This annual report on Form 10-K, together with other statements and information publicly disseminated by us, contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and include this statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by use of the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” or similar expressions. You should not rely on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could materially affect actual results, performances or achievements. Factors which may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, (i) disruptions in financial markets, (ii) general economic and local real estate conditions, (iii) the inability of major tenants to continue paying their rent obligations due to bankruptcy, insolvency or general downturn in their business, (iv) financing risks, such as the inability to obtain equity, debt, or other sources of financing on favorable terms, (v) changes in governmental laws and regulations, (vi) the level and volatility of interest rates, (vii) the availability of suitable acquisition opportunities, (viii) the ability to dispose properties, (ix) changes in expected development activity, (x) increases in operating costs, (xi) tax matters, including failure to qualify as a real estate investment trust, and (xii) investments through real estate joint ventures and partnerships, which involve risks not present in investments in which we are the sole investor. Accordingly, there is no assurance that our expectations will be realized. For further discussion of the factors that could materially affect the outcome of our forward-looking statements and our future results and financial condition, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

We may either purchase or lease income-producing properties in the future, and may also participate with other entities in property ownership through partnerships, joint ventures or similar types of co-ownership. Equity investments may be subject to existing mortgage financing and other indebtedness or such financing may be incurred in connection with acquiring such investments.

We may invest in mortgages; however, we have traditionally invested in first mortgages to real estate joint ventures or partnerships in which we own an equity interest or to obtain control over a real estate asset that we desire to own. We may also invest in securities of other issuers for the purpose, among others, of exercising control over such entities, subject to the gross income and asset tests necessary for REIT qualification.

In acquiring and developing properties, we attempt to accumulate enough properties in a geographic area to allow for the establishment of a regional office, which enables us to obtain in-depth knowledge of the market from a leasing perspective and to have easy access to the property and our tenants from a management viewpoint.

Our policies with respect to the investment and operating strategies discussed above are periodically reviewed by our Board of Trust Managers and may be modified without a vote of our shareholders.

We also compete for tenants to occupy the space that is developed, acquired and managed by our competitors or us.competitors. The principal competitive factors in attracting tenants in our market areas are location, price, anchor tenants and maintenance of properties. We believe our key competitive advantages include the favorable locations of our properties, the strong demographics surrounding our centers, knowledge of markets and customer bases, our ability to provide a retailer with multiple locations with quality anchor tenants and the practice of continuous maintenance and renovation of our properties.

The risks described below could materially and adversely affect our shareholders and our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and cash flows. In addition to these risks, our operations may also be affected by additional factors not presently known or that we currently consider immaterial to our operations.

The U.S. and global equity and credit markets have experienced and may in the future experience significant price volatility, dislocations and liquidity disruptions, which could cause market prices of many stocks to fluctuate substantially and the spreads on prospective debt financings to widen considerably. These circumstances could materially impact liquidity in the financial markets, making terms for certain financings less attractive, and in certain cases result in the unavailability of certain types of financing. Uncertainties in the equity and credit markets may negatively impact our ability to access additional financing at reasonable terms or at all, which may negatively affect our ability to complete dispositions, form joint ventures or refinance our debt. A prolonged downturn in the equity or credit markets could cause us to seek alternative sources of potentially less attractive financing, and require us to adjust our business plan accordingly. In addition, these factors may make it more difficult for us to sell properties or adversely affect the price we receive for properties that we do sell, as prospective buyers may experience increased costs of financing or difficulties in obtaining financing. These events in the equity and credit markets may make it more difficult or costly for us to raise capital through the issuance of our common shares of beneficial interest (“common shares”) or preferred shares. These disruptions in the financial markets also may have a material adverse effect on the market value of our common shares and preferred shares and other adverse effects on us or the economy generally. There can be no assurances that government responses to the disruptions in the financial markets will continue to restore consumer confidence, stabilize themaintain stabilized markets or increase liquidity andcontinue to provide the availability of equity or credit financing.

The volatility in the stock market can create price and volume fluctuations that may not necessarily be comparable to operating performance.

