they’ve opted for the two-night “Opulence Redefined” package at the U.S. Grant Hotel. For $15,000, plus $1,500 extra for a third night, they’ll stay in one of the Grant’s two 1,500-square-foot presidential suites with a view of downtown and San Diego Bay. That price includes gratuities, but not taxes.
The package includes dining “al fresco” on the suite’s balcony with a meal for two prepared to order by the hotel’s top chef. It also includes a private butler, a chauffeured Bentley at their disposal, sailing aboard a private yacht and being served a “gourmet” luncheon, a four-hour treatment by Spa Velia, either in their room or at the spa’s downtown location, and a couple of plush robes and two pairs of slippers to take with them when they leave." .....
"First up on their places-to-go list is the horse races. Clubhouse admission at the Del Mar Race Track plus seating costs $20 per person. The track has no elite seating other than the Turf Club, but you have to be a member or a member’s guest to enter." ...
"Two seats in Petco Park’s Toyota Terrace will run $60 each. Altogether, the cost of Bob and Carol’s mini-vacation, including the city’s 10.5 percent hotel room tax of $1,732.50, comes to $21,115, or about $7,000 per night, a far cry from the $160 that the average leisure visitor staying in a hotel spent per night in 2006, according to the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau. In 2006, 32.2 million visitors came to the county and spent $7.7 billion while they were here, ConVis says.
The Other Side Of The Coin
Ted and Alice, another hypothetical couple coming to San Diego from Phoenix, are an entirely different story.
For starters, they’re driving and bringing groceries with them. Gas for their economy car would cost $160, considering they’d fill up four times during the 360-mile trip." ....
They will stay at the Hotel Occidental, a recent renovation of a historic building on Bankers Hill between Hillcrest and downtown, in a $79-a-night room that has a full-size bed, kitchenette, fridge and microwave, phone with voice mail, TV and DVD player, according to a reservations clerk. The restroom and shower are shared facilities outside the room. For three nights, their hotel bill will be $237 and the room tax is an additional $24.89." .....
"They’ll walk or bike to the game and watch from the Park at the Park, the grassy area behind the outfield fence. Cost for two tickets: $10." ...
for complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=58211517.9100611.1508845.17583702.3888906.408&aID2=116056&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
San Diego on $7,000 a Night or $200 a Day
By CONNIE LEWIS - 8/6/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Thanks to successful marketing and promotion, along with a great climate, attractions and proximity to Mexico, San Diego has gone from a sleepy Navy town in the 1950s to one of the nation’s top tourism destinations today.
However, some would argue that it has yet to achieve the status of a world-class destination, and if they’re using hotel room rates as the measure, they’re right. This year, San Diego’s rates average $137 per day compared with New York at $254, London at $217 and Paris at $229, according to industry analysts." ...
"Traveling In The Lap Of Luxury
One of Bob and Carol’s main reasons for coming to town is to watch the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Padres on the evening of Aug. 27 and they’ve opted for the two-night “Opulence Redefined” package at the U.S. Grant Hotel. For $15,000, plus $1,500 extra for a third night, they’ll stay in one of the Grant’s two 1,500-square-foot presidential suites with a view of downtown and San Diego Bay. That price includes gratuities, but not taxes.
The package includes dining “al fresco” on the suite’s balcony with a meal for two prepared to order by the hotel’s top chef. It also includes a private butler, a chauffeured Bentley at their disposal, sailing aboard a private yacht and being served a “gourmet” luncheon, a four-hour treatment by Spa Velia, either in their room or at the spa’s downtown location, and a couple of plush robes and two pairs of slippers to take with them when they leave." .....
"First up on their places-to-go list is the horse races. Clubhouse admission at the Del Mar Race Track plus seating costs $20 per person. The track has no elite seating other than the Turf Club, but you have to be a member or a member’s guest to enter." ...
"Two seats in Petco Park’s Toyota Terrace will run $60 each. Altogether, the cost of Bob and Carol’s mini-vacation, including the city’s 10.5 percent hotel room tax of $1,732.50, comes to $21,115, or about $7,000 per night, a far cry from the $160 that the average leisure visitor staying in a hotel spent per night in 2006, according to the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau. In 2006, 32.2 million visitors came to the county and spent $7.7 billion while they were here, ConVis says.
The Other Side Of The Coin
Ted and Alice, another hypothetical couple coming to San Diego from Phoenix, are an entirely different story.
