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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Reverse Stock Split

On November 25, 2020, the Company effected a 1-for-6.6 reverse stock split of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Each 6.6 shares of the Company's issued and outstanding common stock were combined into one share of the Company's common stock. The number of authorized shares and the par value of the common stock were not changed. In addition, the Company amended the Limited Partnership Agreement of our Operating Partnership to effect a corresponding reverse split of the partnership interests of the Operating Partnership. In accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), all shares of common stock, restricted stock units, OP Units and per share/unit information that are presented in this Form 10-K were adjusted to reflect the reverse split on a retroactive basis for all periods presented.

Principles of Consolidation/Basis of Preparation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts and operations of the Company, the Operating Partnership, its subsidiaries, and certain joint venture partnerships in which it participates. The Company consolidates all variable interest entities (“VIEs”) for which it is the primary beneficiary. Generally, a VIE is an entity with one or more of the following characteristics: (1) the total equity investment at risk is not sufficient to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support, (2) as a group, the holders of the equity investment at risk (a) lack the power through voting or similar rights to make decisions about the entity’s activities that significantly impact the entity’s performance, (b) have no obligation to absorb the expected losses of the entity, or (c) have no right to receive the expected residual returns of the entity, or (3) the equity investors have voting rights that are not proportional to their economic interests, and substantially all of the entity’s activities either involve, or are conducted on behalf of, an investor that has disproportionately fewer voting rights. A VIE is required to be consolidated by its primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary of a VIE has (1) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance, and (2) the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could be significant to the VIE. Significant judgments related to these determinations include estimates about the current values, performance of real estate held by these VIEs, and general market conditions.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance which amended the consolidation requirements, including introducing a separate consolidation analysis specific to limited partnerships and other similar entities. Under the analysis, limited partnerships and other similar entities will be considered variable interest entities unless the limited partners hold substantive kick-out rights or participating rights. The guidance was adopted on January 1, 2016. The Company has a 60%-owned joint venture originally formed to develop the project known as Crossroads II. This joint venture is consolidated as it is deemed to be a VIE and the Company is the primary beneficiary. The Company (1) guaranteed all related debt, (2) does not require its partners to fund additional capital requirements, (3) has an economic interest greater than its voting proportion and (4) directs the management activities that significantly

impact the performance of the joint venture. At December 31, 2021, this VIE owned real estate with a carrying value of $36.2 million and no mortgage loan payable.

 The accompanying financial statements are prepared on the accrual basis in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), which requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the periods covered by the financial statements. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Real Estate Investments

Real estate investments are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation. The provision for depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method based upon the estimated useful lives of the respective assets of between 3 and 40 years, with buildings being depreciated at the upper end of the range. Depreciation expense amounted to $36.3 million, $43.6 million and $41.8 million for 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Expenditures for betterments that substantially extend the useful lives of the assets are capitalized. Expenditures for maintenance, repairs, and betterments that do not substantially prolong the normal useful life of an asset are charged to operations as incurred.

Real estate investments include costs of development and redevelopment activities, and construction in progress. Capitalized costs, including interest and other carrying costs during the construction and/or renovation periods, are included in the cost of the related asset and charged to operations through depreciation over the asset’s estimated useful life. A variety of costs are incurred in the development and leasing of a property, such as pre-construction costs essential to the development of the property, development costs, construction costs, interest costs, real estate taxes, salaries and related costs, and other costs incurred during the period of development. After a determination is made to capitalize a cost, it is allocated to the specific component of a project that is benefited. The Company ceases capitalization on the portions substantially completed and occupied, or held available for occupancy, and capitalizes only those costs associated with the portions under development. The Company considers a construction project to be substantially completed and held available for occupancy upon the completion of tenant improvements, but not later than one year from cessation of major construction activity.

The Company allocates the fair value of real estate acquired to land, buildings and improvements. In addition, the fair value of in-place leases is allocated to intangible lease assets and liabilities. The fair value of the tangible assets of an acquired property is determined by valuing the property as if it were vacant, which value is then allocated to land, buildings and improvements based on management’s determination of the fair values of these assets. In valuing an acquired property’s intangibles, factors considered by management include an estimate of carrying costs during the expected lease-up periods, such as real estate taxes, insurance, other operating expenses, and estimates of lost rental revenue during the expected lease-up periods based on its evaluation of current market demand. Management also estimates costs to execute similar leases, including leasing commissions, tenant improvements, legal and other related costs.

