Business Specialties Development
Gaylord to Develop Convention/Resort Facility in Mesa
Sept 5, 2008
By: Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor

Gaylord Entertainment has inked a deal to buy a parcel of land at the Mesa Proving Grounds in Mesa, Ariz., for the development of a resort and convention center. The development will occupy about 100 acres of the Mesa Proving Grounds, which totals about 3,200 acres.

The planned convention center and resort will be part of a larger mixed-use development in undertaken by DMB Mesa Proving Grounds L.L.C., an affiliate of DMB Associates Inc. DMB bought the site in 2006 from automaker General Motors, which leased the facility back until 2009.

Besides the Gaylord resort and convention center -- the particulars of which have not been disclosed yet -- plans of the development will also include a Westcor retail development, a golf course designed by Tom Fazio, plus office space, houses and significant other mixed-use components.

As the General Motors Desert Proving Grounds, GM operated the facility to test vehicles for durability, vehicle handling, water and dust intrusion, and emissions in a hot-weather climate. At its peak, it employed more than 1,000 people, but in 2000 the company announced its intentions to close the facility and relocate its hot-weather vehicle testing facility. In 2004, 1,800 acres of the site were sold to Pacific Proving L.L.C., with the remaining going to DMB two years later.

Nashville-based Gaylord is not only betting on a turnaround in the travel industry in the coming years, but also on the demographics and continued appeal of the greater Phoenix market. Mesa, a suburb of Phoenix, is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country according to the US Census Bureau, which estimated the city's population at about 460,000 in 2006.

Scottsdale-based DMB is a diversified real estate company with real estate holdings in residential and commercial developments, country clubs, hotels, health clubs and spa properties mostly in the western United States. Gaylord's entertainment brands and properties include the Radisson Hotel Opryland, the Ryman Auditorium, the General Jackson Showboat, Gaylord Springs Golf Links, Wildhorse Saloon, and WSM-AM, among others. It also owns the Grand Ole Opry.

 
Recent Development Headlines
Construction Industry Faces Hard 2009
The equity markets dropped considerably Monday morning, but then yo-yoed around for the rest of the day--small fluctuations, really--and ended up slightly down, for the first time in four trading sessions and the first time this year. The Dow Jones index dropped 76.7 points, or 0.85 percent, while the S&P 500 dropped 0.35 percent and the Nasdaq lost 0.49 percent.
Bibby Takes Over as Grosvenor CEO
Andrew Bibby has assumed the role of CEO for Grosvenor Americas, the U.S. and Canadian operations are of private property development, investment and fund management firm Grosvenor Group. Bibby previously served as the firm’s chief development officer.
don and bryan As Phoenix Light Rail Debuts, Will T.O.D. Get on Track?
Phoenix's $1.4 billion, 20-mile light rail system carried its first passengers on Dec. 27th, and real estate professionals believe that development opportunities around the line’s 20 stations are significant; Valley Metro, which operates the system, projects the system will initially carry 26,000 passengers a day.
brooklyn bridge $48M First Phase of Brooklyn Bridge Park Project Breaks Ground
Reusing and revitalizing Brooklyn’s deteriorated East River waterfront began with a groundbreaking in February on the piers area and now a $48 million contract was awarded to Skanska for Phase I of the Brooklyn Bridge Park project in New York City.
International Groups to Tackle Affordable Housing as Global Real Estate Challenge
On a global level, there are no geographical boundaries when it comes to affordable housing shortages. And with that topic in mind the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe recently held a seminar in New York City along with its Real Estate Market Advisory Group and the International Real Estate Federation to address the affordable housing issue and the role it can play in rebuilding the real estate market.