ORLANDO-Yes, says David W. Marks, president, Marketplace Advisors Inc., Orlando. No, says John M. Crossman, senior vice president/retail, Trammell Crow Co., Orlando. The brokers, each with 20 years of retail background, explain their views to GlobeSt.com in this exclusive article.

ORLANDO-Big-name tenants are taking a hard look at the wave of affluent "new towns" entering suburbia. Some figure they can generate $400 per-sf sales in the town centers, too--without the parking hassles of a mall.

ATLANTA-One of the biggest names in commercial real estate is buying an equity interest in the 26-year-old, 29-story, 610,000-sf Tower Place 100 office building in a deal valued at an estimated $130 million.

ATLANTA-The entry of Ronus Properties on Atlanta's commercial turf ends the management contract with locally based CNM Associates, a joint venture between Ronus Inc. and Ben Carter Cos. Carter now owns CNM and will continue to manage assets in that group's portfolio.

TAMPA, FL-The acquisition price wasn't disclosed in a deal giving the Horsham, PA-based lender's servicing portfolio an additional $600 million worth of contracts. Tampa is 80 miles west of Downtown Orlando.

ORLANDO-The Florida Turnpike Authority has started a $1 million study to see if a two-mile toll road near the theme park is feasible. If it is, the state would build the $90 million extension at $45 million per mile, making it one of the most expensive roads in the state.

GAINESVILLE, FL-Covered Bridge Apartments Co. of Leesburg, VA paid Dallas-based NLP Covered Bridge National Associates $7.9 milion or $44,886 per unit for the 29-year-old, 176-unit Covered Bridge Apartments, 100 miles northwest of Downtown Orlando.

ATLANTA-The Dayville, CT-based firm is also taking an option to buy the facility later this year at 100 Lakeview Court, replacing its existing 175,000-sf storage structure on Shirley Drive. The estimated value of the deal is $18.7 million.