The values of acquired above-market and below-market leases are recorded based on the present values (using discount rates which reflect the risks associated with the leases acquired) of the differences between the contractual amounts to be received and management’s estimate of market lease rates, measured over the terms of the respective leases that management deemed appropriate at the time of the acquisitions. Such valuations include consideration of the non-cancellable terms of the respective leases as well as any applicable renewal periods. The fair values associated with below-market rental renewal options are determined based on the Company’s experience and the relevant facts and circumstances that existed at the time of the acquisitions. The values of above-market leases are amortized to rental income over the terms of the respective non-cancelable lease periods. The portion of the values of below-market leases associated with the original non-cancelable lease terms are amortized to rental income over the terms of the respective non-cancelable lease periods.  The portion of the values of the leases associated with below-market renewal options that are likely of exercise are amortized to rental income over the respective renewal periods. The value of other intangible assets (including leasing commissions, tenant improvements, etc.) is amortized to expense over the applicable terms of the respective leases. If a lease were to be terminated prior to its stated expiration or not renewed, all unamortized amounts relating to that lease would be recognized in operations at that time.

Management reviews each real estate investment for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of a real estate investment may not be recoverable. The review of recoverability of real estate investments held for use is based on an estimate of the future cash flows that are expected to result from the real estate investment’s use and eventual disposition. These cash flows consider factors such as expected future operating income, trends and prospects, as well as the effects of leasing demand, capital

expenditures, competition and other factors. If an impairment event exists due to the projected inability to recover the carrying value of a real estate investment, an impairment loss is recorded to the extent that the carrying value exceeds estimated fair value. 

Properties Held For Sale

The Company follows the guidance for reporting discontinued operations, whereby a disposal of an individual property or group of properties is required to be reported in “discontinued operations” only if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has, or will have, a major effect on the Company’s operations and financial results. The results of operations for those properties not meeting such criteria are reported in “continuing operations” in the consolidated statements of operations.

The carrying values of the assets and liabilities of properties determined to be held for sale, principally the net book values of the real estate and the related mortgage loans payable expected to be assumed by the buyers, are reclassified as “held for sale” on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets at the time such determinations are made, on a prospective basis only. In addition, the Company anticipates that sales of all such properties remaining classified as “held for sale” at the balance sheet date will be concluded within one year from such date.

The Company, when applicable, conducts a continuing review of the values for all properties “held for sale” based on final sales prices and sales contracts entered into. Impairment charges/reversals, if applicable, are based on a comparison of the carrying values of the properties with either (1) actual sales prices less costs to sell for properties sold, or contract amounts less costs to sell for properties in the process of being sold, (2) estimated sales prices, less costs to sell, based on discounted cash flow analyses, if no contract amounts are being negotiated (see Note 4 - “Fair Value Measurements”), or (3) with respect to land parcels, estimated sales prices, less costs to sell, based on comparable sales completed in the selected market areas. Prior to the Company’s determination to dispose of properties, which are subsequently reclassified to “held for sale”, the Company performed recoverability analyses based on the estimated undiscounted cash flows that were expected to result from the real estate investments’ use and eventual disposal. The projected undiscounted cash flows of each property reflects that the carrying value of each real estate investment would be recovered. However, as a result of the properties’ meeting the “held for sale” criteria, such properties were written down to the lower of their carrying value and estimated fair values less costs to sell.

Cash and Cash Equivalents / Restricted Cash

Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash in banks and short-term investments with original maturities when purchased of less than ninety days, and include cash at a consolidated joint venture of $0.2 million at December 31, 2021 and cash at consolidated joint ventures of $0.2 million at December 31, 2020.

The terms of mortgage loans payable may require the Company to deposit certain replacement and other reserves with its lenders. Such “restricted cash” is generally available only for property-level requirements for which the reserves have been established.

Fair Value Measurements

The accounting guidance for fair value measurement establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes observable and unobservable inputs used to measure fair value into three levels:

 

Level 1 – Inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

 

Level 2 – Inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument.

