REAL ESTATE

Washington, D.C. — The Fairfax, Virginia, City Council has approved a rezoning application for Combined Properties’ Fairfax Circle Plaza. The project aims to redevelop the current strip retail center and replace it with a mixed-use development with up to 400 new apartments and 88,000 sq. ft. of retail including a grocery store.

The project is located at the intersection of two major routes just over a half mile from the Vienna, Virginia, Metro station.

New York — Faith Hope Consolo, chairman, and Joseph Aquino, executive VP of Douglas Elliman’s Retail Group, has leased a multi-level space at 45 East 58th Street in the Plaza District in Manhattan, to Caruso, the exclusive Italian menswear label.

The new location will be Caruso’s first in the United States. It will be the brand’s New York flagship and showroom.

Formerly the Spanierman Gallery, the unusually large space encompasses more than 11,000 sq. ft. on two levels.

Bronx, N.Y. — Triangle Equities has reached several milestones in the development of the $35 million, 88,000-sq.-ft. Triangle Plaza Hub at 149th Street in Bronx, New York. The development aims to help revitalize a generally underserved area with a mixed-use commercial and community facility located at a transit center that serves 200,000 people daily. Vista Optical has also leased space.

To date, Triangle’s accomplishments include signing two key anchor tenants: Fine Far supermarket and Metropolitan College of New York.

Los Angeles -- Another online retailer is taking the brick-and-mortar plunge. California lifestyle brand Gypsy05 announced it will open its first two retail locations at the end of this month. After nearly 10 years of business, the brand has decided to open branded Gypsy05 retail stores, in Beverly Hills, and in the Malibu Country Mart in Malibu, California. The brand is set to open a third location, in Orange County, California, later this year, but real estate negotiations have not been completed.

Fort Worth, Texas – Trademark Property Co. has named Steven W. Toppel to the post of executive VP. Toppel will begin his new role June 3.
 
With more than 28 years of experience in commercial real estate, Toppel will oversee leasing for Trademark’s portfolio of lifestyle centers, malls, and mixed-use developments.

Dallas — SRS Real Estate Partners earned a silver U.S. MAXI Award at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas during the ICSC RECon Convention. The awards are open to shopping centers, shopping center companies, specialty retailers, specialty leasing managers, marketing directors and general managers.

SRS received a silver Award in the B2B division of the Traditional Marketing category for its effective brand enhancement campaign.

Charlottesville, Va. — Firehouse Subs has signed a 2,264-sq.-ft. lease for its first location in Charlottesville, Virginia — at 100 Shoppers World Court.

Divaris Real Estate’s Richmond, Virginia, office represented Firehouse Subs in the transaction. Divaris (www.divaris.com) has represented Firehouse in the site selection and lease negotiations for the majority of its Hampton Roads sites and for several locations in the greater Richmond area.

San Bernardino, California -- Plans are well underway to open two new state-of-the-art "Blue Ribbon" Stater Bros. Supermarkets in California, with one in Covina (Los Angeles County) and the other in Menifee (Riverside County).