If ever a shopping center was proof that bad things can happen to good projects, it’s Mesa Ranch Plaza in Mesa, AZ. Local developer Diversified Partners LLC had an idea for a uniquely positioned retail center to serve the emerging regional Hispanic community. Anchored by Pro’s Ranch Market and La Curacao, along with a concentration of specialty retail and services specifically targeted toward that demographic, the 214,400-square-foot project had everything it needed to become one of the region’s dominant destinations for this particular market segment.

The year was 2008 and the center was about to open. Pro’s Ranch Market signed on to lease about 61,000-plus square feet, La Curacao was committed to a 100,000-square-foot box, and the remaining shop space was also pretty well leased, around 70%. After going through the entire building process, signing a lease, agreeing on TIs and getting keys in hand to start putting in registers and inventory, La Curacao pulled out of the deal at the last minute. The result? Keybank, the lead lender on the project, foreclosed on the center in 2010.

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Natalie Dolce

Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com and GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.