In the midst of a market recession and after a substantial capital investment to redevelop nearly 77 acres of a former rail yard, the Carlyle Development Corporation (CDC) searched for a new direction for its 6.9 million square foot mixed-use project.

They needed a new partner capable of navigating the complexities of development who was also adept at creating marketing program to entice tenants to move to the site.

Uniquely experienced in space utilization, feasibility and market demand, JM Zell revised the master plan and implemented a new approach – one that would meet he demands of the marketplace.

Viewing the project from a new perspective, JM Zell worked with land planners, architects and city and neighborhood constituents to orchestrate a block-by-block reconfiguration that better reflected the scale and needs of end users.  JM Zell secured consensus and approval from the ownership, the city and public stakeholders – and the project quickly gained momentum.  JM Zell achieved premium prices for development sites that once lay dormant.

JM Zell then combined the strength of its project marketing with a local developer to attract the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to Carlyle.  The development of its 2.5 million-square foot headquarters represented one of the largest build-to-suit land sale transactions.

Carlyle is scheduled for completion almost seven years ahead of its original plan, with all blocks either completed or in various stages of development.  Carlyle Development Corporation was merged into Alexandria Southern Properties in August 2005.