ACADIA REALTY TRUST - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

or

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number 001-12002

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.

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

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 check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

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 June 30, 2022, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was approximately $1,482.8 million, based on a price of $15.62 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 15, 2023 was 96,265,126.

1

Part III – Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders presently scheduled to be held May 4, 2023 to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A.

2

ACADIA REALTY TRUST AND SUBSIDIARIES

FORM 10-K

INDEX

3

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Report”) of Acadia Realty Trust, a Maryland real estate investment trust, (the “Company”) may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations are generally identifiable by the use of the words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “intend” or “project,” or the negative thereof, or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results and financial performance to be materially different from future results and financial performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: (i) the economic, political and social impact of, and uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic (the “COVID-19 Pandemic”) or future pandemics, including its impact on our tenants and their ability to make rent and other payments or honor their commitments under existing leases; (ii) macroeconomic conditions, such as a disruption of or lack of access to the capital markets and rising inflation; (iii) our success in implementing our business strategy and our ability to identify, underwrite, finance, consummate and integrate diversifying acquisitions and investments; (iv) changes in general economic conditions or economic conditions in the markets in which we may, from time to time, compete, and their effect on our revenues, earnings and funding sources; (v) increases in our borrowing costs as a result of rising inflation, changes in interest rates and other factors, including the discontinuation of USD LIBOR, which is currently anticipated to occur in 2023; (vi) our ability to pay down, refinance, restructure or extend our indebtedness as it becomes due; (vii) our investments in joint ventures and unconsolidated entities, including our lack of sole decision-making authority and our reliance on our joint venture partners’ financial condition; (viii) our ability to obtain the financial results expected from our development and redevelopment projects; (ix) our tenants’ ability and willingness to renew their leases with us upon expiration, our ability to re-lease our properties on the same or better terms in the event of nonrenewal or in the event we exercise our right to replace an existing tenant, and obligations we may incur in connection with the replacement of an existing tenant; (x) our potential liability for environmental matters; (xi) damage to our properties from catastrophic weather and other natural events, and the physical effects of climate change; (xii) uninsured losses; (xiii) our ability and willingness to maintain our qualification as a real estate investment trust (REIT) in light of economic, market, legal, tax and other considerations; (xiv) information technology security breaches, including increased cybersecurity risks relating to the use of remote technology; (xv) the loss of key executives; (xvi) the accuracy of our methodologies and estimates regarding environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) metrics, goals and targets, tenant willingness and ability to collaborate towards reporting ESG metrics and meeting ESG goals and targets, and the impact of governmental regulation on our ESG efforts; and (xvii) the risk that the Restatement (as defined herein) or material weaknesses in internal controls could negatively affect investor confidence and raise reputational issues.

The factors described above are not exhaustive and additional factors could adversely affect the Company’s future results and financial performance, including the risk factors discussed under the section captioned “Risk Factors” 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. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any changes in the Company’s expectations with regard thereto or changes in the events, conditions, or circumstances on which such forward-looking statements are based.

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.

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.

GENERAL

Acadia Realty Trust (the “Company”) 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 Company 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, 2022, the Company controlled approximately 95% of the Operating Partnership as the sole general partner. As the general partner, the Company is entitled to share, in proportion to its percentage interest,

4

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, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company (“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.

5

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

The objective 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, is a key strategic consideration 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. Considering 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 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 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 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 and redevelopment with sources of capital determined by management to be the most appropriate based on, among other factors, availability in current capital markets, pricing, and other commercial and financial terms. Such 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 Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) and London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) swap agreements and interest rate caps as discussed further in Item 7A of this Report.

We maintain a share repurchase program that authorizes management, at its discretion, to repurchase up to $200.0 million of outstanding Common Shares. The program may be discontinued or extended at any time. We repurchased 1,219,065 shares for $22.4 million, inclusive of fees, during the year ended December 31, 2020. We did not repurchase any shares during the years ended December 31, 2022 or 2021. As of December 31, 2022, management may repurchase up to approximately $122.5 million of Common Shares under the program. See Note 10.

