ACADIA REALTY TRUST - Annual Report: 2019 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

For the transition period from                 to                

Commission File Number 1-12002

ACADIA REALTY TRUST

(Exact name of registrant in its charter)

411 Theodore Fremd Avenue, Suite 300 Rye, NY 10580

(Address of principal executive offices)

(914) 288-8100

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

YES ☒ NO ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

YES ☐ NO ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13 (a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by checkmark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act) YES ☐     NO ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was approximately $2,311.5 million, based on a price of $27.37 per share, the average sales price for the registrant’s common shares of beneficial interest on the New York Stock Exchange on that date.

The number of shares of the registrant’s common shares of beneficial interest outstanding on February 12, 2020 was 82,127,330.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Part III – Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders presently scheduled to be held May 7, 2020 to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A.

ACADIA REALTY TRUST AND SUBSIDIARIES

FORM 10-K

INDEX

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Report”) may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and as such may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations are generally identifiable by use of the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “intend” or “project” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. Factors which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and future prospects include, but are not limited to those set forth under the headings “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Report. These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating any forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference herein.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING CERTAIN REFERENCES

All references to “Notes” throughout the document refer to the footnotes to the consolidated financial statements of the registrant referenced in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements.

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PART I

GENERAL

Acadia Realty Trust (the “Trust”) was formed on March 4, 1993 as a Maryland real estate investment trust (“REIT”). All references to “Acadia,” “we,” “us,” “our” and “Company” refer to the Trust and its consolidated subsidiaries. We are a fully integrated REIT focused on the ownership, acquisition, development and management of high-quality retail properties located primarily in high-barrier-to-entry, supply-constrained, densely-populated metropolitan areas in the United States. We currently own or have an ownership interest in these properties through our Core Portfolio (as defined below). We generate additional growth through our Funds (as defined below) in which we co-invest with high-quality institutional investors.

All of our assets are held by, and all of our operations are conducted through, Acadia Realty Limited Partnership (the “Operating Partnership”) and entities in which the Operating Partnership owns an interest. As of December 31, 2019, the Trust controlled 95% of the Operating Partnership as the sole general partner. As the general partner, the Trust is entitled to share, in proportion to its percentage interest, in the cash distributions and profits and losses of the Operating Partnership. The limited partners primarily represent entities or individuals that contributed their interests in certain properties or entities to the Operating Partnership in exchange for common or preferred units of limited partnership interest (“Common OP Units” or “Preferred OP Units,” respectively, and collectively, “OP Units”) and employees who have been awarded restricted Common OP Units as long-term incentive compensation (“LTIP Units”). Limited partners holding Common OP and LTIP Units are generally entitled to exchange their units on a one-for-one basis for our common shares of beneficial interest of the Trust (“Common Shares”). This structure is referred to as an umbrella partnership REIT, or “UPREIT.”

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES

Our primary business objective is to acquire and manage commercial retail properties that will provide cash for distributions to shareholders while also creating the potential for capital appreciation to enhance investor returns. We focus on the following fundamentals to achieve this objective:

Some of these investments historically have also included, and may in the future include, joint ventures with private equity investors for the purpose of making investments in operating retailers with significant embedded value in their real estate assets.

Investment Strategy — Generate External Growth through our Dual Platforms; Core Portfolio and Funds

The requirements that acquisitions be accretive on a long-term basis based on our cost of capital, as well as increase the overall Core Portfolio quality and value, are key strategic considerations to the growth of our Core Portfolio. As such, we constantly evaluate the blended cost of equity and debt and adjust the amount of acquisition activity to align the level of investment activity with capital flows.

Given the growing importance of technology and e-commerce, many of our retail tenants are appropriately focused on omni-channel sales and how to best utilize e-commerce initiatives to drive sales at their stores. In light of these initiatives, we have found retailers are becoming more selective as to the location, size and format of their next-generation stores and are focused on dense, high-traffic retail corridors, where they can

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utilize smaller and more productive formats closer to their shopping population. Accordingly, our focus for Core Portfolio and Fund acquisitions is on those properties which we believe will not only remain relevant to our tenants, but become even more so in the future.

In addition to our Core Portfolio investments in real estate assets, we have also capitalized on our expertise in the acquisition, development, leasing and management of retail real estate by establishing discretionary opportunity funds. Our Fund platform is an investment vehicle where the Operating Partnership invests, along with outside institutional investors, including, but not limited to, endowments, foundations, pension funds and investment management companies, in primarily opportunistic and value-add retail real estate. To date, we have launched five funds (“Funds”); Acadia Strategic Opportunity Fund, LP (“Fund I,” which was liquidated in 2015), Acadia Strategic Opportunity Fund II, LLC (“Fund II”), Acadia Strategic Opportunity Fund III LLC (“Fund III”), Acadia Strategic Opportunity Fund IV LLC (“Fund IV”) and Acadia Strategic Opportunity Fund V LLC (“Fund V,” and our “current fund”). Due to our level of control, we consolidate these Funds for financial reporting purposes. Fund I and Fund II have also included investments in operating companies through Acadia Mervyn Investors I, LLC (“Mervyns I”, which was liquidated in 2018), Acadia Mervyn Investors II, LLC (“Mervyns II”) and, in certain instances, directly through Fund II, all on a non-recourse basis. These investments comprise, and are referred to as, the Company's Retailer Controlled Property Venture (“RCP Venture”).

The Operating Partnership is the sole general partner or managing member of the Funds and Mervyns I and II and earns priority distributions or fees for asset management, property management, construction, development, leasing and legal services. Cash flows from the Funds and the RCP Venture are distributed pro-rata to their respective partners and members (including the Operating Partnership) until each receives a certain cumulative return (“Preferred Return”), and the return of all capital contributions. Thereafter, remaining cash flows are distributed 20% to the Operating Partnership (“Promote”) and 80% to the partners or members (including the Operating Partnership).

See Note 1 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8 of this Report (“Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements”), for a detailed discussion of the Funds.

Capital Strategy — Balance Sheet Focus and Access to Capital

Our primary capital objective is to maintain a strong and flexible balance sheet through conservative financial practices, including moderate use of leverage within our Core Portfolio, while ensuring access to sufficient capital to fund future growth. We intend to continue financing acquisitions and property development with sources of capital determined by management to be the most appropriate based on, among other factors, availability in the current capital markets, pricing and other commercial and financial terms. The sources of capital may include the issuance of public equity, unsecured debt, mortgage and construction loans, and other capital alternatives including the issuance of OP Units. We manage our interest rate risk through the use of fixed-rate debt and, where we use variable-rate debt, through the use of certain derivative instruments, including London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) swap agreements and interest rate caps as discussed further in Item 7A of this Report.

During 2018, the Company revised its share repurchase program. The new share repurchase program authorizes management, at its discretion, to repurchase up to $200.0 million of its outstanding Common Shares. The program may be discontinued or extended at any time. The Company repurchased 2,294,235 shares for $55.1 million, inclusive of $0.1 million of fees, during the year ended December 31, 2018. The Company did not repurchase any shares during the years ended December 31, 2019 or 2017. As of December 31, 2019, management may repurchase up to approximately $145.0 million of the Company’s outstanding Common Shares under this program.

We launched an at-the-market (“ATM”) equity issuance program in 2012 which provides us an efficient and low-cost vehicle for raising public equity to fund our capital needs. Through this program, we have been able to effectively “match-fund” a portion of the required equity for our Core Portfolio and Fund acquisitions through the issuance of Common Shares over extended periods employing a price averaging strategy. In addition, from time to time, we have issued and intend to continue to issue equity in follow-on offerings separate from our ATM program. Net proceeds raised through our ATM program and follow-on offerings are primarily used for acquisitions, both for our Core Portfolio and our pro-rata share of Fund acquisitions and for other general corporate purposes. During 2019, we issued 5,164,055 Common Shares through our ATM program with gross proceeds of $147.7 million. See Note 10 for further details. No such issuances were made during 2018 or 2017.

