Simon is placing a billion-dollar bet on value shopping, planning to expand its existing outlet properties and build new ones.

The company will add 160,000 square feet of shops, additional parking, amenities and two hotels to its Woodbury Common outlets in the Hudson Valley town of Woodbury, north of New York City. Construction is expected to begin in 2024. The property draws 13 million people annually from around the world, according to Simon.

Near Los Angeles, Simon has reached an agreement in principle with the city of Carson to resume development on a 400,000-square-foot, high-end fashion outlet and value-oriented center along Interstate 405. Simon owns several value-oriented properties in the greater Los Angeles market already, including Desert Hills, Camarillo Premium Outlets and The Outlets at Orange. Simon expects to begin work on the 40-acre site in Carson this year, targeting a 2024 opening.

In Nashville, Tennessee, Simon will develop a high-end luxury Premium Outlet with local hotel developer Adventurous Journeys. The 300,000-square-foot center’s lineup will resemble Woodbury Common’s. According to Simon, the development will complement the landlord’s existing properties in the area: The Mall at Green Hills and Opry Mills. Adventurous Journeys has developed several hotel projects in the market already. Construction kicks off in 2023.

Meanwhile Simon will resume development of Tulsa Premium Outlets in Jenks, Oklahoma, in 2022. The 330,000-square-foot center will feature 100 retailers and will open in 2024.

Simon also founded, launched and trademarked a National Outlet Shopping Day and celebrated it on June 11 with marketing events and promotions across the company’s 90 Premium Outlets and Mills properties in the U.S.

Electronic Vehicles Power Up

Macerich is adding public, ultra-fast electric vehicle charging stations at 12 properties in six states through its collaboration with Electrify America. Macerich began installing EV charging stations in 2016, and the additions will bring its total charging stations to more than 330 stations across its portfolio. “Macerich’s collaboration with Electrify America helps us amplify our commitment to reduce climate impacts in our communities as part of our goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030,” said Macerich vice president of sustainability Jeff Bedell. “It’s our hope that these publicly available stations will elevate awareness of sustainable transportation and energize more drivers to make the switch.”

Meanwhile, the EV charging industry is consolidating. One of the biggest players, Blink, acquired EV charging company SemaConnect, adding nearly 13,000 EV chargers and 1,800 site host locations to the firm’s existing footprint. The combined firms’ members number 350,000 registered EV drivers.

People News

Development firm Majestic Realty named Reon Roski CEO. Roski, a 30-year industry veteran, has been a member of the company’s board of directors since 1997. She joined the company’s payroll as senior counsel in 2007 and was named managing director later that year. She is the daughter of Majestic founder and chairman Edward Roski Jr. Prior to joining Majestic, Reon Roski served as a corporate real estate transactional attorney for Glaser Weil and for Allen Matkins.

Clayton King’s King Capital Commercial Real Estate has joined the ChainLinks Retail Advisors brokerage network. King is founder and principal of Albuquerque, New Mexico-based King Capital, which now will be the ChainlLinks partner for New Mexico.

Former ICSC trustee Mike Kelly died last month at the age of 91. Minneapolis-based Kelly began his career at J.L. Hudson, which later became the iconic Dayton-Hudson Corp. Kelly became president of Dayton-Hudson Properties in 1977 and in 1980 purchased the real estate operations from Dayton-Hudson and founded The Center Cos. In 1989, with 30 million square feet of property and $2B in assets, Kelly sold the company to General Growth. He then co-founded TCC Properties, which became Marquette Partners, where he served as chairman until his retirement.