We also maintain an at-the-market equity issuance program (the "ATM Program") that provides us with an efficient and low-cost vehicle for raising capital through public equity issuances on an as-we-go basis to fund our capital needs. Through the ATM Program, we have been able to effectively “match-fund” a portion of the required capital 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 the year ended December 31, 2022, we issued 5,525,419 Common Shares under our ATM Program for gross proceeds of $123.9 million. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we issued 2,889,371 Common Shares under our ATM Program for gross proceeds of $64.9 million. No such issuances were made during 2020. See Note 10.

6

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/redevelopment, leasing, and management of retail real estate by creating value through property development/redevelopment, 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 are generally provided by our personnel, providing for a vertically integrated operating platform.

INVESTING ACTIVITIES

See Item 2. Properties for a description of the properties in our Core and Fund portfolios. See Significant Developments under Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for a detailed discussion of our consolidated and unconsolidated acquisitions, dispositions and financing activity for the year ended December 31, 2022.

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, trade areas.

As we typically hold our Core Portfolio properties for long-term investment, we review our 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 our leasing department 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.

Funds

Our Fund investments consist of suburban shopping centers and urban retail assets structured as wholly-owned or jointly-owned investments.

Structured Finance Program

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

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, 2022, there were two Fund and two Core Portfolio development projects and five Core Portfolio redevelopment projects. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we placed a portion of two Fund development properties into service and placed two Core properties into development. See Item 2. Properties—Development Activities and Note 2.

GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS

We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations, including environmental laws and regulations. As of the date of this Report, we do not expect the cost of compliance with such laws and regulations to have a material impact on our capital expenditures, earnings, or competitive position. See Item 1A. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Litigation, Environmental Matters and Governmental Regulation.

We may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances at our property sites, 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 our properties. 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 such substances, or the failure to properly dispose of or remove such substances, may adversely impact our ability to sell or rent an affected property or to borrow using that property as collateral, which, in turn, would reduce our revenues and ability to make distributions.

7

Our existing properties, as well as properties we may acquire, as commercial facilities, are required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (the "ADA"). See Item 1A. Risk Factors — 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.

In addition, we may become subject to new compliance requirements and/or new costs or taxes associated with natural resource or energy usage and related emissions (such as a carbon tax), which could increase our operating costs. Compliance with new laws or regulations related to climate change may require us to make improvements to our existing properties or pay additional taxes and fees assessed on us or our properties. See Item 1A. Risk Factors — Climate change, natural disasters or health crises could adversely affect our properties and business.

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS

Our executive office is located at 411 Theodore Fremd Avenue, Suite 300, Rye, New York 10580, and our telephone number is (914) 288-8100.

HUMAN CAPITAL

We recognize that our ability to achieve the high standards we set for our company can best be accomplished by curating a diverse team of top talent. We are committed to fostering an energized and motivated workforce through programs and benefits that promote employee satisfaction, advancement, equity, and inclusion.

As of December 31, 2022, we had 115 employees, of whom 94 were located at our executive office and 21 were located at regional property management offices. During 2022, our total turnover rate was approximately 23%. None of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements and management believes that its relationship with employees is good.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) are fundamental values of our business. We believe that our potential for success is maximized by having a diverse workforce that is reflective of our society and the communities we serve.

As of December 31, 2022, women represent 50% of our employees, 32% of our management-level positions and 22% of the independent trustees on our board of trustees (the "Board"), and racially and ethnically diverse individuals represent 25% of our employees, 24% of our management-level positions, and 11% of the independent trustees on our Board.