 

Level 3 – Inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.

The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to Level 1 inputs and the lowest priority to Level 3 inputs. In determining fair value, the Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible while also considering counterparty credit risk in the assessment of fair value.

Revenue Recognition and Receivables

Management has determined that all of the Company’s leases with its various tenants are operating leases. Rental income with scheduled rent increases is recognized using the straight-line method over the respective non-cancelable terms of the leases. The aggregate excess of rental revenue recognized on a straight-line basis over the contractual base rents is included in receivables on the consolidated balance sheet. Leases also generally contain provisions under which the tenants reimburse the Company for a portion of property operating expenses and real estate taxes incurred, generally attributable to their respective allocable portions of gross leasable area. Such income is recognized in the periods earned. In addition, a limited number of operating leases contain contingent rent provisions under which tenants are required to pay, as additional rent, a percentage of their sales in excess of a specified amount. The Company defers recognition of contingent rental income until those specified sales targets are met. Revenues also include items such as lease termination fees, which tend to fluctuate more than rents from year to year. Termination fees are fees that the Company has agreed to accept in consideration for permitting certain tenants to terminate their lease prior to the contractual expiration. The Company recognizes lease termination income when the following conditions are met: (1) the lease termination agreement has been executed, (2) the lease termination fee is determinable, (3) all the Company’s landlord services pursuant to the terminated lease have been rendered, and (4) collectability of the lease termination fee is assured.

In November 2018, the FASB clarified the existing accounting treatment relating to receivables arising from operating leases, stating that such receivables are not within the scope of the expected credit loss standard and that impairment of receivables arising from operating leases should be accounted for in accordance with the recently-adopted lease accounting standard. This required the Company, as of January 1, 2019, to review its existing lease portfolio to determine if all future lease payments are probable of collection and, if the Company determined that all future lease payments are not probable of collection, the Company will account for these leases on a cash basis. This required that all amounts that were historically recorded as bad debt expense, and previously included in operating expenses in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations, now be recorded as a direct reduction of rental revenues. In accordance with this guidance, $0.7 million, $8.3 million and $2.4 million of rental revenue relating to certain leases that were no longer deemed probable of collection were not recorded as rental revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Of these amounts, $0.2 million, $1.4 million and $0.3 million, respectively, represented deferred rent receivables that were written-off for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. The allowance for doubtful accounts was $2.2 million and $1.4 million at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The provision for doubtful accounts (included in operating, maintenance and management expenses) was $1.1 million, $1.5 million and $0.4 million in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Segment Information

The Company’s primary business is the ownership and operation of grocery-anchored shopping centers. The Company reviews operating and financial information for each property on an individual basis and, accordingly, each property represents an individual operating segment. The Company evaluates financial performance using property operating income, which consists of rental income and other property income, less operating expenses and real estate taxes. No individual property constitutes more than 10% of the Company’s revenues or property operating income, and the Company has no operations outside of the United States of America. Therefore, the Company has aggregated its properties into one reportable segment as the properties share similar long-term economic characteristics and have other similarities including the fact that they are operated using consistent business strategies, are typically located in major metropolitan areas, and have similar tenant mixes.

Income Taxes

The Company, organized in 1984, has elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). A REIT will generally not be subject to federal income taxation on that portion of its income that qualifies as REIT taxable income, to the extent that it distributes at least 90% of such REIT taxable income to its stockholders and complies with certain other requirements. As of December 31, 2021, the Company was in compliance with all REIT requirements.

The Company follows a two-step approach for evaluating uncertain federal, state and local tax positions. Recognition (step one) occurs when an enterprise concludes that a tax position, based solely on its technical merits, is more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination. Measurement (step two) determines the amount of benefit that more-likely-than-not will be realized upon settlement. Derecognition of a tax position that was previously recognized would occur when a company subsequently determines that a tax position no longer meets the more-likely-than-not threshold of being sustained. The Company has not identified any uncertain tax positions which would require an accrual.

