LONDON-In another sign that the economic downturn is affecting the property market, new research from CB Hillier Parker shows that central London office availability rose by 16% in three months.

EUGENE, OR-The six-month shutdown, affecting some 600 workers, comes one week after the company requests a property tax waiver for $156 million worth of improvements to the plant, and one month after it was denied a similar tax break.

JACKSONVILLE, FL-The cash-debt acquisition will give the Jacksonville, FL-based producer of concrete-building materials new markets in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and the Gulf Coast. Jacksonville is 230 miles north of metro Orlando where Florida Rock operates a Central Florida division.

MIAMI-The price per common share in the homebuilding giant closes down $1.17 Tuesday, then rises $1.58 Wednesday as the company files an amended shelf-registration statement to issue periodically up to $700 million in new stock.