For starters, they’re driving and bringing groceries with them. Gas for their economy car would cost $160, considering they’d fill up four times during the 360-mile trip." ....
They will stay at the Hotel Occidental, a recent renovation of a historic building on Bankers Hill between Hillcrest and downtown, in a $79-a-night room that has a full-size bed, kitchenette, fridge and microwave, phone with voice mail, TV and DVD player, according to a reservations clerk. The restroom and shower are shared facilities outside the room. For three nights, their hotel bill will be $237 and the room tax is an additional $24.89." .....
"They’ll walk or bike to the game and watch from the Park at the Park, the grassy area behind the outfield fence. Cost for two tickets: $10." ...
for complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=58211517.9100611.1508845.17583702.3888906.408&aID2=116056&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
San Diego Civic Center revision out for bid
from today's San Diego Business Journal newsletter:
CCDC Puts Out Call for Civic Center Makeover
By - 7/31/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"The Centre City Development Corp. announced July 31 that it has issued a nationwide request for qualifications for the possible redevelopment of the Civic Center Complex in downtown San Diego.
The site is bounded by Third and Fourth avenues, and A and C streets, and includes the city’s administration building, development services center, city concourse building, Civic Theatre and Evan Jones Parkade." ...
"The city has had to lease privately owned space for more than 15 years to supplement what is provided in the administration building, which accommodates only 600 employees, according to CCDC, which oversees downtown redevelopment for the city.
Some tidbits from CCDC:
• City offices are located within eight downtown buildings — four of them leased — representing more than 500,000 square feet of leased space.
• Collectively, more than 3,000 employees work in these properties, which include annual leasing costs of $13.5 million.
• Deferred maintenance on the administration building alone is estimated to exceed $10 million.
• With the majority of leases coming due in 2013 and 2014, and rates projected to significantly rise, the RFQ is seen as a “proactive approach” to evaluate possible savings through redevelopment.
Responses are due Oct. 12. A pre-bid conference has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 6 in the Silver Room of the Community Concourse, 202 C St.
The RFQ can be downloaded from CCDC’s Web site at www.ccdc.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/rfp.home.
— Pat Broderick"
see next weeks San Diego Business Journal for the entire article
CCDC Puts Out Call for Civic Center Makeover
By - 7/31/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"The Centre City Development Corp. announced July 31 that it has issued a nationwide request for qualifications for the possible redevelopment of the Civic Center Complex in downtown San Diego.
The site is bounded by Third and Fourth avenues, and A and C streets, and includes the city’s administration building, development services center, city concourse building, Civic Theatre and Evan Jones Parkade." ...
"The city has had to lease privately owned space for more than 15 years to supplement what is provided in the administration building, which accommodates only 600 employees, according to CCDC, which oversees downtown redevelopment for the city.
Some tidbits from CCDC:
• City offices are located within eight downtown buildings — four of them leased — representing more than 500,000 square feet of leased space.
• Collectively, more than 3,000 employees work in these properties, which include annual leasing costs of $13.5 million.
• Deferred maintenance on the administration building alone is estimated to exceed $10 million.
• With the majority of leases coming due in 2013 and 2014, and rates projected to significantly rise, the RFQ is seen as a “proactive approach” to evaluate possible savings through redevelopment.
Responses are due Oct. 12. A pre-bid conference has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 6 in the Silver Room of the Community Concourse, 202 C St.
The RFQ can be downloaded from CCDC’s Web site at www.ccdc.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/rfp.home.
— Pat Broderick"
see next weeks San Diego Business Journal for the entire article
future retail trends
from the North Jersey Record 7/28:
How we'll shop in year 2015
Saturday, July 28, 2007
By JOAN VERDON
STAFF WRITER
AP
"In the future, Smart carts such as this one would be able to virtually steer themselves to sale items in the stores — and offer a reminder that you forgot to pick up a gallon of milk, according to predictions offered by the TNS Retail Forward consulting group." ...
Get ready for the future of retail. And that future could be as near as eight years away.
Gallo and Mary Brett Whitfield, senior vice president of TNS Retail Forward, urged retailers to be receptive to change, and warned that those who don't stay knowledgeable about new technologies could be left behind by the competition."
.....
"Technology is integrated into the social fabric and has become a fundamental driver of change," Gallo said. "It is clearly changing the economics of all the business models for anybody that's in the business of creating or satisfying demand."
