The development will be built in three-to-four phases says TomWeiler, president of the company. "We hope the first phase willcome out of the ground next spring with the retail, in conjunctionwith 400 apartments, and 125 condos and flats," he tellsGlobeSt.com. The first phase will be about 75 acres, and the nextphases will be in 50-75 acre slices, he says.

Weiler says the property will have many small retailers withseveral restaurants. "We're in negotiations with several differentnational retailers, but nothing signed yet," he says. It's tooearly to determine lease rates for the retail, he says. Subsequentphases will include office buildings, he says. The property is inthe St. Louis market area.

It's too early to name the project, Weiler says. "We're in theprocess of working with the city, getting the roadways and leveebuilt," he says. "With the opening of the Maryland Heightsexpressway, that opened up a pocket here that is currently notbeing tapped by malls, it's an area about eight miles wide.Immediately in the 1-mile area there's no residential, but in fiveyears, the apartments and condos will add to that. This will reallyhelp open up the Howard Bend District." City officials believe theHoward Bend area will double the 22 million sf of commercial spacein the Maryland Heights area, including a plan by First Industrialto build three spec flex industrial buildings and offices.