CHARLOTTE-MetLife Inc. is expanding its presence at the Ballantyne Corporate Park here to nearly 400,000 square feet.

ROCHESTER, MN-Richfield Hospitality Inc. reports it will assume the management of five downtown hotels here.

ANNAPOLIS, MD-The 16-day federal shutdown cost the country $24 billion, according to Standard & Poor's. In Maryland, many companies felt the pinch and 20,000 federal workers filed for unemployment during the shutdown.

WASHINGTON, DC-A development team is mulling a plan to build a 200-room hotel less than a block away from Nationals Park.

PHILADELPHIA-The Walnut Street retail district has the distinction of having the fastest rising retail rents in the nation.

FORT LEE, NJ-A Business Improvement District has been proposed for the borough of Fort Lee that if adopted would facilitate improvements to 200 properties in the downtown district.

RIDGEWOOD, NJ-The Planning Board plans to hold a public hearing in early December to detail a proposed master plan amendment that would allow high-density multifamily housing development in the downtown district.

NEW YORK CITY-The Municipal Art Society of New York and The Regional Plan Association issued a report on Thursday that highlighted some ways the city could make improvements to update and help alleviate the congestion at Pennsylvania Station.