Operating Strategy — Experienced Management Team with Proven Track Record

Our senior management team has decades of experience in the real estate industry. We have capitalized on our expertise in the acquisition, development, leasing and management of retail real estate by creating value through property development, re-tenanting and establishing joint ventures, such as the Funds, in which we earn, in addition to a return on our equity interest, Promotes, priority distributions and fees.

Operating functions such as leasing, property management, construction, finance and legal (collectively, the “Operating Departments”) are generally provided by our personnel, providing for a vertically integrated operating platform. By incorporating the Operating Departments in the acquisition process, the Company believes that its acquisitions are appropriately evaluated giving effect to each asset’s specific risks and returns.

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INVESTING ACTIVITIES

See Item 2. Properties for a description of the properties in our Core and Fund portfolios. See Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for a detailed discussion of our consolidated and unconsolidated acquisitions.

Core Portfolio

Our Core Portfolio consists primarily of high-quality street retail and urban assets, as well as suburban properties located in high-barrier-to-entry, densely-populated trade areas.

As we typically hold our Core Portfolio properties for long-term investment, we review the portfolio and implement programs to renovate and re-tenant targeted properties to enhance their market position. This in turn is expected to strengthen the competitive position of the leasing program to attract and retain quality tenants, increasing cash flow, and consequently, property values. From time to time, we also identify certain properties for disposition and redeploy the capital for acquisitions and for the repositioning of existing properties with greater potential for capital appreciation.

We also make investments in first mortgages and other notes receivable collateralized by real estate, (“Structured Finance Program”) either directly or through entities having an ownership interest therein.

Acquisitions

During 2019, we invested in one unconsolidated leasehold interest and one unconsolidated property (Note 4), acquired nine consolidated properties (Note 2) and invested in one leasehold interest (Note 11) in our Core portfolio for a total of $185.9 million.

Dispositions

During 2019, we sold our Pacesetter Park shopping center for $22.6 million (Note 2).

Structured Financing Investments

During 2019, we provided seller financing on our sale of Pacesetter Park shopping center in the amount of $13.5 million within our Structured Financing segment and advanced $4.3 million on an existing loan. As of December 31, 2019, we had $76.5 million invested in this program. See Note 3, for a detailed discussion of our Structured Finance Program.

Funds

Acquisitions

Fund IV – During 2019, Fund IV acquired a consolidated leasehold interest in New York City for $10.5 million (Note 11).

Fund V – During 2019, Fund V invested in four unconsolidated properties (Note 4) and three consolidated properties (Note 2) for an aggregate purchase price of $318.0 million.

Dispositions

Fund III – During 2019, Fund III sold two consolidated properties for a total of $38.2 million.

Fund IV – During 2019, Fund IV sold two consolidated properties and three residential condominium units for an aggregate of $48.6 million.

Structured Financing Investments

Fund IV – During 2019, Fund IV received repayment of a $15.3 million Structured Financing investment (Note 3).

Development and Redevelopment Activities

As part of our investing strategy, we invest in real estate assets that may require significant development. In addition, certain assets may require redevelopment to meet the demand of changing markets. As of December 31, 2019, there were five Fund development projects, and one Core development project and four Core redevelopment projects. During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company placed one consolidated Core property into service, placed one consolidated Core property into development, placed one consolidated Core property into redevelopment and placed two consolidated Fund properties into development. See Item 2. Properties—Development Activities and Note 2.

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INFLATION

Our long-term leases contain provisions designed to mitigate the adverse impact of inflation on our net income. Such provisions include escalation clauses, which generally increase rental rates during the terms of the leases, and to a lesser extent, clauses enabling us to receive percentage rents based on tenants’ gross sales, which generally increase as prices rise. Such escalation clauses are often related to increases in the Consumer Price Index or similar inflation indexes. In addition, many of our leases are for terms of less than ten years, which permits us to seek to increase rents upon re-rental at market rates if current rents are below the then existing market rates. Most of our leases require the tenants to pay their share of operating expenses, including common area maintenance, real estate taxes, insurance and utilities, thereby reducing our exposure to increases in costs and operating expenses resulting from inflation.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS

For information relating to environmental laws that may have an impact on our business, please see “Item 1A. Risk Factors — We are exposed to possible liability relating to environmental matters.”

COMPETITION

There are numerous entities that compete with us in seeking properties for acquisition and tenants that will lease space in our properties. Our competitors include other REITs, financial institutions, insurance companies, pension funds, private companies and individuals. Our properties compete for tenants with similar properties primarily on the basis of location, total occupancy costs (including base rent and operating expenses) and the design and condition of the improvements.

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS AND EMPLOYEES

Our executive office is located at 411 Theodore Fremd Avenue, Suite 300, Rye, New York 10580, and our telephone number is (914) 288-8100. As of December 31, 2019, we had 118 employees, of which 92 were located at our executive office and 26 were located at regional property management offices. None of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. Management believes that its relationship with employees is good.

COMPANY WEBSITE

All of our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, are available at no cost at our website at www.acadiarealty.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings can also be accessed through the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, we will provide paper copies of our filings at no cost upon request. If you wish to receive a copy of the Form 10-K, you may contact Jason Blacksberg, Corporate Secretary, at Acadia Realty Trust, 411 Theodore Fremd Avenue, Suite 300, Rye, NY 10580. You may also call (914) 288-8100 to request a copy of the Form 10-K. Information included or referred to on our website is not incorporated by reference in or otherwise a part of this Form 10-K.

CODE OF ETHICS AND WHISTLEBLOWER POLICIES

Our board of trustees (the “Board of Trustees”), adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to all employees, as well as a “Whistleblower Policy.” Copies of these documents are available in the Investor Information section of our website. We will disclose future amendments to, or waivers from (with respect to our senior executive financial officers), our Code of Ethics in the Investor Information section of our website within four business days following the date of such amendment or waiver.

Set forth below are the risk factors that we believe are material to our investors. You should carefully consider these risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this Report, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto, before you decide whether to make an investment in our securities. The occurrence of any of the following risks could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations, and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to make distributions to our shareholders. In such case, the trading price of our Common Shares could decline, and you may lose all or a significant part of your investment. This section includes or refers to certain forward-looking statements. See “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in this Report.

The following risk factors are not exhaustive. Other sections of this Report may include additional factors that could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations, and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to make distributions to our shareholders.

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Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all such risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may affect our business. Investors should also refer to our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K for future periods for material updates to these risk factors.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS AND OUR PROPERTIES

There are risks relating to investments in real estate that could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations, and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to make distributions to our shareholders.

Real property investments are subject to multiple risks. Real estate values are affected by a number of factors, including: changes in the general economic climate, local conditions (such as an oversupply of space or a reduction in demand), the quality and philosophy of management, competition from other available space, and the ability to provide adequate maintenance and insurance and to control variable operating costs. Retail properties, in particular, may be affected by changing perceptions of retailers or shoppers regarding the convenience and attractiveness of the property and by the overall climate for the retail industry. Real estate values are also affected by such factors as government regulations, interest rate levels, the availability of financing and potential liability under, and changes in, environmental, zoning, tax and other laws. A significant portion of our income is derived from rental income from real property. Our income and cash flow would be adversely affected if we were unable to rent our vacant space to viable tenants on economically favorable terms or at all. In the event of default by a tenant, we may experience delays in enforcing, as well as incur substantial costs to enforce, our rights as a landlord. In addition, certain significant expenditures associated with each equity investment (such as mortgage payments, real estate taxes and maintenance costs) are generally not reduced even though there may be a reduction in income from the investment.