Our DEI Program is focused on fostering a professional environment that fully embraces individuals with varied backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, ages, perspectives, beliefs, and values. The four pillars of our DEI Program are awareness, acknowledgment, acceptance and advancement, and our mission is to raise awareness of systemic inequities and promote initiatives to dismantle any such inequities. Through education and awareness – including compulsory unconscious bias training and training dedicated to allyship in 2022 – we are working to establish a corporate culture that is characterized by respect, acceptance, and inclusivity. We believe that we have an individual and institutional responsibility to observe, promote and protect DEI principles. As part of our commitment to promoting DEI principles, we signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge in 2020, which brings together more than 2,400 CEOs who have pledged to, among other initiatives: (i) cultivate environments that support open dialogue on DEI; (ii) implement unconscious bias education and training; (iii) share DEI programs and initiatives; and (iv) engage boards when developing and evaluating DEI strategies.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities without regard to any actual or perceived characteristic protected by applicable local, state or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

Employee Engagement

We have been recognized as a Great Place to Work® based on employee satisfaction surveys for three consecutive years. We analyze the survey results to identify opportunity areas for enhancing employee satisfaction and engagement.

8

Training and Development

We believe in investing in talent at all levels within our organization. Whether through property tours that allow employees to learn about the projects they work on, or through access to online learning tutorials, employees are encouraged to take full advantage of professional development opportunities.

Our senior management team focuses on succession planning for senior leadership and business unit lead roles and presents a succession plan to our Board annually.

We are committed to building our own talent pipeline. Through our summer internship program, we hope to plant the seeds for future growth and innovation. This program offers hands-on experience to students looking to specialize in the retail real estate industry and offers our company a fresh perspective. We attempt to recruit diverse candidates for our internship program through partnerships with external organizations.

Health and Wellness

All employees are eligible to participate in our Wellness Program which advocates for and provides resources regarding nutrition, exercise, mental health, and workplace ergonomics. We value the importance of personal growth and encourage employees to participate in company events, health initiatives and training courses.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package to all employees.

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE (“ESG”)

Achievements and Initiatives

We seek to drive financial performance while engaging in environmentally and socially responsible business practices grounded in sound corporate governance. Our ESG program is overseen by the Board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (“NCG Committee”). The NCG Committee periodically reviews our ESG strategy, practices and policies, receives regular updates from management regarding our ESG activities and reports to the full Board for further discussion and evaluation as needed and appropriate. Day-to-day management of our ESG program, including developing and guiding the implementation of our ESG initiatives, is performed by our full-time dedicated Director of ESG and our internal ESG Committee, comprised of senior leaders and representatives from various departments. The ESG Committee meets regularly, at least quarterly, and provides periodic updates on our ESG program to our Chief Executive Officer and the Board.

We maintain a robust Enterprise Risk Management (“ERM”) plan to identify and formulate responses to the most critical risks to operations, including those related to climate change and environmental impact. ERM planning serves as an additional forum for the integration of ESG considerations into our business operations.

In addition to a dedicated team of professionals, we have established ESG policies and procedures that inform and guide our ESG approach and drive our ESG goals forward, including a firm-wide ESG Policy and a Tenant Sustainability Guide. We have aligned our sustainability practices to the Global Reporting Initiative (“GRI”) standards and to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (“SASB”) and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (“TCFD”) frameworks. We seek to align our ESG strategy and goals with certain United Nations Sustainable Development Goals ("UN SDGs"), such as goals to combat climate change and to promote the sustainability of our communities.

Below are some highlights of our ESG program. Additional information is available in our Proxy and Corporate Responsibility Report. Such information is not incorporated by reference into, and is not part of this Report.

Environmental

We are committed to understanding the environmental impact of our operations and promoting environmental sustainability while maintaining high standards for our company and our stakeholders.

We are building the resiliency of our portfolio to the physical and transition risks of climate change. For standing investments, we analyze climate-related physical and transition risks and we consider any identified risks as part of our enterprise risk management and budgeting, and capital improvements processes. Climate-related physical and transition risks are also assessed as part of the due diligence process for acquisitions. Understanding climate-related risks in our portfolio enables us to implement mitigation measures, including increased insurance coverage and physical enhancements, such as waterproofing systems, as necessary. In addition, we established a GHG emissions reduction goal for scope 1 and 2 emissions in our portfolio in an effort to reduce our exposure to, and our contribution to, the negative impacts of climate change.

