Ian Ritter is national online editor for GlobeSt.com/RETAIL.

LAS VEGAS-Some lenders are concerned about the overbuilding of certain types of projects in the retail real estate industry, according to speakers during a session today at the International Council of Shopping Centers' Spring Convention. The panel discussion, called "Is Retail Still the Darling of the Industry?" took place at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Timothy Leaycraft, a managing director at TIAA-CREFF, said that he fears that too many lifestyle centers are being built across the country. "It seems to be a very hot sector, and I think that there are projects being built that shouldn't be built," he said.

Louis Grabowski, a partner and EVP at Atlanta-based Ben Carter Properties, said the biggest challenge his firm faces is a crowded development environment. "Our challenge is that there are a lot of folks out there doing what we do," he said. One way that Ben Carter has tried to differentiate itself from other developers is by concentrating on secondary markets, Grabowski said.