We rely on revenues derived from tenants, in particular our key tenants, and a decrease in those revenues could adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Revenue from our properties depends primarily on the ability of our tenants to pay the full amount of rent and other charges due under their leases on a timely basis. We derive significant revenues from a concentration of 20 key tenants which occupy space at more than one property and collectively account for approximately 37.8% of our consolidated revenue. We could be adversely affected in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of, or a downturn in the business of, any of our key tenants, or in the event that any such tenant does not renew its leases as they expire or renews such leases at lower rental rates. See “Item 2. Properties—Major Tenants” in this Report for quantified information with respect to the percentage of our minimum rents received from major tenants.

Anchor tenants and co-tenancy are crucial to the success of retail properties and vacated anchor space directly and indirectly affects our rental revenues.

Certain of our properties are supported by “anchor” tenants. Anchor tenants pay a significant portion of the total rents at a property and contribute to the success of other tenants by drawing large numbers of customers to a property. Vacated anchor space not only directly reduces rental revenues, but, if not re-tenanted with a tenant with comparable consumer attraction, could adversely affect the rest of the property primarily through the loss of customer drawing power. This can also occur through the exercise of the right that most anchors have, to vacate and prevent re-tenanting by paying rent for the balance of the lease term (“going dark”), such as the case of the departure of a “shadow” anchor tenant that is owned by another landlord. In addition, in the event that certain anchor tenants cease to occupy a property, such an action results in a significant number of other tenants having the contractual right to terminate their leases, or pay a reduced rent based on a percentage of the tenant's sales, at the affected property, which could adversely affect the future income from such property, also known as “co-tenancy.” Although it may not directly reduce our rental revenues, and there are no contractual co-tenancy conditions, vacant retail space adjacent to, or even on the same block as our street and urban properties may similarly affect shopper traffic and re-tenanting activities at our properties. See “Item 2. Properties—Major Tenants” in this Report.

The bankruptcy of, or a downturn in the business of, any of our major tenants or a significant number of our smaller tenants may adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations and property values.

The bankruptcy of, or a downturn in the business of, any of our major tenants causing them to reject their leases, or to not renew their leases as they expire, or renew at lower rental rates, may adversely affect our cash flows and property values. Furthermore, the impact of vacated anchor space and the potential reduction in customer traffic may adversely impact the balance of tenants at a shopping center.

Historically and from time to time, certain of our tenants experienced financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy protection, typically under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (“Chapter 11 Bankruptcy”). Pursuant to bankruptcy law, tenants have the right to reject some or all of their leases. In the event a tenant exercises this right, the landlord generally has the right to file a claim for lost rent equal to the greater of either one year's rent (including tenant expense reimbursements) for remaining terms greater than one year, or 15% of the rent remaining under the balance of the lease term, but not to exceed three years rent. Actual amounts to be received in satisfaction of those claims will be subject to the

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tenant's final bankruptcy plan and the availability of funds to pay its creditors. There can be no assurance that our major tenants will not declare bankruptcy, in which case we may be unable to recoup past and future rent in full, and to re-lease a terminated or rejected space on comparable terms or at all.

We may not be able to renew current leases or the terms of re-letting (including the cost of concessions to tenants) may be less favorable to us than current lease terms.

Upon the expiration of current leases for space located in our properties, we may not be able to re-let all or a portion of that space, or the terms of re-letting (including the cost of concessions to tenants) may be less favorable to us than current lease terms. If we are unable to re-let promptly all or a substantial portion of the space located in our properties or if the rental rates we receive upon re-letting are significantly lower than current rates, our net income and ability to make expected distributions to our shareholders will be adversely affected due to the resulting reduction in revenues. There can be no assurance that we will be able to retain tenants in any of our properties upon the expiration of their leases. See “Item 2. Properties—Lease Expirations” in this Report for additional information regarding the scheduled lease expirations in our portfolio.

Our business is significantly influenced by demand for retail space generally, and a decrease in such demand may have a greater adverse effect on our business than if we owned a more diversified real estate portfolio.

A decrease in the demand for retail space, may have a greater adverse effect on our business and financial condition than if we owned a more diversified real estate portfolio. The market for retail space has been, and could continue to be, adversely affected by weakness in the national, regional and local economies, the adverse financial condition of some large retailing companies and bankruptcy incidence, the ongoing consolidation in the retail sector, the excess amount of retail space in a number of markets, and increasing consumer purchases through the Internet. To the extent that any of these conditions occur, they are likely to negatively affect market rents for retail space and could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations, the trading price of our Common Shares and our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to pay distributions to our shareholders.

E-commerce can have an impact on our business because it may cause a downturn in the business of our current tenants and affect future leases.

The use of the Internet by retail consumers continues to gain in popularity and the migration toward e-commerce is expected to continue. The increase in Internet sales could result in a downturn in the business of our current tenants in their “brick and mortar” locations, adversely impacting their ability to satisfy their rent obligations, and could affect the way future tenants lease space.

While we devote considerable effort and resources to analyze and respond to tenant trends, preferences and consumer spending patterns, we cannot predict with certainty what future tenants will want, what future retail spaces will look like and how much revenue will be generated at traditional “bricks and mortar” locations. If we are unable to anticipate and respond promptly to trends in the market because of the illiquid nature of real estate (See the Risk Factor entitled, “Our ability to change our portfolio is limited because real estate investments are illiquid” below), our occupancy levels and financial results could suffer.

The economic environment may cause us to lose tenants and may impair our ability to borrow money to purchase properties, refinance existing debt or finance our current development projects.

Our operations and performance depend on general economic conditions, including consumer health. The U.S. economy has historically experienced financial downturns from time to time, including a decline in consumer spending, credit tightening and high unemployment.

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While we currently believe we have adequate sources of liquidity, there can be no assurance that, in the event of a financial downturn, we will be able to obtain secured or unsecured loan facilities to meet our needs, including to purchase additional properties, to complete current development projects, or to successfully refinance our properties as loans become due. To the extent that the availability of credit is limited, it would also adversely impact our notes receivable as counterparties may not be able to obtain the financing required to repay the loans upon maturity.

Certain sectors of the U. S. economy are still experiencing weakness. Over the past several years, this structural weakness has resulted in periods of high unemployment, the bankruptcy or weakened financial condition of a number of retailers, decreased consumer spending, increased home foreclosures, low consumer confidence, and reduced demand and rental rates for certain retail space. There can be no assurance that the recovery will continue. General economic factors that are beyond our control, including, but not limited to, economic recessions, decreases in consumer confidence, reductions in consumer credit availability, increasing consumer debt levels, rising energy costs, higher tax rates, continued business layoffs, downsizing and industry slowdowns, and/or rising inflation, could have a negative impact on the business of our retail tenants. In turn, this could have a material adverse effect on our business because current or prospective tenants may, among other things, (i) have difficulty paying their rent obligations as they struggle to sell goods and services to consumers, (ii) be unwilling to enter into or renew leases with us on favorable terms or at all, (iii) seek to terminate their existing leases with us or request rental concessions on such leases, or (iv) be forced to curtail operations or declare bankruptcy.

Political and economic uncertainty could have an adverse effect on our business.

We cannot predict how current political and economic uncertainty will affect our critical tenants, joint venture partners, lenders, financial institutions and general economic conditions, including the health and confidence of the consumer and the volatility of the stock market.

Political and economic uncertainty poses a risk to us in that it may cause consumers to postpone discretionary spending in response to tighter credit, reduced consumer confidence and other macroeconomic factors affecting consumer spending behavior, resulting in a downturn in the business of our tenants. In the event current political and economic uncertainty results in financial turmoil affecting the banking system and financial markets generally or significant financial service institution failures, there could be a new or incremental tightening in the credit markets, low liquidity, and extreme volatility in fixed income, credit, currency and equity markets. Each of these factors could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Inflation may adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Increased inflation could have a more pronounced negative impact on our mortgage and debt interest and general and administrative expenses, as these costs could increase at a rate higher than our rents. Also, inflation may adversely affect tenant leases with stated rent increases or limits on such tenant’s obligation to pay its share of operating expenses, which could be lower than the increase in inflation at any given time. It may also limit our ability to recover all of our operating expenses. Inflation could also have an adverse effect on consumer spending, which could impact our tenants’ sales and, in turn, our average rents, and in some cases, our percentage rents, where applicable. In addition, renewals of leases or future leases may not be negotiated on current terms, in which event we may recover a smaller percentage of our operating expenses.

