12-20-2005 17:56
We’re pleased to announce your chance at a free 4-month lease in the shops in Luna Oaks Galleria and Busy Ben’s Vehicle Lot! Please be aware that we have changed the historic method of distribution of parcels, read more below.

== Background ==
The Luna Oaks Galleria and Busy Ben’s Vehicle Emporium (in Oak Grove) offer some of Second Life’s most desirable retail space, and both of these premier locations are ready to offer four-month leases to a limited number of new merchants, with an updated program design.

The Galleria offers a varied range of shop sizes, from 16 square meter Kiosks all the way up to breathtaking 1,300 square meter anchor stores – all boasting primitive allocations five-times above the norm. Busy Ben serves vehicle dealers with leases on individual plots of 32 or 96 square meters, featuring vehicle-friendly prim allocations, with the larger lots holding up to three vehicles for sale.

For the first time since the program’s inception, we will be opening up the Busy Ben and Luna lottery to both premium and basic Residents. We will be setting the land in both spaces to special merchant groups that lottery winners will be invited to. We will no longer be managining land auctions in these areas, the spots will only be given out via lottery.


== The New Process: ==
Linden Lab will hold two different lotteries for each location (Busy Ben and Luna), one for the smaller lots and one for the larger lots. Residents will be able to enter the lottery by posting to this thread. All winners will be selected through a blind-lottery held by Linden Lab on or about January 4, 2006. Winners will be announced here in the forums.

Parcel winners will be invited into the appropriate land owners group and assigned a parcel of land. Winners will not be able to sell or transfer land, nor will they be able to rename it or release it.Prim limits per plot will have to be checked periodically to ensure a plot owner does not exceed their allocation. Autoreturn will prevent junk from collecting in the area. At the end of the 4-month lease, all existing members will be ejected from the group, and the new plot owners will be added.


== Lottery Information: ==
We will hold two separate lotteries for each location. The first will award leases for smaller retail spots (40 smaller shops at the Galleria and 38 single-vehicle stalls, several in each category at Ben's). The second lottery will award leases for the larger spaces available at each location (six premium stores at the Galleria and four multi-vehicle plots, one in each category, at Ben’s). You are only able to enter ONE lottery.

Lottery entries are due no later than January 3 at 10AM PDT. The first ten names drawn in the Galleria lottery will be awarded 64 square meter “walk-in” spaces supporting 33 primitives, the next eight names drawn will be awarded 32 square meter “stands” with a 15 prim allowance, and the final next 22 entrants selected will get 16 square meter “kiosks” with seven prims available. All lottery plots will be assigned.

Please note, entries for the Busy Ben’s lottery must state their category preference (Auto, Boat, Flying Craft, Motorcycle, or Hoverboard) along with second and third choices.


== The Fine Print: ==
All current occupants will need to clear out their items by Midnight (PDT) on January 8, 2006. New occupants will be able to move in on January 15, 2006, no later than 1PM PDT.

Only one lottery entry per person. Anyone entering an alt account will be disqualified. Current occupants are allowed to enter the lottery.

All of those who receive a parcel in the lottery will receive a four-month lease during which they may sell their own items and those created by other Residents. Winners will be unable to sell or transfer their parcel.

Modification of the Galleria structures will be limited to interior changes that are not apparent from the outside and signs must be no higher than the top of the store. In Luna, items for sale must be inside your shop or kiosk. No items for sale are allowed on the concrete area in front of the shops.

You may hold events and gatherings at the Galleria and Ben’s, and merchants are more than welcome to direct shoppers to larger outlets in other regions -- "If you like what you see here, grab this landmark and visit my main store."

Items for sale must be no higher then store ceilings. Other items such as plants or non-for sale items can be placed on the concrete area directly in front of stores that is a part of that stores design. Please keep content PG as these are PG areas.

Please no looping sound files. Please no scripts that would cause area lag. Please no particles used that would drift off the size of your plot.If you win but for some reason you don't want the plot, you must notify Mick Linden.

Please IM Mick Linden if you have further questions.

== Enter Now! ==
To enter the lottery for the Luna or Busy Ben lots, please post here:
/108/e3/78634/1.html#post811203/108/e3/78634/1.html#post811203
(Be sure to indicate which lottery you are entering!)