SAN JOSE, CA-Federal Realty Investment Trust is beefing up its retail leasing team for Santana Row, the master planned mixed-use community scheduled to open mid-2002 featuring 680,000 sf of shops and restaurants, a boutique hotel, 1,200 luxury residential rental units, public parks, gardens, plazas, courtyards and a farmer's market.

The team's director of leasing is John Brinkman, who has 16 years or retail experience, most recently with Lerner Corp. and LaSalle Partners. He will oversee efforts to cultivate national and regional restaurants and retail stores that reflect Santana Row's “sophisticated and eclectic” style.

Carlisle Brinkman is a new senior leasing rep who will be charged with identifying and landing Bay-area retailers for the project. Brinkman most recently worked for Mills Corp. as a senior leasing representative with responsibility for leasing restaurant and retail space within the company's outlet mall portfolio, most notably Florida's Sawgrass Mills.

Lael Culiner, most recently a leasing agent for The Taubman Company, where she focused on new projects and developments, is also a new senior leasing rep. Culiner will be focused on securing national and local restaurant tenants for Santana Row.

Federal Realty Investment Trust is a Rockville, MD-based REIT specializing in the ownership, management, development and redevelopment of high quality retail and mixed-use properties. The Trust owns or has an interest in 154 real estate assets consisting of community and neighborhood shopping centers and retail and urban mixed-use properties across the United States.