Many of our real estate costs are fixed, even if income from our properties decreases, which would cause a decrease in net income.

Our financial results depend primarily on leasing space at our properties to tenants on terms favorable to us. Costs associated with real estate investment, such as real estate taxes, insurance and maintenance costs, generally are not reduced even when a property is not fully occupied, rental rates decrease, or other circumstances cause a reduction in income from the property. As a result, cash flow from the operations of our properties may be reduced if a tenant does not pay its rent or we are unable to fully lease our properties on favorable terms. Additionally, properties that we develop or redevelop may not produce any significant revenue immediately, and the cash flow from existing operations may be insufficient to pay the operating expenses and debt service associated with such projects until they are fully occupied.

Our ability to change our portfolio is limited because real estate investments are illiquid.

Equity investments in real estate are relatively illiquid and, therefore, our ability to change our portfolio promptly in response to changed conditions is limited, which could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to make distributions to our shareholders. In addition, the Code contains restrictions on a REITs ability to dispose of properties that are not applicable to other types of real estate companies. Our Board of Trustees may establish investment criteria or limitations as it deems appropriate, but it currently does not limit the number of properties in which we may seek to invest or on the concentration of investments in any one geographic region. As discussed under the heading “Our Board of Trustees may change our investment policy without shareholder approval” below, we could change our investment, disposition and financing policies and objectives without a vote of our shareholders, but such change may be delayed or more difficult to implement due to the illiquidity of real estate.

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If we decided to employ higher leverage levels, we would be subject to increased debt service requirements and a higher risk of default on our debt obligations, which could adversely affect our financial conditions, cash flows and ability to make distributions to our shareholders. In addition, increases or changes in interest rates could cause our borrowing costs to rise and may limit our ability to refinance debt.

Although we have historically used moderate levels of leverage, we have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, indebtedness to support our activities. As of December 31, 2019, our outstanding indebtedness was $1,717.9 million, of which $314.6 million was variable rate indebtedness.

None of our Declaration of Trust, our bylaws or any policy statement formally adopted by our Board of Trustees limits either the total amount of indebtedness or the specified percentage of indebtedness that we may incur. Accordingly, we could become more highly leveraged, resulting in increased debt service requirements and a higher risk of default on our debt obligations. This in turn, could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Although approximately 81.7% of our outstanding debt has fixed or effectively fixed interest rates, we also borrow funds at variable interest rates. Variable rate debt exposes us to changes in interest rates, which could cause our borrowing costs to rise and may limit our ability to refinance debt. Interest expense on our variable rate debt as of December 31, 2019 would increase by $7.5 million annually for a 100-basis-point increase in interest rates. This exposure would increase if we seek additional variable rate financing based on pricing and other commercial and financial terms. We enter into interest rate hedging transactions, including interest rate swap and cap agreements, with counterparties, generally, the same lenders who made the loan in question. There can be no guarantee that the future financial condition of these counterparties will enable them to fulfill their obligations under these agreements.

In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) that regulates LIBOR announced it intends to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. As a result, the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York organized the Alternative Reference Rates Committee ("ARRC"), which identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") as its preferred alternative to USD-LIBOR in derivatives and other financial contracts. The Company is not able to predict when LIBOR will cease to be available or when there will be sufficient liquidity in the SOFR markets. While we expect LIBOR to be available in substantially its current form until the end of 2021, it is possible that LIBOR will become unavailable prior to that point. In that case, the risks associated with the transition to an alternative reference rate will be accelerated and magnified.

The Company has contracts indexed to LIBOR and is monitoring and evaluating the risks related to potential discontinuation of LIBOR, including transitioning contracts to a new alternative rate and any resulting value transfer that may occur. If LIBOR is discontinued or if the methods of calculating LIBOR change from their current form, interest rates on our current or future indebtedness may be adversely affected. In addition, uncertainty about the extent and manner of future changes may result in interest rates and/or payments that are higher or lower than if LIBOR were to remain available in its current form.

Competition may adversely affect our ability to purchase properties and to attract and retain tenants.

There are numerous commercial developers, real estate companies, financial institutions and other investors with greater financial resources than we have that compete with us in seeking properties for acquisition and tenants who will lease space in our properties. Our competitors include other REITs, financial institutions, private funds, insurance companies, pension funds, private companies, family offices, sovereign wealth funds and individuals. This competition may result in a higher cost for properties than we wish to pay. In addition, retailers at our properties (both in our Core Portfolio and in the portfolios of the Funds) face increasing competition from outlet malls, discount shopping clubs, e-commerce, direct mail and telemarketing, which could (i) reduce rents payable to us and (ii) reduce our ability to attract and retain tenants at our properties leading to increased vacancy rates at our properties.

We could be adversely affected by conditions in the markets where our properties are geographically concentrated.

Our performance depends on the economic conditions in markets where our properties are geographically concentrated. We have significant exposure to the greater New York and Chicago metropolitan regions, from which we derive 36.2% and 27.6% of the annual base rents within our Core Portfolio, respectively, and 21.0% and 3.5% of annual base rents within our Funds, respectively. Our operating results could be adversely affected if market conditions, such as an oversupply of space or a reduction in demand for real estate, occur in these areas.

We have pursued, and may in the future continue to pursue extensive growth opportunities, including investing in new markets, which may result in significant demands on our operational, administrative and financial resources.

We are pursuing extensive growth opportunities, some of which have been, and in the future may be, in locations in which we have not historically invested. This expansion places significant demands on our operational, administrative and financial resources. The continued growth of our real estate portfolio can be expected to continue to place a significant strain on our resources. Our future performance will depend in part on

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our ability to successfully attract and retain qualified management personnel to manage the growth and operations of our business. In addition, the acquired properties may fail to operate at expected levels due to the numerous factors that may affect the value of real estate. There can be no assurance that we will have sufficient resources to identify and manage the newly acquired properties.

Our inability to raise capital for new Funds or to carry out our growth strategy could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Our earnings growth strategy is based on the acquisition and development of additional properties, including acquisitions of core properties through our Operating Partnership and our high return investment programs through our Fund platform. The consummation of any future acquisitions will be subject to satisfactory completion of our extensive valuation analysis and due diligence review and to the negotiation of definitive documentation. We cannot be sure that we will be able to implement our strategy because we may have difficulty finding new properties, obtaining necessary entitlements, negotiating with new or existing tenants or securing acceptable financing.

Acquisitions of additional properties entail the risk that investments will fail to perform in accordance with expectations, including operating and leasing expectations. In the context of our business plan, “development” generally means an expansion or renovation of an existing property. Development is subject to numerous risks, including risks of construction delays, cost overruns or uncontrollable events that may increase project costs, new project commencement risks such as the receipt of zoning, occupancy and other required governmental approvals and permits, and incurring development costs in connection with projects that are not pursued to completion.

Historically, a component of our growth strategy has been through private-equity type investments made through our RCP Venture, which have included investments in operating retailers. The inability of such retailers to operate profitably would have an adverse impact on income realized from these investments. Through our investments in joint ventures we have also invested in operating businesses that have operational risk in addition to the risks associated with real estate investments, including human capital issues, adequate supply of product and material, and merchandising issues.

Furthermore, if we were unable to obtain sufficient investor capital commitments in order to initiate future Funds, this would adversely impact our current growth strategy would be adversely impacted. Because the Operating Partnership is the sole general partner or managing member of our Funds and earns promote distributions or fees for asset management, property management, construction, development, leasing and legal services, such a situation would also adversely impact the amount or ability to earn such promotes or fees.

Our development and construction activities could affect our operating results.