Here are some of the ways technology will change retailing by 2015, said Gallo:
Privacy will become optional. "Would you rather stand in line at the airport, or would you rather give up some information in order to get a card that lets you breeze through security? Or looking at retail, do you want to give up some information in exchange for all sorts of high-value offers, exclusively for you? Increasingly it will become a choice."
Shopping ''avatars'' or agents will be online shopping assistants. Intelligent software will track shopping suggestions, inventory levels and unique promotions for frequent shoppers.
Cellphones and computers will come equipped with instant translation devices. "Eventually, it will be possible for people who don't speak the same language to communicate in real time without the need of a human translator."
A company called Speech Gear is already working on this technology.
Niche marketing will replace mass marketing. "Niche-casting will allow us to cost-effectively reach niches heretofore unable to reach and it will have a huge effect on the mass marketing model that many business are currently built upon."
Cellphones will replace credit cards. Sony is already working on technology that would allow shoppers to use their cellphones to authorize payments.
Smart carts. "There are people coming out with grocery carts with video interfaces. The idea is to get you to buy what they want you to buy." A cereal maker, for example, could contract with the cart maker to have the cart play a video featuring a certain cereal as the cart turns into the cereal aisle.
Hologram store clerks. "You'll be able to use them to access information, look at pictures, and using your cellphone you'll be able to talk to someone and even conduct transactions."
Interactive mirrors. "The mirror, a high-resolution digital screen with a camera, can relay live video. When a customer tries on an item, she can send live video to her friends for feedback." The customer can try on other clothes projected on the screen as holograms. "This technology is available today, and it won't be long, looking to 2015, before you have a version of it available to you in your home."
Pay by touch. "People can steal your credit cards, but they can't steal your finger."
for the full story see: http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxOTcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcxNzQ1ODkmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyMg
How we'll shop in year 2015
Saturday, July 28, 2007
By JOAN VERDON
STAFF WRITER
AP
"In the future, Smart carts such as this one would be able to virtually steer themselves to sale items in the stores — and offer a reminder that you forgot to pick up a gallon of milk, according to predictions offered by the TNS Retail Forward consulting group." ...
Get ready for the future of retail. And that future could be as near as eight years away.
Gallo and Mary Brett Whitfield, senior vice president of TNS Retail Forward, urged retailers to be receptive to change, and warned that those who don't stay knowledgeable about new technologies could be left behind by the competition."
.....
"Technology is integrated into the social fabric and has become a fundamental driver of change," Gallo said. "It is clearly changing the economics of all the business models for anybody that's in the business of creating or satisfying demand."
Here are some of the ways technology will change retailing by 2015, said Gallo:
Privacy will become optional. "Would you rather stand in line at the airport, or would you rather give up some information in order to get a card that lets you breeze through security? Or looking at retail, do you want to give up some information in exchange for all sorts of high-value offers, exclusively for you? Increasingly it will become a choice."
Shopping ''avatars'' or agents will be online shopping assistants. Intelligent software will track shopping suggestions, inventory levels and unique promotions for frequent shoppers.
Cellphones and computers will come equipped with instant translation devices. "Eventually, it will be possible for people who don't speak the same language to communicate in real time without the need of a human translator."
A company called Speech Gear is already working on this technology.
Niche marketing will replace mass marketing. "Niche-casting will allow us to cost-effectively reach niches heretofore unable to reach and it will have a huge effect on the mass marketing model that many business are currently built upon."
Cellphones will replace credit cards. Sony is already working on technology that would allow shoppers to use their cellphones to authorize payments.
Smart carts. "There are people coming out with grocery carts with video interfaces. The idea is to get you to buy what they want you to buy." A cereal maker, for example, could contract with the cart maker to have the cart play a video featuring a certain cereal as the cart turns into the cereal aisle.
Hologram store clerks. "You'll be able to use them to access information, look at pictures, and using your cellphone you'll be able to talk to someone and even conduct transactions."
Interactive mirrors. "The mirror, a high-resolution digital screen with a camera, can relay live video. When a customer tries on an item, she can send live video to her friends for feedback." The customer can try on other clothes projected on the screen as holograms. "This technology is available today, and it won't be long, looking to 2015, before you have a version of it available to you in your home."