9

We prioritize energy efficiency to try to reduce the amount of GHG emissions generated by our properties. Our energy reduction strategy seeks to reduce energy consumption through a variety of measures, including through LED lighting, smart lighting controls upgrades in our parking areas, and smart thermostat installations in our vacant tenant spaces. For substantially all of our properties with landlord-controlled parking areas, we have installed LED parking lot lighting and smart lighting controls .

Our energy reduction strategy is complemented by our renewable energy strategy which seeks to incorporate the use of electricity sourced from on-site and off-site renewable energy projects, such as solar and wind, for the landlord-controlled common areas of our properties. We engage in renewable energy projects through leasing roof and parking lot space at our properties for solar panel arrays and electric vehicle charging stations. This contributes to the production of renewable energy for off-site consumption. Lastly, we are evaluating onsite offtake and using renewable energy credits (RECs).

Our water management program focuses on monitoring and reducing common area water consumption, while encouraging best water management practices by our tenants. We leverage technology to track and analyze our water consumption to identify and decrease excessive use. A majority of our properties benefit from the use of a landscape design focused on drought-resistant, native, pollinator-friendly plantings that save water. For substantially all of our properties with landlord-controlled irrigation, we have installed smart irrigation systems with features like rain sensors, to ensure the irrigation is turned on only when necessary. In addition, we use submeters at certain of our properties to give our retail tenants visibility into their water consumption and a financial incentive to decrease their consumption.

We include a “green” clause into our standard form of retail leases to align tenant and landlord interests in promoting the sustainability of our properties, which provides for, among other requirements, cooperation on environmental and social initiatives, and upgrades. We are proud to be named a 2022 Green Lease Leader by the Institute for Market Transformation/the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Alliance and achieved gold status for using “green” leases to engage our tenants in making our properties more sustainable.

Our sustainable practices extend to our corporate offices where we have adopted energy reduction, waste management and water conservation initiatives. These initiatives include, for example, installing LED lighting and automatic occupancy sensors for lighting and equipment, recycling programs, implementing electronic communication systems for tenant billing, and using low-flow faucets. Our corporate headquarters is easily accessible by public transit due to the close proximity to two train stations, helping to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from employee travel. As a result of sustainability efforts made at our corporate headquarters, we were awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Land Use Award by the Green Business Partnership in 2019.
 

Social

DEI are fundamental values of our business. For additional details regarding our DEI Program, as well as employee engagement, employee training and development, and employee health and wellness initiatives, see Item 1. Human Capital.

Employee volunteerism and philanthropy program are key areas of focus for our company. We engage with local charitable and volunteer organizations to connect with those in need and provide support. We also encourage our employees to participate in company-sponsored events and to give back through time, effort, or monetary donations.

We value the importance of community engagement through the facilitation of events at our properties. We engage in partnerships with local communities and non-profit organizations to host community events and fundraisers throughout our portfolio.

The health and well-being of our tenants and their employees and customers are important to us. Our property operations professionals conduct regular inspections, repairs and improvements to maintain safe and secure shopping centers and enhance the retail experience.

We strive to respect and promote human rights in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We support freedom of association as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
 

10

Governance

We are dedicated to maintaining a high standard for corporate governance predicated on integrity, ethics, diversity, and transparency. All of our Board members stand for re-election every year. We seek to maintain a diverse Board primarily comprised of independent trustees who represent a mix of varied experience, backgrounds, tenure, and skills to ensure a broad range of perspectives is represented. In 2021, our NCG Committee formally committed in its charter to seek to include candidates with a diversity of race, ethnicity, and gender in the pool from which it selects trustee candidates. The Committee annually reviews the composition of the Board and recommends measures to ensure the Board reflects the appropriate balance of knowledge, experience, skills, expertise, and diversity of backgrounds to enable the Company to execute its strategic plan and achieve its objectives. As of December 31, 2022, two of our nine independent trustees are female and one independent trustee represents racial and ethnic diversity.