We intend to continue the selective development and construction of retail properties (see “Item 1. Business —Investing Activities–Funds–Development Activities”).

As opportunities arise, we may delay construction until sufficient pre-leasing is reached and financing is in place. Our development and construction activities include the risk that:

In addition, the entitlement and development of real estate entails extensive approval processes, sometimes involving multiple regulatory jurisdictions. It is common for a project to require multiple approvals, permits and consents from U.S. federal, state and local governing and regulatory bodies. Compliance with these and other regulations and standards is time intensive and costly and may require additional long range infrastructure review and approvals which can add to project cost. In addition, development of properties containing delineated wetlands may require one or more permits from the U.S. federal government and/or state and local governmental agencies. Any of these issues can materially affect the cost, timing and economic viability of our development and redevelopment projects.

At times, we may also be required to use unionized construction workers or to pay the prevailing wage in a jurisdiction to unionized workers, which could increase projects costs and the risk of a strike, thereby affecting construction timelines.

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Additionally, the time frame required for development, construction and lease-up of these properties means that we may not realize a significant cash return for several years. If any of the above events occur, the development of properties may hinder our growth and could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. In addition, new development activities, regardless of whether or not they are ultimately successful, typically require substantial time and attention from management.

Developments and acquisitions may fail to perform as expected which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our investment strategy includes the development and acquisition of retail properties in supply constrained markets in densely populated areas with high average household incomes and significant barriers to entry. The acquisition of such properties is highly competitive. Additionally, the development and acquisition of such properties entails risks that include the following, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations, and our ability to meet our debt obligations and make distributions to shareholders:

We operate through a partnership structure, which could have an adverse effect on our ability to manage our assets.

Our primary property-owning vehicle is the Operating Partnership, of which we are the general partner. Our acquisition of properties through the Operating Partnership in exchange for interests in the Operating Partnership may permit certain tax deferral advantages to limited partners who contribute properties to the Operating Partnership. Since properties contributed to the Operating Partnership may have unrealized gains attributable to the differences between the fair market value and adjusted tax basis in such properties prior to contribution, the sale of such properties could cause adverse tax consequences to the limited partners who contributed such properties. Although we, as the general partner of the Operating Partnership, generally have no obligation to consider the tax consequences of our actions to any limited partner, we own several properties subject to material contractual restrictions for varying periods of time designed to minimize the adverse tax consequences to the limited partners who contributed such properties. Such restrictions may result in significantly reduced flexibility to manage some of our assets.

We currently have an exclusive obligation to seek investments for our Funds, which may prevent us from making acquisitions directly.

Under the terms of the organizational documents of our Funds, our primary goal is to seek investments for the Funds, subject to certain exceptions. We may only pursue opportunities to acquire retail properties directly through the Operating Partnership if (i) the ownership of the acquisition opportunity by the Funds would create a material conflict of interest for us; (ii) we require the acquisition opportunity for a “like-kind” exchange; (iii) the consideration payable for the acquisition opportunity is our Common Shares, OP Units or other securities or (iv) the investment is outside the parameters of our investment goals for the Funds (which, in general, seek more opportunistic level returns). As a result, we may not be able to make attractive acquisitions directly and instead may only receive a minority interest in such acquisitions through the Funds.

Our joint venture investments carry additional risks not present in our direct investments.

Partnership or joint venture investments may involve risks not otherwise present for investments made solely by us, including the possibility that our partner or co-venturer might become bankrupt, and that our partner or co-venturer may take action contrary to our instructions, requests, policies or objectives, including with respect to maintaining our qualification as a REIT. Actions by, or disputes with, joint venture partners might result in subjecting properties owned by the joint venture to additional risks. Other risks of joint venture investments include impasse on decisions, such as a sale, because neither we nor a joint venture partner may have full control over the joint venture. Also, there is no limitation under our organizational documents as to the amount of our funds that may be invested in joint ventures.

Additionally, our partners or co-venturers may engage in malfeasance in spite of our efforts to perform a high level of due diligence on them, which may jeopardize an investment and/or subject us to reputational risk. Such acts may or may not be covered by insurance.

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Any disputes that may arise between joint venture partners and us may result in potentially costly litigation or arbitration that would prevent our officers and/or trustees from focusing their time and effort on our business. In addition, we may in certain circumstances be liable for the actions of our third-party joint venture partners.

Historically, Fund I, Mervyns I and Fund III have provided Promote income. There can be no assurance that our joint ventures will continue to operate profitably and thus provide additional Promote income in the future. These factors could limit the return that we receive from such investments or cause our cash flows to be lower than our estimates. In addition, a partner or co-venturer may not have access to sufficient capital to satisfy its funding obligations to the joint venture.

Our structured financing portfolio is subject to specific risks relating to the structure and terms of the instruments and the underlying collateral.

We invest in notes receivables and preferred equity investments that are collateralized by the underlying real estate, a direct interest or the borrower’s ownership interest in the entities that own the properties and/or by the borrower’s personal guarantee. The underlying assets are sometimes subordinate in payment and collateral to more senior loans. The ability of a borrower or entity to make payments on these investments may be subject to the senior lender and/or the performance of the underlying real estate. In the event of a default by the borrower or entity on its senior loan, our investment will only be satisfied after the senior loan and we may not be able to recover the full value of the investment. In the event of a bankruptcy of an entity in which we have a preferred equity interest, or in which the borrower has pledged its interest, the assets of the entity may not be sufficient to satisfy our investment.

Our real estate assets may be subject to impairment charges.

We periodically assess whether there are any indicators that the value of our real estate assets and other investments may be impaired. A property’s value is considered to be impaired only if the estimated aggregate future undiscounted property cash flows are less than the carrying value of the property. In our estimate of cash flows, we consider factors such as trends and prospects and the effects of demand and competition on expected future operating income. If we are evaluating the potential sale of an asset or redevelopment alternatives, the undiscounted future cash flows consider the most likely course of action as of the balance sheet date based on current plans, intended holding periods and available market information. We are required to make subjective assessments as to whether there are impairments in the value of our real estate assets and other investments. Impairment charges have an immediate direct impact on our earnings. There can be no assurance that we will not take additional charges in the future related to the impairment of our assets. Any future impairment could have a material adverse effect on our operating results in the period in which the charge is taken.  

Market factors could have an adverse effect on our share price and our ability to access the public equity markets.

The market price of our Common Shares may fluctuate significantly in response to many factors, including:

Many of the factors listed above are beyond our control. Those factors may cause the market price of our Common Shares to decline significantly, regardless of our financial performance, condition and prospects. We may not provide any assurance that the market price of our Common Shares will not fall in the future, and it may be difficult for holders to sell such securities at prices they find attractive, or at all. A decline in our share price, as a result of this or other market factors, could unfavorably impact our ability to raise additional equity in the public markets.

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RISKS RELATED TO STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT

The loss of key management members could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends on the contribution of key management members. The loss of the services of Kenneth F. Bernstein, President and Chief Executive Officer, or other key executive-level employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Management continues to strengthen our team and we have CEO succession planning in place, but there can be no assurance that such planning will be capable of implementation or that our efforts will be successful. We have obtained key-man life insurance for Mr. Bernstein. In addition, we have entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Bernstein and into severance agreements with other senior executives; however, Mr. Bernstein and such executives may terminate their employment with us at will.

Our Board of Trustees may change our investment policy or objectives without shareholder approval.

Our Board of Trustees may determine to change our investment and financing policies or objectives, our growth strategy and our debt, capitalization, distribution, acquisition, disposition and operating policies. Our Board of Trustees may establish investment criteria or limitations as it deems appropriate, but currently does not limit the number of properties in which we may seek to invest or on the concentration of investments in any one geographic region. Although our Board of Trustees has no present intention to revise or amend our strategies and policies, it may do so at any time without a vote by our shareholders. Accordingly, the results of decisions made by our Board of Trustees as implemented by management may or may not serve the interests of all of our shareholders and could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations, and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to make distributions to our shareholders.