Pay by touch. "People can steal your credit cards, but they can't steal your finger."
for the full story see: http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxOTcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcxNzQ1ODkmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyMg
mixed-use museum project breaks ground in TX
from GlobeSt (7/31)
UPDATE Last updated: July 31, 2007 09:58pm
Allegiance-Led JV Begins $850M Rayzor Ranch
By Connie Gore
"DENTON, TX-A Texas-bred development joint venture is breaking ground this morning on the $850-million Rayzor Ranch, a 410-acre mixed-use project with a new Museum of Texas Art and Culture as its centerpiece. Infrastructure costs alone total $135 million for the Interstate 35-fronting site in the two-university town.
"The project is really the leading development in Denton County and North Texas for the next 24 months. The magnitude is much larger than anything that anyone else has under way," says C. Joseph Gampper, president of Dallas-based Allegiance Development LP, which is teaming with Torreon Capital LP of Austin for the undertaking. Nearly 400 business leaders are expected to attend Rayzor Ranch's groundbreaking.
The massive development will rise over seven years. First out of the ground will be the $320-million retail component: a 1.2-million-sf town center, 885,000-sf marketplace and 430,000 sf of inline and street retail. It will be complemented by 300 to 500 multifamily units, 700 townhouses and brownstones, roughly 250,000 sf of office and a hotel and 90,000-sf convention center. The museum's first phase will be 35,000 sf, but is planned to eventually rival Austin's Texas heritage museum in size and scope.
The Greater Denton Arts Council this month will kick off a fund drive to raise $20 million to $25 million for the museum and subsequent phases, which include a sculpture garden, permanent library and corporate-sponsored galleries. The museum project is being seeded by $800,000 from the Rayzor family of Denton and a five-acre donation, valued at $2.2 million, from Allegiance." ...
"The museum is slated to open in late 2009.
Rayzor Ranch's first space will come on line in November 2008 and the balance in March 2009. Randy Holcombe, Allegiance's executive vice president of retail, tells GlobeSt.com that the town center is 40% preleased and the marketplace is 70% preleased."
......
"The declared anchors are Dillard's and corporate-owned sites for a 200,000-sf Wal-mart Supercenter and 130,000-sf Sam's Club." ...
"Holcombe estimates site work will take four months. The $135 million of infrastructure upgrades include adding two lanes to US Hwy. 380 or University Drive, which should be completed by fall 2008." ....
for the complete story see: http://www.globest.com/news/961_961/gsrsouthwest/162778-1.html
UPDATE Last updated: July 31, 2007 09:58pm
Allegiance-Led JV Begins $850M Rayzor Ranch
By Connie Gore
"DENTON, TX-A Texas-bred development joint venture is breaking ground this morning on the $850-million Rayzor Ranch, a 410-acre mixed-use project with a new Museum of Texas Art and Culture as its centerpiece. Infrastructure costs alone total $135 million for the Interstate 35-fronting site in the two-university town.
"The project is really the leading development in Denton County and North Texas for the next 24 months. The magnitude is much larger than anything that anyone else has under way," says C. Joseph Gampper, president of Dallas-based Allegiance Development LP, which is teaming with Torreon Capital LP of Austin for the undertaking. Nearly 400 business leaders are expected to attend Rayzor Ranch's groundbreaking.
The massive development will rise over seven years. First out of the ground will be the $320-million retail component: a 1.2-million-sf town center, 885,000-sf marketplace and 430,000 sf of inline and street retail. It will be complemented by 300 to 500 multifamily units, 700 townhouses and brownstones, roughly 250,000 sf of office and a hotel and 90,000-sf convention center. The museum's first phase will be 35,000 sf, but is planned to eventually rival Austin's Texas heritage museum in size and scope.
The Greater Denton Arts Council this month will kick off a fund drive to raise $20 million to $25 million for the museum and subsequent phases, which include a sculpture garden, permanent library and corporate-sponsored galleries. The museum project is being seeded by $800,000 from the Rayzor family of Denton and a five-acre donation, valued at $2.2 million, from Allegiance." ...
"The museum is slated to open in late 2009.
Rayzor Ranch's first space will come on line in November 2008 and the balance in March 2009. Randy Holcombe, Allegiance's executive vice president of retail, tells GlobeSt.com that the town center is 40% preleased and the marketplace is 70% preleased."
......
"The declared anchors are Dillard's and corporate-owned sites for a 200,000-sf Wal-mart Supercenter and 130,000-sf Sam's Club." ...