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company occasionally utilizes derivative financial instruments, principally interest rate swaps, to manage its exposure to fluctuations in interest rates. The Company has established policies and procedures for risk assessment, and the approval, reporting and monitoring of derivative financial instruments. Derivative financial instruments must be effective in reducing the Company’s interest rate risk exposure in order to qualify for hedge accounting. When the terms of an underlying transaction are modified, or when the underlying hedged item ceases to exist, all changes in the fair value of the instrument are marked-to-market with changes in value included in net income for each period until the derivative financial instrument matures or is settled. Any derivative financial instrument used for risk management that does not meet the hedging criteria is marked-to-market with the changes in value included in net income. The Company has not entered into, and does not plan to enter into, derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

Share-Based Compensation

During 2017, the Company’s shareholders approved the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”), which replaced the Company’s 2012 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2012 Plan”). As of the effective date of the 2017 Plan, the Company may not grant any further awards under the 2012 Plan. The 2017 Plan establishes the procedures for the granting of, among other things, restricted stock awards. On May 1, 2019, the Company’s shareholders approved an amendment to the 2017 Plan, which increased the maximum number of shares of the Company’s common stock that may be issued pursuant to the 2017 Plan by 303,000 shares, to a new total of 909,000 shares (see Note 14 – “Share-Based Compensation”), and the maximum number of shares that may be granted to a participant in any calendar year may not exceed 76,000. All grants issued pursuant to the 2017 Plan generally vest (1) at the end of designated time periods for time-based grants, or (2) upon the completion of a designated period of performance for performance-based grants and satisfaction of performance criteria. Time–based grants are valued according to the market price for the Company’s common stock at the date of grant. For performance-based grants, the Company generally engages an independent appraisal company to determine the value of the shares at the date of grant, taking into account the underlying contingency risks associated with the performance criteria. The value of all grants are being expensed on a straight-line basis over their respective vesting periods (irrespective of achievement of the market performance-based grants) adjusted, as applicable, for forfeitures. For restricted share grants subject to graded vesting, the amounts expensed are at least equal to the measured expense of each vested tranche. Based on the terms of the 2017 Plan, those grants of restricted shares that are contributed to the Rabbi Trusts are classified as treasury stock on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.

Supplemental Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Information

 

 

 

Years ended December 31,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

Supplemental disclosure of cash activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid for interest

 

$

20,219,000

 

 

$

23,208,000

 

 

$

23,859,000

 

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capitalization of interest and financing costs

 

 

3,399,000

 

 

 

2,674,000

 

 

 

1,649,000

 

Buildings and improvements included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities

 

 

871,000

 

 

 

2,976,000

 

 

 

3,669,000

 

Recognition of right-of-use assets and related lease liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

703,000

 

 

 

13,778,000

 

 

 

Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance amending the existing accounting standards for lease accounting, including requiring lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets and making targeted changes to lessor accounting. The guidance, effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning on or after December 15, 2018, requires lessees to apply a dual approach, classifying leases as either finance or operating leases based on the principle of whether or not the lease is effectively a financed purchase of the leased asset by the lessee. This classification will determine whether the lease expense is recognized based on an effective interest method or on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. The Company is not required to reassess the classification of existing ground leases where it is the lessee and therefore these leases will continue to be accounted for as operating leases. A lessee is also required to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term of greater than twelve months regardless of their classification. Leases with a term of twelve months or less continue to be accounted for pursuant to existing guidance for operating leases. Based on the Company’s future obligations under its ground lease and executive office lease agreements for which the Company is the lessee, the newly adopted guidance resulted in the recognition of (1) right-of-use assets of $14.6 million included in other assets and deferred charges, net, and (2) right-of-use liabilities of $14.6 million included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities, on the Company’s

consolidated balance sheet as of January 1, 2019. In the event the Company modifies existing ground leases or enters into new ground leases after adoption of the new standard, such leases may be classified as finance leases. Additionally, the guidance requires that lessees and lessors capitalize, as initial direct costs, only those costs that are incurred due to the execution of a lease. Under this guidance, allocated payroll costs and other costs that are incurred regardless of whether the lease is obtained will no longer be capitalized as initial direct costs and instead will be expensed as incurred. During 2019, the Company expensed $2.8 million of leasing costs which would have previously been capitalized.

