Publisher's Notebook: Speaking of Retail
It's not just Seattle that's doing well in the Puget Sound region. It's also the city of Bellevue, about 10 miles from downtown. Only 130,000 in population, it's become a shopping mecca for the Pacific Northwest—which has led to a boom in everything. Not just giant luxury malls, but big office buildings and apartment and condo complexes. Over 400 joined us this week to hear about the next huge expansion already underway: $1.2B in stores, multifamily, office, and hotels.
Living legend Kemper Freeman, speaking at our event, has led the development of Bellevue over the decades from small town to serious city. The national chairman of ICSC 20 years ago, Kemper lives by the creed, "Quality retail is the catalyst for all other forms of commercial real estate." Seeing the results in Bellevue, almost no one can disagree.
