Trizec Turns Over Plaza of America's Retail

Steve Williamson, senior vice president of Transwestern's retail services team in Dallas, says they've hit the ground running, talking to national and regional names to round out the tenant mix for the 80%-occupied retail space. The foot race basically is aimed at service-oriented businesses for the neighborhood's four million sf of office tenants and guests at the 407-room Le Meridien. The flag, the source of a legal battle, has yet to be replaced with Westin by owner La Salle Hotel Properties of Bethesda, MD.

Williamson says the hotel brand isn't as key to his plan as the fact that there's a hotel in place. "Whether it's a Le Meridien or a Westin, it's a neat component and we're hoping to play off that," he tells GlobeSt.com.

Several top names were interviewed, but Transwestern took the contract over the lead retail players in Dallas-Fort Worth, even though its footprint on the leasing and management side for retail isn't as large as its competitors. He predicts the team--Larry Jordan, vice president, and Whit Jordan--will have the first new tenant signed in a few months. "And, we are going to pitch this at ICSC in Las Vegas in May," he says of the class A property along Pearl Street.

The Chicago-based Trizec recently cut the ribbon for its newest retail tenant, a Corner Bakery. The new team is looking to add more restaurants to the roster, perhaps a drug store and possibly a copy center, but high fashion and soft goods aren't going to be part of the race to fill the space, Williamson says.