Michael Lebovitz concedes he's had more than a few anxious moments over the past year or so.

Building and opening a $100 million shopping center in the midst of a severe recession that has been particularly brutal on retailers will do that to a guy.

But yesterday Mr. Lebovitz, chief development officer and senior vice president of CBL & Associates Properties, Inc., appeared to be the picture of serenity as he conducted a tour of Settlers Ridge, the sprawling "lifestyle center" taking shape on a Robinson hillside.

As it heads toward an Oct. 30 grand opening, Settlers Ridge, 600,000 square feet in all, is 94 percent leased, with two-thirds of the development's 30 stores expected to be open by the end of November -- enough good news to make any developer sleep more comfortably.

Although Settlers Ridge still is very much a work in progress, with a lot of construction activity and still vacant storefronts, a 16-screen Cinemark Theatre already has opened, as has P.F. Chang's restaurant and Omaha Steaks. REI sporting goods opens next week, and a huge 150,000-square-foot Giant Eagle Market District, the first in the region to be built from the ground up, follows on Nov. 6. It will employ 650 people.

Mr. Lebovitz believes the mix, which also includes LA Fitness, gives Settlers Ridge, developed by CBL, the Chattanooga, Tenn., company that also owns Monroeville and Westmoreland malls, more than a fighting chance to weather a still troubled economy.

"With this type of center, and being anchored by a grocer, a cinema, a sports-focused clothing retailer, a fitness [complex], and a bookstore, it's not geared as to be a traditional apparel-based shopping center. It's got a lot of restaurants, and restaurants are doing well in today's economy environment," he said.

"So this type of center is actually probably going to perform better in the current economic environment than if it was full of women's ready-to-wear shops."

Mr. Lebovitz said entertainment and theaters have held up well in the slumping economy. He said the new Giant Eagle, moving from its tight quarters on Route 60, also will be a "huge boost" for the development because it has potential to be a regional draw.

"To be 94 percent leased for what we built is an excellent place to be at a grand opening when a number of centers around the country are opening up well, well below that number," he said.

To mix food with sports is not that unusual these days, as any Steelers fan knows. Erin Hershkowitz, spokeswoman for the International Council of Shopping Centers, said grocers, drug stores, and discount stores are all becoming more common in lifestyle centers.

"Lifestyle centers originally were more focused on affluent shoppers and now will incorporate drug stores, discount stores … just to sort of cater to today's shopper, and today's shopper is looking for value," she said.

While the recession has been devastating to retailers, there are glimmers of a turnaround, just as Settlers Ridge is revving up. The ICSC reported a one-tenth of one percent increase in retail sales in September over the same month in 2008. It was the first year-over-year increase since July 2008.

"We have been seeing a slight improvement over the last six months. This just shows that things are beginning to slowly turn around for the retail industry," Ms. Hershkowitz said.

Luxury store sales continue to struggle, she added, but most discount, drugstore and wholesale store sales are showing "positive results." Department store and chain stores such as Best Buy also are showing "notable improvement," she said.

David Glickman, vice president of the Retail Services Group at Grubb & Ellis, said he expects Settlers Ridge to thrive because of its mix of tenants and its location off the Parkway West. There's more than 11 million square feet of office space, not all of it occupied, located within five to 20 minutes of the property, he said.

"I remember when IKEA chose to go to Robinson, one executive said all roads lead to Robinson. With the new interchange off Interstate 79, Robinson is even more accessible," he said.

Mr. Glickman sees Settlers Ridge as more than a shuffling of retailers from one development to another, even though Giant Eagle and the Barnes and Noble bookstore, which will open next spring, will be leaving nearby locations for the new property.

He said businesses such a REI and LA Fitness as well as restaurants such as Cadillac Ranch, Red Robin, First Watch and P.F. Chang's are new to the Robinson area. "So it's really a complement to what's out there," he said.

REI, LA Fitness and P.F. Chang's do have other locations in the Pittsburgh area that will remain open.

But Mr. Glickman acknowledged that the opening of Cinemark, with its cutting edge technology, could spell doom for the older and more dated Showcase Cinemas West in Robinson unless Showcase changes its format.

"I think that Showcase Cinemas West will need to become a discount theater or a different type of theater or I think, inevitably, it will cease to exist," he said. "They have to make some adjustment or I think they will succumb to the competition."

CBL, meanwhile, is confident enough about Settlers Ridge that it has a 150,000-square-foot second phase planned for next year.

"We're very pleased with this. We have the right anchors. We have the right market, and we have the right real estate. We're positioned for success, not failure," Mr. Lebovitz said.

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