MARKET STREET - THE WOODLANDS ANNOUNCED AS FINALIST FOR PRESTIGIOUS REAL ESTATE AWARD

THE WOODLANDS, TX (January 11, 2008) . . . Market Street - The Woodlands, which opened in 2004 as one of the region’s preeminent lifestyle and entertainment destinations, has been chosen as a finalist for the 2008 Urban Land Institute Houston’s Development of Distinction Award.

This is the first year for ULI to present a local version of the awards in Houston, after more than 30 years of honoring real estate developments worldwide.

“We believed there was a place in Houston for an award honoring the entire development process, not just one aspect. This award recognizes the full development process of a project—construction, economic viability, marketing, and management—as well as design,” said Reid Wilson, ULI Houston District Council Chair.

The awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at the Rice Crystal Ballroom, 909 Texas Ave.

For more than 30 years, ULI Awards for Excellence have defined the standard for real estate development practice worldwide. The program is the centerpiece of ULI’s efforts to identify and promote best practices in all types of real estate development.
The ULI Awards for Excellence honor development projects in three regions: the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific.

“Before opening Market Street, we paid careful attention to the country’s best open-air, urban-styled projects, plazas, parks and fountains,” explains Terry Montesi, chairman and CEO of Trademark Property, developer of Market Street. “We set out to create a place where people want to be, not simply where they need to go.”

The heart and soul of Market Street is a public green space known as Central Park, a WiFi-enabled plaza with pop fountains and art sculptures – all framed by high-end boutiques, retailers and outdoor seating of neighboring restaurants and cafes. More than $10 million was invested in Market Street’s world-class public art, murals, custom lighting and landscaping, brick-paved streets, a performance stage, a complimentary parking garage and several water features.

Other distinguishing features include a 30-ton Live Oak transplanted to anchor Central Park and a Reader Board inspired by Times Square in New York.

In addition to its selection as a ULI award finalist, Market Street was a 2006 International Design and Development Award winner as selected by the International Council of Shopping Centers. It also was named a 2005 Houston Business Journal Landmark Award Winner for outstanding design in a mixed-use real estate project.

Local versions of the ULI Awards help to raise awareness of ULI’s mission: to promote best practices in the responsible use of land, and can serve as a springboard to send more award entries from our district council to the Americas competition.

Judges for the 2008 ULI Houston Development of Distinction Award were: Judd L. Bobilin, executive vice president and chief development officer for Novare Group, a developer headquartered in Atlanta; Frank Ricks, AIA, a founder and managing principal of LRK architects of Memphis, and Ed Garza, senior associate with EDAW in San Antonio and former Mayor of San Antonio.

Bringing an out-of-town jury to tour the Houston finalists accomplished an important goal for award organizers. “They spread the word about Houston’s best developments farther beyond our borders,” Wilson said. He adds that ULI hopes to “call attention to developments like Market Street that make a positive difference for years, even generations to come."

About Market Street

Located across the street from The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Market Street is bounded by Lake Woodlands Drive, Lake Robbins Drive, Grogan’s Mill Road and Six Pines Drive. Market Street is a joint-venture development of Trademark Property Company and Kimco Developers, Inc., an affiliate of the real estate investment trust (REIT) Kimco Realty Corporation.

About ULI

ULI Houston is a District Council of the Urban Land Institute. District Councils are ULI at the local level, facilitating the exchange of ideas and the transmission of ULI best practices. ULI Houston has over 800 members, who come together at monthly luncheons and at other events to share experiences and learn from each other. The mission of ULI, the Urban Land Institute, is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance the total environment. ULI is composed of over 30,000 members worldwide. Members represent every segment of the real estate development community, including property owners, investors, advisers, developers, architects, lawyers, lenders, planners, regulators, contractors, engineers, university professors, librarians, students and interns.