DALLAS-What started as rumor is now fact. Insignia/ESG and Mack-Cali are close to signing a contract to market the REIT's North Texas holdings. Today, a Mack-Cali insider has clarified that it's for just the Dallas-area holdings and not the entire Texas portfolio.

BREA, CA-A June ground-breaking is scheduled for the $35-million Voit Brea Business Park. The developers say it will be the largest speculative industrial park to rise in Orange County in several years.

CARLSBAD, CA-The first retail project to be developed in the vicinity of the Carlsbad Research Center is nearly fully leased as retailers rush to be near the area's job clusters. Developer Lichter Venture Group is marketing the last two spaces in the Caribbean-themed center.

BOSTON-The Spring/Summer REIT Report put out by AEW Capital Management LP, a locally-based real estate investment advisory firm, indicates that REITs will outperform most areas of the equity market over the next 12 to 18 months.