Additionally, we regularly monitor developments in the area of corporate governance and seek to enhance our corporate governance structure based upon a review of new developments and recommended best practices, considering investor feedback. We believe that sound corporate governance strengthens the accountability of our Board and management and promotes the long-term interests of our shareholders. Governance highlights include: opt-out of the Board self-classification provisions of Subtitle 8; no shareholder rights plan; annual election of trustees; majority voting standard for trustees in uncontested elections with a resignation policy if an incumbent trustee fails to receive the required vote for re-election; independent and diverse Board with a lead independent trustee; regular succession planning; risk oversight by the full Board and committees; claw-back, anti-hedging and anti-pledging policies; annual Say-on-Pay vote; and shareholders’ ability to call a special meeting.

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines and associated policies mandate an elevated level of excellence from our company, the Board and management. Through transparency, alignment of interests, and removal of potential conflicts of interests, we ensure that our decisions and actions advance the interests of our shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders.

We are diligent about cybersecurity risk management, strategy, and governance. Our Board is regularly briefed by management on cybersecurity risks and initiatives, and our employees are trained to help safeguard our systems from unauthorized access, including phishing and hacking. We conduct comprehensive monitoring of our computer networks and we maintain appropriate insurance coverage.

COMPANY WEBSITE

All of our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to such reports, are available at no cost on the Investors page of our website at www.acadiarealty.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such materials with, or furnish them to, the SEC. These filings can also be accessed through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, we will provide paper copies of our filings, including this Report, at no cost upon request addressed to Investor Relations at Acadia Realty Trust, 411 Theodore Fremd Avenue, Suite 300, Rye, NY 10580, phone number (914) 288-8100 or email investorrelations@acadiarealty.com.

We use, and intend to use, the Investors page of our website as a means of disclosing material nonpublic information and of complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD, including, without limitation, through the posting of investor presentations that may include material nonpublic information. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investors page, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations and webcasts.

The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this Report.

CODE OF ETHICS AND WHISTLEBLOWER POLICIES

Our Board 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 Investors – Corporate Governance page of our website at www.acadiarealty.com. We will disclose future amendments to, or waivers from (with respect to our executive officers and trustees), our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics on our website within four business days following the date of such amendment or waiver. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this Report.

11

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

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 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”.

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. 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.

Risk factors pertaining to our Company generally fall within the following broad areas:

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS, OUR PROPERTIES AND OUR TENANTS

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 make distributions to our shareholders.

Real property investments are subject to multiple risks. Real estate values are affected by several 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 19.3% 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” for quantified information with respect to the percentage of our minimum rents received from major tenants.

12

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, also known as “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”.

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. 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 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” 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.

13

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 our occupancy levels and financial results could suffer. See the Risk Factor entitled, “Our ability to change our portfolio is limited because real estate investments are illiquid” below.

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 Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), contains restrictions on a REIT’s ability to dispose of properties that are not applicable to other types of real estate companies. Our Board 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 may change our investment policy or objectives 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.

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 38.2% and 24.6% of the annual base rents within our Core Portfolio, respectively. In addition, our Funds derive 32.8%, 22.6% and 22.2% of their annual base rents in the New York metropolitan, Southeast, and Northeast regions of the United States, 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.

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:

14

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 a project’s costs and the risk of a strike, thereby affecting construction timelines.

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:

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.

15

We may not be able to recover our investments in marketable securities or other investments, which may result in significant losses to us.

Our investments in marketable securities are subject to specific risks relating to the particular issuer of the securities, including the financial condition and business outlook of the issuer, which may result in significant losses to us. Marketable securities are generally unsecured and may also be subordinated to other obligations of the issuer. As a result, investments in marketable securities are subject to risks of substantial market price volatility, resulting from changes in prevailing interest rates and the possibility that earnings of the issuer may be insufficient to meet its debt service and distribution obligations. These risks may adversely affect the value of outstanding marketable securities and the ability of the issuers to make distribution payments.

See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 17 for additional discussion regarding the shares held by the Company of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (“Albertsons”).

