PORTLAND-Despite city planning policies that discourage the vacation of streets to create larger blocks for development, Nicholson Development Properties of Seattle is hoping it will gain approval because of what it will do for the neighborhood.

ST. PAUL, MN-Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura hopes they will serve as models for other ventures, enabling residents, in his words, "to develop by choice, not by chance.

WHITE PLAINS-A chief official with GHP Office Realty of Scarsdale reports that the firm is under contract to purchase two Downtown office buildings here. The buy would yield approximately 130,000 sf of space.

PHOENIX-The city of Mesa is pushing Maricopa County to not rezone at least a portion of the 5,000-acre General Motors Proving Ground for residential development, saving it rather for commercial use.