PHILADELPHIA-The 540,000-sf Quartermaster Plaza, arguably the largest shopping center in the City, opens in time for the holidays. It occupies the 44-acre former Army Quartermaster Depot on Oregon Ave. in South Philadelphia. At the groundbreaking last October, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. estimated the construction cost at $100 million.

A 120,000-sf Home Depot and a 100,000-sf BJ's Wholesale Club anchor the center. The tenant roster includes Staples, PetSmart, AJ Wright, Walgreen's, EB Games, Children's Place and Verizon Wireless among others.

Quartermaster Depot dates back to 1918 and manufactured military uniforms from World War I through the Gulf War in 1991. A decade later, the Department of Defense demolished the buildings and transferred the property to the Pennsylvania Authority for Industrial Development, which retained PIDC to help in creating a redevelopment plan in tandem with the City Council, which rezoned the parcel for retail. PAID and PIDC were also charged with finding a developer.

The lead developer is Brooklyn-based Forest City Ratner Cos., an affiliate of Forest City Enterprises, which is based in Cleveland, OH. It worked with locally based Synterra Ltd. and Moreland Development in Bryn Mawr on the project. Bala Cynwyd-based Michael Salove Co. Commercial Real Estate, which also has an office here, is the exclusive leasing agent. Occupants receive the City's 10-year tax abatement for new construction.