Our properties consist primarily of neighborhood and community shopping centers and, therefore, our performance is linked to general economic conditions in the market for retail space. The market for retail space has been and may continue tocould in the future be adversely affected by weakness in the national, regional and local economies where our properties are located, the adverse financial condition of some large retail companies, the ongoing consolidation in the retail sector, the excess amount of retail space in a number of markets and increasing consumer purchases through catalogs and the Internet. To the extent that any of these conditions occur,exist, they are likely to affect market rents for retail space. In addition, we may face challenges in the management and maintenance of the properties or encounter increased operating costs, such as real estate taxes, insurance and utilities, which may make our properties unattractive to tenants. A significant decrease in rental revenue and an inability to replace such revenues may adversely affect our profitability, the ability to meet debt and other financial obligations and make distributions to shareholders.

In addition, we may not be in a position or have the opportunity in the future to make suitable property acquisitions on advantageous terms due to competition for such properties with others engaged in real estate investment. Our inability to successfully acquire new properties may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Volatility in the capital markets could impact the availability of debt financing due to numerous factors, including the tightening of underwriting standards by lenders and credit rating agencies and the significant inventory of unsold collateralized mortgage-backed securities in the market.agencies. These factors directly affect a lender’s ability to provide debt financing as well as increase the cost of available debt financing. As a result, we may not be able to obtain favorable debt financing in the futureon favorable terms or at all. This may result in future acquisitions generating lower overall economic returns, which may adversely affect our results of operations and distributions to shareholders. Furthermore, any turmoil in the capital markets could adversely impact the overall amount of capital available to invest in real estate, which may result in price or value decreases of real estate assets.

Periodically, we assess whether there are any indicators that the value of our real estate assets, including any capitalized costs and any identifiable intangible assets, may be impaired. A property's value is impaired only if the estimate of the aggregate future undiscounted cash flows (undiscounted and without interest charges)charges to be generated by the property are less than the carrying value of the property. In estimating cash flows, we consider factors such as expected future operating income, trends and prospects, the effects of demand, competition and other factors. If we are evaluating the potential sale of an asset or development alternatives, the undiscounted future cash flows consider the most likely course of action at the balance sheet date based on current plans, intended holding periods and available market information. Determining whether a property is impaired and, if impaired, the amount of write-down to fair value requires a significant amount of judgment by management and is based on the best information available to management at the time of evaluation. If market conditions deteriorate or management’s plans for certain properties change, additional write-downs could be required in the future, and any future impairment could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the period in which the charge is taken.

Any of these actions could result in the termination of the tenants’ lease and the loss of rental income attributable to the terminated leases. In addition, lease terminations by an anchor tenant or a failure by that anchor tenant to occupy the premises could also result in lease terminations or reductions in rent by other tenants in the same shopping centerscenter under the terms of some leases. In these events, we cannot be sure that any tenant whose lease expires will renew that lease or that we will be able to re-lease space on economically advantageous terms. Furthermore, certain costs remain fixed even though a property may not be fully occupied. The loss of rental revenues from a number of our tenants and our inability to replace such tenants, particularly in the case of a substantial tenant with leases in multiple locations, may adversely affect our profitability, our ability to meet debt and other financial obligations and our ability to make distributions to the shareholders.

We compete with numerous developers, owners and operators of retail properties, many of which own properties similar to, and in the same market sectors as, our properties. If our competitors offer space at rental rates below current market rates, or below the rental rates we currently charge our tenants, we may lose existing or potential tenants, or we may be forced to reduce rental rates in order to attract new tenants and retain existing tenants when their leases expire.

Also, if our competitors develop additional retail properties in locations near our properties, there may be increased competition for customer traffic and creditworthinesscreditworthy tenants, which may result in fewer tenants or decreased cash flows from tenants, or both, and may require us to make capital improvements to properties that we would not have otherwise made. Our tenants also face increasing competition from other forms of marketing of goods, such as direct mail and Internet marketing, which may decrease cash flow from such tenants. As a result, our financial condition and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders may be adversely affected.