The economic performance and value of our other investments, which we do not control and are in retail operations, are subject to risks associated with owning and operating retail businesses, as outlined in our other risk factors provided herein. A decline in the value of our other investments may require us to recognize an other-than-temporary impairment (“OTTI”) against such assets. When the fair value of an investment is determined to be less than its amortized cost at the balance sheet date, we assess whether the decline is temporary or other-than-temporary. If we intend to sell an impaired asset, or it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the impaired asset before any anticipated recovery, then we must recognize an OTTI through charges to earnings equal to the entire difference between the asset’s amortized cost and its fair value at the balance sheet date. When an OTTI is recognized through earnings, a new cost basis is established for the asset, and the new cost basis may not be adjusted through earnings for subsequent recoveries in fair value.

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.

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 and specifying privacy and data security responsibilities.

Actual or perceived threats associated with epidemics, pandemics or other public health crises, including the COVID-19 Pandemic, have had and could continue to have a material adverse effect on our and our tenants’ businesses, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, liquidity, and ability to access the capital markets and satisfy debt service obligations.

Epidemics, pandemics, or other public health crises, including the COVID-19 Pandemic, that impact economic and market conditions, particularly in the markets where our properties are located, and preventative measures taken to alleviate their impact may have a material adverse effect on our and our tenants’ businesses, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and ability to access capital markets and satisfy debt service obligations.

Our retail tenants depend on in-person interactions with their customers to generate unit-level profitability, and an epidemic, pandemic or other public health crisis may decrease customer willingness to frequent, and “shelter-in-place” or “stay-at-home” orders or recommendations may prevent customers from frequenting our tenants’ businesses, which may result in their inability to maintain profitability and make timely rental payments to us under their leases. Such restrictions may also affect customer behavior longer term by, among other things, creating a preference for e-commerce, discussed further in our risk factors above.

16

RISKS RELATED TO OUR LIQUIDITY AND INDEBTEDNESS

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, 2022, our outstanding indebtedness was $1,805.4 million, of which $364.6 million was variable-rate indebtedness.

None of our Declaration of Trust, our Bylaws or any policy statement formally adopted by our Board 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 79.8% of our outstanding debt has fixed or effectively fixed interest rates, we also borrow funds at variable interest rates. We are exposed to risks related to a potential rising interest rate environment for our current or any future variable interest rate debt, 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, 2022 would increase by approximately $3.6 million annually for a 100-basis-point increase in interest rates. This exposure would increase if we sought 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.

We expect that all LIBOR settings relevant to us will cease to be published or will no longer be representative after June 30, 2023. As a result, any of our LIBOR-based borrowings and hedges that extend beyond such date will need to be converted to a replacement rate. U.S. regulators identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) as their preferred alternative to USD LIBOR in derivatives and other financial contracts. We have contracts indexed to LIBOR and are 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. When USD LIBOR is discontinued, the interest rates of our LIBOR-indexed debt following such event will be based on either alternate base rates, such as SOFR, or agreed upon replacement rates. While the discontinuation of USD LIBOR would not affect our ability to borrow or maintain already outstanding borrowings, it could result in higher interest rates and/or payments under our debt agreements. Additionally, adjustments to systems and mathematical models to properly process and account for alternative rates will be required, which may strain the model risk management and information technology functions and result in substantial incremental costs to the Company.

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.

17

Furthermore, if we were unable to obtain sufficient investor capital commitments in order to initiate future Funds, 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 of or ability to earn such promotes or fees.

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.

RISKS RELATED TO LITIGATION, ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS AND GOVERNMENTAL REGULATION

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.

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.

18

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.

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. — Legal Proceedings" and the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements as updated by our subsequent filings with the SEC, 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, as amended (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 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 MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

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.

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 have pursued and may pursue 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 our ability to successfully attract and retain qualified management personnel to manage the growth and operations of our business. In addition,

19

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

Our Board 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 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 the concentration of investments in any one geographic region. Although our Board 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 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.

Concentration of ownership by certain investors may allow these investors to exert influence over the business and affairs of our Company.