"Holcombe estimates site work will take four months. The $135 million of infrastructure upgrades include adding two lanes to US Hwy. 380 or University Drive, which should be completed by fall 2008." ....
for the complete story see: http://www.globest.com/news/961_961/gsrsouthwest/162778-1.html
travel spending up
released today by PRnewswire from comScore
Retail E-Commerce Climbs 23 Percent in Q2 Versus Year Ago
Total E-Commerce Reaches $95 Billion during First Half of 2007
"RESTON, Va., July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR),
a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a report on U.S.
e-commerce spending for the second quarter of 2007, which showed that
non-travel (retail) e-commerce grew 23 percent versus year ago to $27.2
billion, while online travel spending increased 14 percent to $20.3
billion. Total U.S. e-commerce spending climbed 19 percent to $47.5 billion
during the period." ....
Billions ($)
Percent
E-Commerce Spending Q2 2006 Q2 2007 Change
Total $40.0 $47.5 19 %
Non-Travel (Retail) $22.2 $27.2 23 %
Travel $17.8 $20.3 14 %"
......
"Top Gaining E-Commerce Categories
Q2 2007 vs. Q2 2006
Total U.S. - Home/Work/University
Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.
Category Q2 2007 vs. Q2 2006
Percent Change
Video Games, Consoles & Accessories 159 %
Sport & Fitness 58 %
Consumer Electronics (excl. PC Peripherals) 51 %
Event Tickets 44 %
Jewelry & Watches 32 %
Furniture, Appliances & Equipment 25 %
Music, Movies & Videos 24 %
Computer Software (excl. PC Games) 23 %
Books & Magazines 22 %
Apparel & Accessories 20 %
U.S Online Consumer Spending Likely to Reach $200 Billion in 2007
Total U.S. online consumer spending reached $170.8 billion in 2006,
with non-travel spending accounting for $102.1 billion and travel spending
accounting for $68.8 billion. Based on the first-half growth rates, total
U.S. online consumer spending is on track to reach $200 billion in 2007." ....
Billions ($)
Percent
Q1+Q2 2006 Q1+Q2 2007 Change
E-Commerce Spending
Total $80.8 $94.7 17 %
Non-Travel (Retail) $46.1 $55.1 20 %
Travel $34.7 $39.6 14 %
"
for the complete story see: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-30-2007/0004635442&EDATE=
Retail E-Commerce Climbs 23 Percent in Q2 Versus Year Ago
Total E-Commerce Reaches $95 Billion during First Half of 2007
"RESTON, Va., July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR),
a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a report on U.S.
e-commerce spending for the second quarter of 2007, which showed that
non-travel (retail) e-commerce grew 23 percent versus year ago to $27.2
billion, while online travel spending increased 14 percent to $20.3
billion. Total U.S. e-commerce spending climbed 19 percent to $47.5 billion
during the period." ....
Billions ($)
Percent
E-Commerce Spending Q2 2006 Q2 2007 Change
Total $40.0 $47.5 19 %
Non-Travel (Retail) $22.2 $27.2 23 %
Travel $17.8 $20.3 14 %"
......
"Top Gaining E-Commerce Categories
Q2 2007 vs. Q2 2006
Total U.S. - Home/Work/University
Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.
Category Q2 2007 vs. Q2 2006
Percent Change
Video Games, Consoles & Accessories 159 %
Sport & Fitness 58 %
Consumer Electronics (excl. PC Peripherals) 51 %
Event Tickets 44 %
Jewelry & Watches 32 %
Furniture, Appliances & Equipment 25 %
Music, Movies & Videos 24 %
Computer Software (excl. PC Games) 23 %
Books & Magazines 22 %
Apparel & Accessories 20 %
U.S Online Consumer Spending Likely to Reach $200 Billion in 2007
Total U.S. online consumer spending reached $170.8 billion in 2006,
with non-travel spending accounting for $102.1 billion and travel spending
accounting for $68.8 billion. Based on the first-half growth rates, total
U.S. online consumer spending is on track to reach $200 billion in 2007." ....
Billions ($)
Percent
Q1+Q2 2006 Q1+Q2 2007 Change
E-Commerce Spending
Total $80.8 $94.7 17 %
Non-Travel (Retail) $46.1 $55.1 20 %
Travel $34.7 $39.6 14 %
"
for the complete story see: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-30-2007/0004635442&EDATE=
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