A tenant that files for bankruptcy protection may not continue to pay us rent. A bankruptcy filing by or relating to one of our tenants or a lease guarantor would bar all efforts by us to collect pre-bankruptcy debts from the tenant or the lease guarantor, or their property, unless the bankruptcy court permits us to do so. A tenant or lease guarantor bankruptcy could delay our efforts to collect past due balances under the relevant leases and could ultimately preclude collection of these sums. If a lease is rejected by a tenant in bankruptcy, we would have only a general unsecured claim for damages. As a result, it is likely that we would recover substantially less than the full value of any unsecured claims it holds, if at all.

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

These properties may have characteristics or deficiencies currently unknown to us that affect their value or revenue potential. It is also possible that the operating performance of these properties may decline under our management. As we acquire additional properties, we will be subject to risks associated with managing new properties, including lease-up and tenant retention. In addition, our ability to manage our growth effectively will require us to successfully integrate any new acquisitions into our existing management structure. We may not succeed with this integration or effectively manage additional properties. Also, newly acquired properties may not perform as expected.

Real estate property investments generally cannot be disposed of quickly. In addition, the Internal Revenue Code imposes restrictions on the ability of a REIT to dispose of properties that are not applicable to other types of real estate companies. Our ability to dispose of properties on advantageous terms depends on factors beyond our control, including competition from other sellers and the availability of attractive financing for potential buyers of our properties, and we cannot predict the various market conditions affecting real estate investments that will exist at any particular time in the future. Therefore, we may not be able to quickly vary our portfolio in response to economic or other conditions promptly or on favorable terms, which could cause us to incur extended losses and reduce our cash flows and adversely affect distributions to shareholders.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to recover the current carrying amount of all of our owned and partially owned non-core properties and investments in the state of Texas, and adverse economic and other developments in that area could have a material adverse effect on us.

If a property is mortgaged to secure payment of indebtedness and we cannot make the mortgage payments, we may have to surrender the property to the lender with a consequent loss of any prospective income and equity value from such property. Any of these risks can place strains on our cash flows, reduce our ability to grow and adversely affect our results of operations.

Our credit ratings are an assessment by rating agencies of our ability to pay our debts and preferred dividends when due. Consequently, real or anticipated changes in our credit ratings will generally affect the market value of our debt and preferred shares. Credit ratings may be revised or withdrawn at any time by the rating agency inat its sole discretion. Additionally, our revolving credit facility fees are based on our credit ratings. We do not undertake any obligation to maintain the ratings or to advise holders of our debt or preferred shares of any change in ratings. Each agency's rating should be evaluated independently of any other agency's rating.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain our current credit ratings. Adverse changes in our credit ratings could impair our ability to obtain additional debt and equity financing on favorable terms, if at all, and could significantly reduce the market price of our publicly tradedpublicly-traded securities.

We have indebtedness with interest rates that vary depending on market indices. Also, our credit facilities bear interest at variable rates. We may incur variable-rate debt in the future. Increases in interest rates on variable-rate debt would increase our interest expense, which would negatively affect net income and cash available for payment of our debt obligations and distributions to shareholders. In addition, an increase in interest rates could adversely affect the market value of our outstanding debt and preferred shares, as well as increase the cost of refinancing and the issuance of new debt or securities.

Our credit facilities and public debt indentures under which our indebtedness is, or may be, issued contain certain financial and operating covenants, including, among other things, certain coverage ratios, as well as limitations on our ability to incur secured and unsecured indebtedness, restrictions on our ability to sell all or substantially all of our assets and engage in mergers and consolidations and certain acquisitions. These covenants could limit our ability to obtain additional funds needed to address cash shortfalls or pursue growth opportunities or transactions that would provide substantial return to our shareholders. In addition, a breach of these covenants could cause a default under or accelerate some or all of our indebtedness, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Real estate partnership or joint venture investments may involve risks not otherwise present for investments made solely by us, including the possibility that our partner or co-venturer might become bankrupt, that our partner or co-venturer might at any time have different interests or goals than us, and that our partner or co-venturer may take action contrary to our instructions, requests, policies or objectives. Other risks of joint venture investments could include impasse on decisions, such as a sale or refinance, because neither our partner or co-venturer nor we would have full control over the partnership or joint venture. These factors could limit the return that we receive from those investments or cause our cash flows to be lower than our estimates.