As of December 31, 2022, four institutional shareholders own 5% or more individually, and 54.4% in the aggregate, of our Common Shares. While this ownership concentration does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes (due to certain “look-through provisions” of the Code), 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. Additionally, our Board may, in its sole discretion, waive or modify the 9.8% Common Shares ownership limit in our Declaration of Trust with respect to one or more persons if it is satisfied that ownership in excess of the limit will not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. From time to time, we have entered into waivers with certain institutional investors, subject to certain representations from such investors, including that the Common Shares held by the investors will be held in the ordinary course of business and not with the purpose or effect of changing or influencing control of us.

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

Our Board 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.

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 beneficial interest 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 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.

20

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 by majority vote or by our shareholders, pursuant to a binding proposal properly submitted for consideration at a meeting of shareholders, by the affirmative vote of a majority of all votes entitled to be cast on the matter, 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, 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 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:

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.

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.

21

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 (that may include, among others, tenancy-in common and other similar 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 impasses 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.

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.

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 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 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.

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

22

real property trade or business”), and the creation of reserves or required amortization payments. While we have historically satisfied these distribution requirements by making cash distributions to our stockholders, a REIT is permitted to satisfy these requirements by making distributions of cash or other property, including, in limited circumstances, its own stock. Assuming we continue to satisfy these distribution requirements with cash, we may need to borrow funds on a short term basis or sell assets, to meet the REIT distribution requirements and avoid the payment of income and excise taxes even if the then prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings or sales. These cash needs could result from differences in timing between the actual receipt of cash and inclusion of income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or the effect of non-deductible capital expenditures, the creation of cash reserves or required debt or amortization payments. These sources, however, may not be available on favorable terms or at all. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends on a number of factors, including the market's perception of our growth potential, our current debt levels, the market price of our common stock, and our current and potential future earnings. 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 section 199A of the Code, 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, 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 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.

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

23

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 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.

GENERAL RISK FACTORS

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.

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, rising inflation, 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 an economic recovery will occur or 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.

In the past year, microeconomic and macroeconomic conditions, including the fallout from the COVID-19 Pandemic, the war in Ukraine, supply-chain disruptions, and the recessionary outlook of the current financial markets, has increased volatility in the market and has caused a surge in already increasing inflation and interest rates. 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, any of our remaining development and redevelopment costs, 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.

24

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.

Changes in market conditions 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 cannot 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.

25

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:

The control environment for cyber security is an ever-changing risk landscape across the entire attack surface which includes risks from on-premises, cloud infrastructure, software as a service and mobile applications. 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.

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,

26

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, including Florida, Virginia, Georgia, New York, and Massachusetts 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 California, which in recent years has experienced intense drought 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 not 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 COVID-19 Pandemic, may 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.

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

27

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.

Increased scrutiny by and changing expectations from investors, tenants, employees, and other stakeholders regarding our ESG practices and reporting could cause us to incur additional costs and adversely impact our reputation, tenant and employee acquisition and retention, and access to capital.
 

Companies across all industries are facing increasing scrutiny related to their ESG practices and disclosure. Investors, tenants, employees, and other stakeholders have begun to focus increasingly on ESG practices and to place heightened importance on the environmental and social cost of their investments, business decisions and consumer choices. For example, an increasing number of investment funds focus on positive ESG practices and sustainability scores when making an investment decision. Additionally, certain institutional investors have demonstrated increased activism with respect to their existing investments, including by urging companies to take certain actions in areas of perceived ESG significance.

Investors, particularly institutional investors, use or may use third-party benchmarks and scores to assess our ESG practices against our peers and if we are perceived as lagging, such investors may decide to not invest in our Common Shares or to divest from their current investment, and we may face reputational challenges. Alternatively, such investors may decide to actively engage with us to improve ESG disclosure or performance, and may also make voting decisions on this basis. Given increased investor focus and demand, public disclosure regarding ESG practices is becoming more broadly expected. Any disclosure we make may include our policies and practices on a variety of ESG matters, including corporate governance, environmental compliance, human capital management, and workforce inclusion and diversity. It is possible that stakeholders may not be satisfied with our ESG practices, reporting and goals, or with our speed of adoption. If our ESG practices and disclosures do not meet investor, tenant, employee or other stakeholder expectations, which continue to evolve, our reputation and tenant and employee retention, and access to capital may be negatively impacted.