 

The FASB provided lessors with a practical expedient, elected by class of underlying asset, to account for lease and non-lease components as a single lease component if certain criteria are met. Lessors that make these elections are required to provide additional disclosures. The FASB provided an additional (and optional) transition method that allows entities to initially apply the guidance at the adoption date (January 1, 2019) and recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. The Company applied both these practical expedients upon adoption. The practical expedient allowed the Company to not separate expenses reimbursed by customers from the associated rental revenue if certain criteria were met. The Company assessed these criteria and concluded that the timing and pattern of transfer for rental revenue and the associated rental expense recoveries are the same and, as the leases qualify as operating leases, the Company accounted for and presented rents and expense recoveries as a single component under rental revenues in the consolidated statement of operations for 2019.  

 

In November 2018, the FASB clarified the existing accounting treatment relating to receivables arising from operating leases, stating that such receivables are not within the scope of the expected credit loss standard and that impairment of receivables arising from operating leases should be accounted for in accordance with the recently-adopted lease accounting standard. This required the Company to review its existing lease portfolio to determine if all future lease payments are probable of collection and, if the Company determined that all future lease payments are not probable of collection, the Company will account for these leases on a cash basis. This required that all amounts that were historically recorded as bad debt expense, and previously included in operating expenses in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations, now be recorded as a direct reduction of rental revenues. As permitted by the standard upon adoption, the Company recorded a $0.5 million prior-period adjustment to opening equity which the Company has reflected in the consolidated statement of equity for 2019.

 

In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance which enhances the methodology of measuring expected credit losses to include the use of forward-looking information to better calculate credit loss estimates. The guidance will apply to most financial assets measured at amortized cost and certain other instruments, including accounts receivable, loans, held-to-maturity debt securities, net investments in leases, and off-balance-sheet credit exposures. The guidance will require that the Company estimate the lifetime expected credit loss with respect to these receivables and record allowances that, when deducted from the balance of the receivables, represent the net amounts expected to be collected. The Company will also be required to disclose information about how it developed the allowances, including changes in the factors that influenced the Company’s estimate of expected credit losses and the reasons for those changes. The guidance was effective January 1, 2020, and the guidance did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

In April 2020, the FASB issued a question-and-answer document (the “Lease Modification Q&A”) focused on the application of lease accounting guidance to lease concessions provided as a result of a novel strain of coronavirus (“COVID-19”). Under existing lease guidance, the Company would have to determine, on a lease by lease basis, if a lease concession was the result of a new arrangement reached with the tenant (treated with the lease modification accounting framework) or if a lease concession was under the enforceable rights and obligations within the existing lease agreement (precluded from applying the lease modification accounting framework). The Lease Modification Q&A clarifies that entities may elect to not evaluate whether lease-related relief that lessors provide to mitigate the economic effects of COVID-19 on lessees is a lease modification under ASC 842. Instead, an entity that elects not to evaluate whether a concession directly related to COVID-19 is a modification can then elect whether to apply the modification guidance (i.e., assume the relief was always contemplated by the contract or assume the relief was not contemplated by the contract). Both lessees and lessors may make this election. The Company evaluated its election on a disaggregated basis, with such election applied consistently to leases with similar characteristics and similar circumstances.

 

During 2021 and 2020, the Company provided lease concessions to certain tenants in response to the impact of COVID-19, in the form of rent deferrals. The Company has made an election to account for such lease concessions consistent with how those concessions would be accounted for under ASC 842 if enforceable rights and obligations for those concessions had already existed in the leases. This election is available for concessions related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that do not result in a substantial increase in our rights as lessor, including concessions that result in the total payments required by the modified lease being substantially the same as or less than total payments required by the original lease.

 

Substantially all of the Company’s concessions to date provide for a deferral of payments with no substantive changes to the consideration in the original lease. These deferrals affect the timing, but not the amount, of the lease payments. The Company is accounting for these deferrals as if no changes to the lease were made. Under this accounting, the Company increases its receivables as tenant payments accrue and continues to recognize rental income. During 2020 and 2021, the Company has entered into lease modifications that deferred approximately $3.5 million, of which $2.4 million relates to deferrals that the Company continued to recognize rental income. In addition, during 2020 and 2021, the Company has entered into agreements that waived approximately $2.4 million of rent.