Municipalities Boost ICSC Presence

LAS VEGAS-Brokers, developers and retailers have long been visible attendees at the International Council of Shopping Centers’ Spring Convention here, but one group that has a growing presence at the event is the public sector. Municipalities are joining ICSC (their membership numbers have increased by 24% over the last three years, according to the organization) and 48 of them will be exhibiting at the convention to promote their locales as retail-friendly areas.

Different cities come for different reasons. Some are trying to renovate their downtowns, others are seeing a housing boom that needs accompanying services, while others want to help a property owner redevelop an aging mall.

The city of Ontario, CA, has had a booth at the convention for six years to promote various projects as it has grown. From 1990 to 2000, population has jumped by close to 20%. “We were in a very fast growth period,” Mary Jane Olhasso, Ontario’s economic development director, tells GSR. “We have [the booth] to get in front of the developers, tenants and brokers. We had to be in Las Vegas, period.”