The partnership to build the Pavilions of Troy includesRichardson Development Group Inc., based in Reston, VA; BoornPartners based in Cincinnati and New York City-based BlackRock asthe owner of the land. Hunter Richardson, principal with theself-named firm, tells GlobeSt.com that the civic downtown planswere doomed from the start. "That area is public land, it justcan't happen with government in the mix. This really requiresprivate development."

A better redevelopment location can't be found in Troy. Sincethe migration of some of the 5,000 Kmart headquarters employees tothe Sears HQ in Hoffman Estates, IL after the merger in 2005, theodd, pod-like office complex on the north side of Big Beaver, westof Coolidge Highway, has been the pink elephant in the area wheremany don't want to accept that the state's strongest office market,the Troy area, is going soft.

Instead, Richardson says this location is what drew thepartnership to the site--to feed off of the nearby SomersetCollection mall. "I would classify the retail that we will attractwill be comparable and complimentary to Somerset, with tenants ofthe same caliber. The difference is going to be that while Somersetis a destination, we are going to be a shopping, entertainment anddining district."