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Figuring that someone on my friends list might either know this sort of information or have access to someone who does, I thought I’d pass along this query from my friend Jeff. If anyone can help him, please contact him at the address below. Thanks!

My name is Jeff Williams, and I am an English instructor at Wayne Community College in North Carolina. One of the classes I teach involves business writing, and I always try to provide both realistic and interesting writing situations for my students. This fall, I am introducing a new project. The students are going to design a new mall. However, there are problems that I need to address, most importantly my lack of knowledge in this area, and I am hoping some of you might be able to help. In order to build this project, I need general information about a number of subjects:

• Average construction costs for regional and super-regional malls. I do not need specific costs for specific malls.
• Average utility costs for regional and super-regional malls.
• Average operational costs (security, maintenance, upkeep, and other expenses).
• Rent ranges for stores, kiosks, carts, and outparcels.
• Criteria businesses, particularly national chains, use for determining whether or not to locate in a particular mall.
• Hidden items found in a typical mall (office space, security, delivery areas, and physical plants).

I’m also looking for stories about unique items found in malls around the country as well as any public access documents about operating expenses, bond issues for mall construction, etc. Any information any of you could provide would be most appreciated.

I can be reached at jeffwill@waynecc.edu. Thank you once again for any help you can offer!