by the parties in connection with any such substances. The costs of investigation, removal or remediation of hazardous or toxic substances, and related liabilities, may be substantial and could materially and adversely affect us. The presence of hazardous or toxic substances, or the failure to remediate the related contamination, may also adversely affect our ability to sell, lease or redevelop a property or to borrow money using a property as collateral. Although we believe that our portfolio is in substantial compliance with U.S. federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations regarding hazardous or toxic substances, this belief is based on limited testing. Nearly all of our properties have been subjected to Phase I or similar environmental audits. These environmental audits have not revealed, nor are we aware of, any environmental liability that we believe is reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us. However, we cannot assure you that: previous environmental studies with respect to the portfolio reveal all potential environmental liabilities; any previous owner, occupant or tenant of a property did not create any material environmental condition not known to us; the current environmental condition of the portfolio will not be affected by tenants and occupants, by the condition of nearby properties, or by other unrelated third parties; or future uses or conditions (including, without limitation, changes in applicable environmental laws and regulations or the interpretation thereof) will not result in environmental liabilities. We face risks associated with the acquisition, development, redevelopment and expansion of properties. We regularly acquire and develop new properties and redevelop and expand existing properties, and these activities are subject to various risks. Acquisition or construction costs of a project may be higher than projected, potentially making the project unfeasible or unprofitable, and development, redevelopment or expansions may take considerably longer than expected, delaying the commencement and amount of income from the property. These risks, and the potential impact thereof, may be exacerbated by the volume and complexity of such activity, as well as inflationary pressures, rising interest rates, supply chain disruptions and labor shortages, like those experienced in 2022. We may not be successful in pursuing acquisition, development or redevelopment/expansion opportunities. In addition, newly acquired, developed or redeveloped/expanded properties may not perform as well as expected, impacting our anticipated return on investment. We are subject to other risks in connection with any acquisition, development and redevelopment/expansion activities, including the following: we may not be able to obtain financing or to refinance loans on favorable terms, or at all; we may be unable to obtain zoning, occupancy or other governmental approvals; occupancy rates and rents may not meet our projections and the project may not be accretive; we may need the consent of third parties such as department stores, anchor tenants, mortgage lenders and joint venture partners, and those consents may be withheld; development, redevelopment or expansions may fail to appeal to the demographics of the communities they are intended to serve; and acquisitions of new properties will expose us to the liabilities of those properties, some of which we may not be aware of at the time of the acquisition. If a development or redevelopment/expansion project is unsuccessful, either because it is not meeting our expectations when operational or was not completed according to the project planning, we could lose our investment in the project. Further, if we guarantee the property’s financing, our loss could exceed our investment in the project. In the event that these risks were realized at the same time at multiple properties, we could be materially and adversely affected. Real estate investments are relatively illiquid. Our properties represent a substantial portion of our total consolidated assets. These investments are relatively illiquid. As a result, our ability to sell one or more of our properties or investments in real estate in response to any changes
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