In 2022, the SEC proposed extensive rules aimed at enhancing and standardizing climate-related disclosures in an effort to foster greater consistency, comparability and reliability of climate-related information among public issuers. The proposal, if adopted, would require public issuers to include prescribed climate-related information in their registration statements and annual reports, including information regarding greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related risks and opportunities and related financial impacts, governance and strategy. Additionally, we may become subject to new compliance requirements and/or new costs or taxes associated with natural resource or energy usage and related emissions (such as a “carbon tax”), which could increase our operating costs.

We could incur additional costs relating to implementing, monitoring and reporting various ESG practices and initiatives, as well as complying with applicable law, which could place a strain on our personnel, systems and resources. Our failure, or perceived failure, to meet the goals and objectives we set in any ESG disclosure within the timelines announced or at all, or the expectations of our various stakeholders could negatively impact our reputation, tenant and employee retention, and access to capital.
 

We previously identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting which resulted in the restatement of certain of our previously issued consolidated financial statements, which resulted in unanticipated costs and may affect investors' confidence and raise reputational issues. If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results.

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable and accurate financial reports. We previously identified and reported a deficiency in internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 and determined that the Company did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting because of an error in accounting treatment at the time of formation related to the improper consolidation of two investments that are less-than-wholly-owned through the Company’s opportunity funds. As a consequence, these two Fund Investments, which were formed in 2012 and 2013, were adjusted from consolidated investments to investments in unconsolidated affiliates within the restated financial statements, as of and for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, and as of and for each of the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, June 30, 2021 and 2020, September 30, 2021 and 2020, and December 31, 2020 (collectively, the "Restatement"). The Restatement also included corrections for certain immaterial unrecorded adjustments in the Company's previously issued financial statements. See Item 9A, “Controls and Procedures”, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding the previously identified material weakness and our actions to date to remediate the material weakness.

The Restatement may affect investor confidence in the accuracy of our financial disclosure and may raise reputational risks for our business, both of which could harm our business and financial results. Additionally, if material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting are discovered or occur in the future, our financial statements may contain material misstatements, and we could be required to restate such financial results, which could materially and adversely affect our business and financial results, restrict our ability to access the capital markets, require us to expend significant resources to correct the material weaknesses, subject us to fines, penalties or judgements, harm our reputation or otherwise cause a decline in investor confidence.

28

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.

29

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

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, 2022, our Core Portfolio consisted of 143 operating properties totaling approximately 5.6 million square feet (or 5.2 million at our pro rata share) of gross leasable area (“GLA”) excluding five properties under redevelopment and three properties in development. The Core Portfolio properties are located in 13 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, 2022, were 92.1% occupied and 94.4% leased (or 92.7% occupied and 94.9% leased at our pro rata share), excluding properties under development or redevelopment.

As of December 31, 2022, we owned and operated 49 properties totaling approximately 8.0 million square feet in total (or 1.7 million square feet at our pro rata share) of GLA in our Funds, excluding two 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 19 states and the District of Columbia and, as of December 31, 2022, were 88.9% occupied and 92.5% leased (or 86.1% occupied and 91.4% leased at our pro rata share), excluding the properties under development.

Within our Core Portfolio and Funds, we had more than 1,100 retail leases as of December 31, 2022. A significant portion of our rental revenues are 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 excess of a stipulated annual amount, either in addition to, or in place of, minimum rents, which we refer to as percentage rents. Minimum rents and expense reimbursements accounted for substantially all of our total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Six of our Core Portfolio properties and two 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 or tenant contributed in excess of 10% of our total revenues for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 or 2020. See Note 7 for information on the mortgage debt pertaining to our properties.

30

The following table sets forth more specific information with respect to each of our Core properties at December 31, 2022:

31