Distribution requirements imposed by law limit our operating flexibility.

To maintain our status as a REIT for Federal income tax purposes, we are generally required to distribute to our shareholders at least 90% of our taxable income for each calendar year. Our taxable income is determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid and by excluding net capital gains. To the extent that we satisfy the distribution requirement, but distribute less than 100% of our taxable income, we will be subject to Federal corporate income tax on our undistributed income. In addition, we will incur a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which our distributions in any year are less than the sum of (i) 85% of our ordinary income for that year; (ii) 95% of our capital gain net income for that year; and (iii) 100% of our undistributed taxable income from prior years. We intend to continue to make distributions to our shareholders to comply with the distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and to minimize exposure to Federal income and excise taxes. Differences in timing between the receipt of income and the payment of expenses in determining our income as well as required debt amortization payments and the capitalization of certain expenses could require us to borrow funds on a short-term basis to meet the distribution requirements that are necessary to achieve the tax benefits associated with qualifying as a REIT. The distribution requirements also severely limit our ability to retain earnings to acquire and improve properties or retire outstanding debt.

Concentration of ownership by certain investors.

As of December 31, 2019, five institutional shareholders own 5% or more individually, and 54.5% in the aggregate, of our Common Shares. While this ownership concentration does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT (due to certain “look-through provisions”), a significant concentration of ownership may allow an investor or a group of investors to exert a greater influence over our management and affairs and may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us.

Restrictions on a potential change of control could prevent changes that would be beneficial to our shareholders.

Our Board of Trustees is authorized by our Declaration of Trust to establish and issue one or more series of preferred shares of beneficial interest without shareholder approval. We have not established any series of preferred shares other than the Series A and Series C Preferred OP Units in the Operating Partnership. However, the establishment and issuance of a class or series of preferred shares could make a change of control of us that could be in the best interests of the shareholders more difficult. In addition, we have entered into an employment agreement with our Chief Executive Officer and severance agreements with certain of our executives, which provide that, upon the occurrence of a change in control of us and either the termination of their employment without cause (as defined) or their resignation for good reason (as defined), such executive officers would be entitled to certain termination or severance payments made by us (which may include a lump sum payment equal to defined percentages of annual salary and prior years' average bonuses, paid in accordance with the terms and conditions of the respective agreement), which could deter a change of control of us that could be in the best interests of our shareholders generally.

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Certain provisions of Maryland law may limit the ability of a third party to acquire control of our Company.

Under the provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”) applicable to REITs, certain business combinations, including certain mergers, consolidations, share exchanges and asset transfers and certain issuances and reclassifications of equity securities, between a Maryland REIT and any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the REIT's outstanding voting shares or an affiliate or an associate, as defined in the MGCL, of the REIT who, at any time within the two-year period immediately prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then-outstanding shares of beneficial interest of the REIT (an “interested shareholder”) or an affiliate of the interested shareholder, are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. After that five-year period, any such business combination must be recommended by the board of trustees of the REIT and approved by the affirmative vote of at least (i) 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding voting shares of beneficial interest of the REIT and (ii) two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting shares of the REIT other than shares held by the interested shareholder with whom, or with whose affiliate, the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested shareholder, unless, among other conditions, the REIT's common shareholders receive a minimum price, as defined in the MGCL, for their shares and the consideration is received in cash or in the same form as previously paid by the interested shareholder for its common shares.

These provisions of the MGCL do not apply, however, to business combinations that are approved or exempted by the board of trustees of the REIT before the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, and a person is not an interested shareholder if the board of trustees approved in advance the transaction by which the person otherwise would have become an interested shareholder. In approving a transaction, our Board of Trustees may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the Board. We have not elected to opt out of the business combination statute.

The MGCL also provides that holders of “control shares” of a Maryland REIT (defined as voting shares that, when aggregated with all other shares owned by the acquirer or in respect of which the acquirer is entitled to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquirer to exercise one of three increasing ranges of voting power in electing trustees) acquired in a “control share acquisition” (defined as the direct or indirect acquisition of ownership or control of “control shares”) have no voting rights except to the extent approved by the affirmative vote of holders of at least two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding shares owned by the acquirer, by officers or by employees who are also trustees of the REIT. Our Bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute any and all acquisitions by any person of our shares of beneficial interest. Our Bylaws can be amended by our Board of Trustees by majority vote, and there can be no assurance that this provision will not be amended or eliminated at any time in the future.

Additionally, Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL permits our Board of Trustees, without shareholder approval and regardless of what is currently provided in our Declaration of Trust or Bylaws, to elect to be subject to certain provisions relating to corporate governance that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change of control of our Company that might involve a premium to the market price of our Common Shares or otherwise be in the best interests of our shareholders. We are subject to some of these provisions (for example, a two-thirds vote requirement for removing a trustee) by provisions of our Declaration of Trust and Bylaws unrelated to Subtitle 8. However, pursuant to the Articles Supplementary filed with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland on November 9, 2017, which are referenced in Part IV Item 15 hereto, the Board of Trustees approved a resolution to opt out of Section 3-803 of Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL that allows the Board, without shareholder approval, to elect to classify into three classes with staggered three-year terms. The Articles Supplementary prohibit the Company, without the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the matter by shareholders entitled to vote generally in the election of trustees, from classifying the Board under Subtitle 8.

Becoming subject to, or the potential to become subject to, these provisions of the MGCL could inhibit, delay or prevent a transaction or a change of control of our Company that might involve a premium price for our shareholders or otherwise be in our or their best interests. In addition, the provisions of our Declaration of Trust on removal of trustees and the provisions of our Bylaws regarding advance notice of shareholder nominations of trustees and other business proposals and restricting shareholder action outside of a shareholders meeting unless such action is taken by unanimous written consent could have a similar effect.

Our rights and shareholders' rights to take action against trustees and officers are limited, which could limit recourse in the event of actions not in the best interests of shareholders.

As permitted by Maryland law, our Declaration of Trust eliminates the liability of our trustees and officers to the Company and its shareholders for money damages, except for liability resulting from:

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In addition, our Declaration of Trust authorizes, and our Bylaws obligate, us to indemnify each present or former trustee or officer, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, who is made a party to any proceeding because of his or her service to our Company in those or certain other capacities. As part of these indemnification obligations, we may be obligated to fund the defense costs incurred by our trustees and officers.

Outages, computer viruses and similar events could disrupt our operations.

We rely on information technology networks and systems, some of which are owned and operated by third parties, to process, transmit and store electronic information. Any of these systems may be susceptible to outages due to fire, floods, power loss, telecommunications failures, terrorist or cyber-attacks and similar events. Despite the implementation of network security measures, our systems and those of third parties on which we rely may also be vulnerable to computer viruses and similar disruptions. If we or the third parties on whom we rely are unable to prevent such outages and breaches, our operations could be disrupted.

Increased Information Technology (“IT”) security threats and more sophisticated computer crime could pose a risk to our systems, networks and services.

Cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. There have been an increased number of significant cyber-attacks targeted at the retail, insurance, financial and banking industries that include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data or causing operational disruption. Cyber-attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as by causing denial-of-service attacks on websites. Cyber-attacks by third parties or insiders utilize techniques that range from highly sophisticated efforts to electronically circumvent network security or overwhelm a website to more traditional intelligence gathering and social engineering aimed at obtaining information necessary to gain access.

Increased global IT security threats are more sophisticated and targeted computer crimes pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data. The open nature of interconnected technologies may allow for a network or Web outage or a privacy breach that reveals sensitive data or transmission of harmful/malicious code to business partners and clients. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and may be difficult to detect for long periods of time, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventive measures.

