VIRGINIA BEACH, VA-The City Council is aiming to make the new 500,000-sf Virginia Beach Convention Center the best it can possibly be, and puts in for an additional $9 million to make it all happen.

ORLANDO-Shopping volume nationally is down, especially among women, says C. Britt Beemer, chairman of Charlotte, NC-based America's Research Group. Mall owners, developers and managers need to create a property look that will trigger greater demand from shoppers, he told delegates attending the 2003 Florida Conference of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

SAN LEANDRO, CA-Global Packaging Supply signs a 10-year lease for 62,000 sf here that will become its headquarters. Concurrently, the company signs a two-year lease for a smaller adjacent space.

BROOKLINE, MA-Financing in the amount of $19.2 million was arranged for the St. Paul Residences. The complex will involve 49 units and will be composed of three sections on a 60,400-sf parcel.