Changes in control of our investments could result if any reconsideration events occur, such as amendments to our real estate joint venture and partnership agreements, changes in debt guarantees or changes in ownership due to required capital contributions, occur.contributions. Any changes in control will result in the revaluation of our investments to fair value, which could lead to an impairment. We are unable to predict whether, or to what extent, a change in control may result or the impact of adverse market and economic conditions may have to our partners.

Even if we remain qualified as a REIT, we may face other tax liabilities that reduce our cash flow. We may also be subject to certain U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income and property either directly or at the level of our subsidiaries. Any of these taxes would decrease cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

To maintain our status as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we must meet certain requirements, on an ongoing basis, including requirements regarding our sources of income, the nature and diversification of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our shareholders and the ownership of our common shares. We may also be required to make distributions to our shareholders when we do not have funds readily available for distribution or at times when our funds are otherwise needed to fund capital expenditures.expenditures or debt service obligations.

As a REIT, we must distribute at least 90% of our annual net taxable income (excluding net capital gains) to our shareholders. To the extent that we satisfy this distribution requirement, but distribute less than 100% of our net taxable income, we will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our undistributed taxable income. From time to time, we may generate taxable income greater than our income for financial reporting purposes, or our net taxable income may be greater than our cash flow available for distribution to our shareholders. If we do not have other funds available in these situations, we could be required to borrow funds, sell a portion of our securities at unfavorable prices or find other sources of funds in order to meet the REIT distribution requirements.

Effective January 1, 2013,In general, the maximum U.S. federal income tax rate for qualified dividends paid to individual U.S. shareholders is 20%. Unlike dividends received from a corporation that is not a REIT, our distributions to individual shareholders generally are not eligible for the reduced rates and are, consequently, taxed at ordinary income rates.

The timing, amount and composition of any future dividends to our common shareholders will be at the sole discretion of our Board of Trust Managers and will depend upon a variety of factors as to which no assurance can be given. Our ability to make dividends to our common shareholders depends, in part, upon our operating results, overall financial condition, the performance of our portfolio (including occupancy levels and rental rates), our capital requirements, access to capital, our ability to qualify for taxation as a REIT and general business and market conditions. Any change in our dividend policy could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common shares.

To maintain our status as a REIT, our declaration of trust prohibits any individual from owning more than 9.8% of our outstanding common shares. This restriction is likely to discourage third parties from acquiring control without the consent of our Board of Trust Managers, even if a change in control were in the best interests of our shareholders.

Also, our declaration of trust requires the approval of the holders of 80% of our outstanding common shares and the approval by not less than 50% of the outstanding common shares not owned by any related person (a person owning more than 50% of our common shares) to consummate a business transaction such as a merger. There are certain exceptions to this requirement; however, the 80% approval requirement could make it difficult for us to consummate a business transaction even if it is in the best interest of our shareholders.

Our declaration of trust authorizes our Board of Trust Managers to, among other things, issue additional common or preferred shares or securities convertible or exchangeable into equity securities, without shareholder approval. We may issue such additional equity or convertible securities to raise additional capital. The issuance of any additional common or preferred shares or convertible securities could be substantially dilutive to holders of our common shares. Moreover, to the extent that we issue restricted shares, options, or warrants to purchase our common shares in the future and those options or warrants are exercised or the restricted shares vest, our shareholders may experience further dilution. Holders of our common shares have no preemptive rights that entitle them to purchase a pro rata share of any offering of shares of any class or series and, therefore, such sales or offerings could result in increased dilution to our shareholders.

We may issue debt and equity securities or securities convertible into equity securities, any of which may be senior to our common shares as to distributions and in liquidation, which could negatively affect the value of our common shares.

In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by entering into unsecured or secured debt or debt-like financings, or by issuing additional debt or equity securities, which could include issuances of medium-term notes, senior notes, subordinated notes, secured debt, guarantees, preferred shares, hybrid securities, or securities convertible into or exchangeable for equity securities. In the event of our liquidation, our lenders and holders of our debt and preferred securities would receive distributions of our available assets before distributions to the holders of our common shares. Because any decision to incur debt and issue securities in future offerings may be influenced by market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, or nature of our future financings. Further, market conditions could require us to accept less favorable terms for the issuance of our securities in the future.