Cyber-attacks may result in substantial financial and reputational cost, including but are not limited to:

While we attempt to mitigate these risks by employing a number of measures, including a dedicated IT team, employee training and background checks, maintenance of backup systems, utilization of third-party service providers to provide redundancy over multiple locations, and comprehensive monitoring of our networks and systems along with purchasing cyber security insurance coverage, our systems, networks and services remain potentially vulnerable to advanced threats.

If a third-party vendor fails to provide agreed upon services, we may suffer losses.

We are dependent and rely on third party vendors, including Cloud providers, for redundancy of our network, system data, security and data integrity. If a vendor fails to provide services as agreed, suffers outages, business interruptions, financial difficulties or bankruptcy, we may experience service interruption, delays or loss of information. Cloud computing is dependent upon having access to an Internet connection in order to retrieve data. If a natural disaster, blackout or other unforeseen event were to occur that disrupted the ability to obtain an Internet connection, we may experience a slowdown or delay in our operations. We conduct appropriate due diligence on all services providers and restrict access, use and disclosure of personal information. We engage vendors with formal written agreements clearly defining the roles of the parties specifying privacy and data security responsibilities.

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Use of social media may adversely impact our reputation and business.

There has been a significant increase in the use of social media platforms, including weblogs, social media websites and other forms of Internet-based communications, which allow individuals access to a broad audience, including our significant business constituents. The availability of information through these platforms is virtually immediate as is its impact and may be posted at any time without affording us an opportunity to redress or correct it timely. This information may be adverse to our interests, may be inaccurate and may harm our reputation, brand image, goodwill, performance, prospects or business. Furthermore, these platforms increase the risk of unauthorized disclosure of material non-public Company information.

Climate change, natural disasters or health crises could adversely affect our properties and business.

Some of our current or future properties could be subject to natural disasters and may be impacted by climate change. To the extent climate change causes adverse changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels or extreme temperatures, our properties in certain markets may be adversely affected. Specifically, properties located in coastal regions could be affected by any future increases in sea levels or in the frequency or severity of hurricanes and storms, whether caused by climate change or other factors. Additionally, we own properties in Southern California, which in recent years has experienced intense draught and wildfires and has had earthquake activity.

Climate change could have a variety of direct or indirect adverse effects on our properties and business, including:

Moreover, compliance with new laws or regulations related to climate change, including compliance with “green” building codes, may require us to make improvements to our existing properties or pay additional taxes and fees assessed on us or our properties. Although we strive to identify, analyze, and respond to the risk and opportunities that climate change presents, at this time there can be no assurance that climate change will have an adverse effect on us.

Public health crises, pandemics and epidemics, such as those caused by new strains of viruses such as H5N1 (avian flu), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and, most recently, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), are expected to increase as international travel continues to rise and could adversely impact our business by interrupting our tenants’ business, supply chains and transactional activities, disrupting travel, and negatively impacting local, national or global economies.

We are exposed to possible liability relating to environmental matters.

Under various Federal, state and local environmental laws, statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations, as an owner of real property, we may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances at, on, in or under our property, as well as certain other potential costs relating to hazardous or toxic substances (including government fines and penalties and damages for injuries to persons and adjacent property). These laws may impose liability without regard to whether we knew of, or were responsible for, the presence or disposal of those substances. This liability may be imposed on us in connection with the activities of an operator of, or tenant at, the property. The cost of any required remediation, removal, fines or personal or property damages and our liability therefore could exceed the value of the property and/or our aggregate assets. In addition, the presence of those substances, or the failure to properly dispose of or remove those substances, may adversely affect our ability to sell or rent that property or to borrow using that property as collateral, which, in turn, could reduce our revenues and affect our ability to make distributions.

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A property can also be adversely affected either through physical contamination or by virtue of an adverse effect upon value attributable to the migration of hazardous or toxic substances, or other contaminants that have or may have emanated from other properties. Although our tenants are primarily responsible for any environmental damages and claims related to the leased premises, in the event of the bankruptcy or inability of any of our tenants to satisfy any obligations with respect to the property leased to that tenant, we may be required to satisfy such obligations. In addition, we may be held directly liable for any such damages or claims irrespective of the provisions of any lease.

From time to time, in connection with the conduct of our business, and prior to the acquisition of any property from a third party or as required by our financing sources, we authorize the preparation of Phase I environmental reports and, when necessary, Phase II environmental reports, with respect to our properties. Based upon these environmental reports and our ongoing review of our properties, we are currently not aware of any environmental condition with respect to any of our properties that we believe would be reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us. There can be no assurance, however, that the environmental reports will reveal all environmental conditions at our properties or that the following will not expose us to material liability in the future:

Changes in laws increasing the potential liability for environmental conditions existing on properties or increasing the restrictions on discharges or other conditions may result in significant unanticipated expenditures or may otherwise adversely affect the operations of our tenants, which could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Uninsured losses or a loss in excess of insured limits could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

We carry comprehensive general liability, all-risk property, extended coverage, loss of rent insurance, and environmental liability on our properties, with policy specifications and insured limits customarily carried for similar properties. However, with respect to those properties where the leases do not provide for abatement of rent under any circumstances, we maintain a minimum of twelve months loss of rent insurance. In addition, there are certain types of losses, such as losses resulting from wars, terrorism or acts of God that generally are not insured because they are either uninsurable or not economically insurable. Should an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occur, we could lose capital invested in a property, as well as the anticipated future revenues from a property, while remaining obligated for any mortgage indebtedness or other financial obligations related to the property. Any loss of these types could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Future terrorist attacks or civil unrest could harm the demand for, and the value of, our properties.

Over the past several years, a number of highly publicized terrorist acts and shootings have occurred at domestic and international retail properties. Future terrorist attacks, civil unrest and other acts of terrorism or war could harm the demand for, and the value of, our properties. Terrorist attacks could directly impact the value of our properties through damage, destruction, loss or increased security costs, and the availability of insurance for such acts may be limited or may be subject to substantial cost increases. To the extent that our tenants are impacted by future attacks, their ability to continue to honor obligations under their existing leases could be adversely affected. A decrease in retail demand could make it difficult for us to renew or re-lease our properties at lease rates equal to or above historical rates. These acts might erode business and consumer confidence and spending, and might result in increased volatility in national and international financial markets and economies. Any one of these events might decrease demand for real estate, decrease or delay the occupancy of our properties, and limit our access to capital or increase our cost of raising capital.

We may from time to time be subject to litigation that could negatively impact our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations and the trading price of our Common Shares.

We may from time to time be a defendant in lawsuits and regulatory proceedings relating to our business. Such litigation and proceedings may result in defense costs, settlements, fines or judgments against us, some of which may not be covered by insurance. Due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation and regulatory proceedings, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of any such litigation or proceedings. An unfavorable outcome may result in our having to pay significant fines, judgments or settlements, which, if uninsured, or if exceeding insurance coverage, could adversely impact our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations and the trading price of our Common Shares. Additionally, certain proceedings or the resolution of certain proceedings may affect the availability or cost of some of our insurance coverage and expose us to increased risks that would be uninsured. See Item 3 included in this Report and notes to the financial statements of our quarterly reports, for pending litigation, if any.

Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and fire, safety and other regulations may require us to make unplanned expenditures that could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

All of our properties are required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (the “ADA”). The ADA has separate compliance requirements for “public accommodations” and “commercial facilities,” but generally requires that buildings be made accessible to people with

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disabilities. Compliance with the ADA requirements could require removal of access barriers, and non-compliance could result in imposition of fines by the U.S. government or an award of damages to private litigants, or both. While the tenants to whom we lease properties are obligated by law to comply with applicable ADA provisions, and are typically obligated to cover costs of compliance, if required changes involve greater expenditures than anticipated, or if the changes must be made on a more accelerated basis than anticipated, the ability of these tenants to cover costs could be adversely affected. As a result of the foregoing or if a tenant is not obligated to cover the cost of compliance, we could be required to expend funds to comply with the provisions of the ADA, which could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. In addition, we are required to operate our properties in compliance with fire and safety regulations, building codes and other land use regulations, as they may be adopted by governmental agencies and bodies and become applicable to the properties. We may be required to make substantial capital expenditures to comply with those requirements, and these expenditures could also adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR REIT STATUS

There can be no assurance we have qualified or will remain qualified as a REIT for Federal income tax purposes.

