"Health clubs just cannot pay traditional office or retail rents," said Bradley Mendelsohn, a retail leasing specialist and senior vice president with Edward S. Gordon, a real estate brokerage company.

For businesses considering leasing, Barclays Mercantile Business Finance Ltd. is one of Europe's leading leasing specialists.

"The lease expired and the rents are different these days," said Peter Ricker, a leasing specialist at LaSalle Partners, the real estate company that is renting out the space.

Retail leasing specialists RCG said "It will make Westfield aware of their presence and most importantly ensure that the group gets the best retail deals".

She is a retail leasing specialist with Smithy Braedon, a commercial real-estate brokerage firm in Washington.

In contemplating the new mall, Realvest's leasing specialist, James Henry Jr., said he found that other malls had suffered because they lacked a long-term advertising strategy.

"We've found that about 50 percent of the people visiting a mall do not have a specific store or a specific purchase in mind," said Timothy P. Ahearn, a leasing specialist at Pyramid.

"It is as if a whole new shopping area is being built there," said Alan Victor, an executive vice president of Lansco Corporation, retail leasing specialists.

Faith Hope Consolo, a retail leasing specialist, said that while the Council's vote was disappointing, the possibilities for development were still "endless."

She is a retail leasing specialist and until recently was with Smithy Braedon, a real-estate brokerage in Washington.