We are dependent on the efforts of our key executive personnel. Although we believe qualified replacements could be found for these key executives, the loss of their services could adversely affect the value of our common shares and operations.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), in conjunction with the SEC, has several key projects on their agenda that could impact how we currently account for our material transactions, including lease accounting and other convergence projects with the International Accounting Standards Board. We believe that these and other potential proposals could have varying degrees of impact on us ranging from minimal to material. At this time, we are unable to predict with certainty which, if any, proposals may be passed or what level of impact any such proposal could have on us.

All of our properties are required to comply with certain laws and governmental rules and regulations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, (“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 noncompliance 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 the ADA provisions, and typically under tenant leases are obligated to cover costs associated with 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, we could be required to expend funds to comply with the provisions of the ADA, which could adversely affect the results of operations and financial condition and our ability to make distributions to shareholders. In addition, we are required to operate the properties in compliance with fire and safety regulations, building codes and other land use regulations, as they may be in effect or adopted by governmental agencies and bodies and become applicable to theour properties. We may be required to make substantial capital expenditures to comply with those requirements, and these expenditures could have a material adverse effect on our ability to meet the financial obligations and make distributions to our shareholders.

Under the terms and conditions of the leases currently in force on our properties, tenants generally are required to indemnify and hold us harmless from liabilities resulting from injury to persons, air, water, land or property, on or off the premises, due to activities conducted on the properties, except for claims arising from our negligence or intentional misconduct or that of our agents. Tenants are generally required, at the tenant’s expense, to obtain and keep in full force during the term of the lease, liability and tenant's property damage insurance policies. We have obtained comprehensive liability, casualty, property, flood and rental loss insurance policies on our properties. All of these policies may involve substantial deductibles and certain exclusions. In addition, we cannot assure the shareholders that the tenants will properly maintain their insurance policies or have the ability to pay the deductibles. Should a loss occur that is uninsured or in an amount exceeding the combined aggregate limits for the policies noted above, or in the event of a loss that is subject to a substantial deductible under an insurance policy, we could lose all or part of our capital invested in, and anticipated revenue from, one or more of the properties, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition, as well as our ability to make distributions to the shareholders.

Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, we may be considered an owner or operator of real property or have arranged for the disposal or treatment of hazardous or toxic substances. As a result, we may become liable for the costs of disposal or treatment of hazardous or toxic substances released on or in our property. We may also be liable for certain other potential costs that could relate to hazardous or toxic substances (including governmental fines and injuries to persons and property). We may incur such liability whether or not we knew of, or were responsible for, the presence of such hazardous or toxic substances.

Changing weather patterns and climatic conditions, such as global warming, may have added to the unpredictability and frequency of natural disasters in some parts of the world and created additional uncertainty as to future trends and exposures. Our operations are located in many areas that are subject to natural disasters and severe weather conditions such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, droughts, floods and fires. The occurrence of natural disasters or severe weather conditions can delay new development projects, increase investment costs to repair or replace damaged properties, increase future property insurance costs, and negatively impact the tenant demand for lease space. If insurance is unavailable to us or is unavailable on acceptable terms, or if our insurance is not adequate to cover business interruption or losses from these events, our earnings, liquidity or capital resources could be adversely affected.

None.

Our shoppingcenters are designed to attract local area customers and are typically anchored by a supermarket or other national tenants (such as Kroger, Target or T.J. Maxx). The centers are primarily neighborhood and community shopping centers that often include discounters, warehouse clubs, dollar stores and specialty grocers as additional anchors or tenants, and typically range in size from 50,000 to 650,000 square feet of building area, as distinguished from large regional enclosed malls and small strip centers, which generally contain 5,000 to 25,000 square feet. Nonearea. Very few of the centers have climatizedclimate-controlled common areas, but are designed to allow retail customers to park their automobiles in close proximity to any retailer in the center. Our centers are customarily constructed of masonry, steel and glass, and all have lighted, paved parking areas, which are typically landscaped with berms, trees and shrubs. They are generally located at major intersections in close proximity to neighborhoods that have existing populations sufficient to support retail activities of the types conducted in our centers.