We believe that we have consistently met the requirements for qualification as a REIT for Federal income tax purposes beginning with our taxable year ended December 31, 1993, and we intend to continue to meet these requirements in the future. However, qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, for which there may be only limited judicial or administrative interpretations. No assurance can be given that we have qualified or will remain qualified as a REIT. The Internal Revenue Code provisions and income tax regulations applicable to REITs differ significantly from those applicable to other entities. The determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control can potentially affect our ability to continue to qualify as a REIT. In addition, no assurance can be given that future legislation, regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions will not significantly change the requirements for qualification as a REIT or adversely affect the Federal income tax consequences of such qualification. Under current law, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, we would not be allowed a deduction for dividends paid to shareholders in computing our net taxable income. In addition, our income would be subject to tax at the regular corporate rates. Also, we could be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost. Cash available for distribution to our shareholders would be significantly reduced for each year in which we do not qualify as a REIT. In that event, we would not be required to continue to make distributions. Although we currently intend to continue to qualify as a REIT, it is possible that future economic, market, legal, tax or other considerations may cause us, without the consent of our shareholders, to revoke the REIT election or to otherwise take action that would result in disqualification.

Legislative or regulatory tax changes could have an adverse effect on us.

There are a number of issues associated with an investment in a REIT that are related to the Federal income tax laws, including, but not limited to, the consequences of our failing to continue to qualify as a REIT. At any time, the Federal income tax laws governing REITs or the administrative interpretations of those laws may be amended or modified. Any new laws or interpretations may take effect retroactively and could adversely affect us or our shareholders.

On December 22, 2017, Pub. L. No. 115-97 (informally known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”)) was enacted into law. The Act made major changes to the Code, including a number of provisions of the Code that affect the taxation of REITs and their shareholders. The long-term effect of the significant changes made by the Act remains uncertain, and additional administrative guidance will be required in order to fully evaluate the effect of many provisions. The effect of any technical corrections with respect to the Act could have an adverse effect on use or our shareholders or holders of our debt securities.

We may be required to borrow funds or sell assets to satisfy our REIT distribution requirements.

Our cash flows may be insufficient to fund distributions required to maintain our qualification as a REIT as a result of differences in timing between the actual receipt of income and the recognition of income for U.S. Federal income tax purposes, or as a result of our inability to currently deduct certain expenditures that we must currently pay, such as capital expenditures, payments of compensation for which Section 162(m) of the Code denies a deduction, any business interest expense that is disallowed under Section 163 (j) of the Code (unless we elect to be an “electing real property trade or business”), the creation of reserves or required amortization payments. If we do not have other funds available in these situations, we may need to borrow funds on a short-term basis or sell assets, even if the then- prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings or sales, in order to satisfy our REIT distribution requirements. Such actions could adversely affect our cash flow and results of operations.

Dividends payable by REITs generally do not qualify for reduced tax rates.

Certain qualified dividends paid by corporations to individuals, trusts and estates that are U.S. shareholders are taxed at capital gain rates, which are lower than ordinary income rates. Dividends of current and accumulated earnings and profits payable by REITs, however, are taxed at ordinary income rates as opposed to the capital gain rates. Pursuant to the Act, from 2018 through 2025, certain REIT shareholders will be permitted to deduct 20% of ordinary REIT dividends received. Dividends payable by REITs in excess of these earnings and profits generally are treated as a non-taxable reduction of the shareholders’ basis in the shares to the extent thereof and thereafter as taxable gain. The more favorable rates applicable to regular corporate dividends could cause investors who are individuals, trusts and estates to perceive investments in REITs,

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including us, to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stock of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends, which may negatively impact the trading prices of our securities.

Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities or liquidate otherwise attractive investments.

To qualify as a REIT, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, the nature and diversification of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our shareholders and the ownership of our Common Shares. In order to meet these tests, we may be required to forego investments we might otherwise make and refrain from engaging in certain activities. Thus, compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our performance.

In addition, if we fail to comply with certain asset ownership tests at the end of any calendar quarter, we must correct the failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter or qualify for certain statutory relief provisions to avoid losing our REIT qualification. As a result, we may be required to liquidate otherwise attractive investments.

We have limits on ownership of our shares of beneficial interest.

For us to qualify as a REIT for Federal income tax purposes, among other requirements, not more than 50% of the value of our shares of beneficial interest may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code to include certain entities) at any time during the last half of each taxable year, and such shares of beneficial interest must be beneficially owned by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year (in each case, other than the first such year). Our Declaration of Trust includes certain restrictions regarding transfers of our shares of beneficial interest and ownership limits that are intended to assist us in satisfying these limitations, among other purposes. These restrictions and limits may not be adequate in all cases, however, to prevent the transfer of our shares of beneficial interest in violation of the ownership limitations. The ownership limits contained in our Declaration of Trust may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us.

Actual or constructive ownership of our shares of beneficial interest in excess of the share ownership limits contained in our Declaration of Trust would cause the violative transfer or ownership to be null and void from the beginning and subject to purchase by us at a price equal to the fair market value of such shares (determined in accordance with the rules set forth in our Declaration of Trust). As a result, if a violative transfer were made, the recipient of the shares would not acquire any economic or voting rights attributable to the transferred shares. Additionally, the constructive ownership rules for these limits are complex and groups of related individuals or entities may be deemed a single owner and consequently in violation of the share ownership limits.

None.

Retail Properties

The discussion and tables in this Item 2. include wholly-owned and partially-owned properties held through our Core Portfolio and our Funds. We define our Core Portfolio as those properties either 100% owned by, or partially owned through joint venture interests by the Operating Partnership or subsidiaries thereof, not including those properties owned through our Funds.

As of December 31, 2019, there are 123 operating properties in our Core Portfolio totaling approximately 5.6 million square feet of gross leasable area (“GLA”) excluding four properties under redevelopment, one property in development and one pre-stabilized property. The Core Portfolio properties are located in 12 states and the District of Columbia and primarily consist of street retail and dense suburban shopping centers. These properties are diverse in size, ranging from approximately 1,000 to 800,000 square feet and as of December 31, 2019, were in total, excluding the properties that were pre-stabilized or under redevelopment, 93.4% occupied.

As of December 31, 2019, we owned and operated 53 properties totaling approximately 7.5 million square feet of GLA in our Funds, excluding four properties under development. In addition to shopping centers, the Funds have invested in mixed-use properties, which generally include retail activities. The Fund properties are located in 17 states and the District of Columbia and, as of December 31, 2019, were in total, excluding the properties under development, 88.6% occupied.

Within our Core Portfolio and Funds, we had approximately 1,100 retail leases as of December 31, 2019. A significant portion of our rental revenues were from national retailers and consist of rents received under long-term leases. These leases generally provide for the monthly payment of fixed minimum rent and the tenants' pro-rata share of the real estate taxes, insurance, utilities and common area maintenance of the shopping centers. An insignificant portion of our leases also provide for the payment of rent based on a percentage of a tenant's gross sales in

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excess of a stipulated annual amount, either in addition to, or in place of, minimum rents. Minimum rents and expense reimbursements accounted for substantially all of our total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Six of our Core Portfolio properties and three of our Fund properties are subject to long-term ground leases in which a third party owns and has leased the underlying land to us. We pay rent for the use of the land and are responsible for all costs and expenses associated with the building and improvements at all of these locations.

No individual property contributed in excess of 10% of our total revenues for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 or 2017. See Note 7 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, for information on the mortgage debt pertaining to our properties.

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The following table sets forth more specific information with respect to each of our Core properties at December 31, 2019:

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