Matthew B. Whalen, VP, Development, AvalonBay Communities, Inc. The Garden City Chamber of Commerce cordially invites members of the Garden City business and residentials to attend its 2009 kick-off luncheon on January 9 at the Garden City Hotel when Matthew B. Whalen, Vice President of Development, AvalonBay Communities, Inc., will report on its conditional proposal to de-velop St. Paul's School. This past October, the Village of Garden City had designated AvalonBay to work with the Village in continuing negotiations regarding the possibility of preserving St. Paul's by permitting residential rental apartments, the possibility of yet-to-be-determined "public use," with playing fields remaining in tact.

The Chamber luncheon will provide one of the first opportunities to hear the current status of AvalonBay's on-going negotiations with the Village and for the provision of input toward the best possible final result for the development of St. Paul's. (Additional presentations are currently in process by our four property owners' associations.)

AvalonBay Communities, Inc. is a real estate investment trust("REIT") in the business of developing, acquiring and managing high-quality apartment communities in the high barrier-to-entry markets of the United States. These markets are located in the North-east, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Pacific Northwest and Northern and Southern California regions of the country. At the end of September 2007, AvalonBay owned or held an interest in 182 apartment communities in ten states and the District of Columbia. AvalonBay's common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "AVB."

Matthew Whalen will discuss the present status of AvalonBay's conditional proposal. Prior to joining AvalonBay in 2003, Matt was Director for the Northeast Region for Cogent Communications, an optical networking company bringing fiber optics to office buildings in New York, Philadelphia and Boston. He was responsible for leading a team of professionals to build Cogent's nationwide network of multi-tenant office buildings and for the daily operations of Cogent's New York office. Previously, Matt was a Senior Director at AvalonBay responsible for acquisitions and development in the New York region in 1999 and 2000.

The Chamber luncheon program will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a reception and showcase of various member businesses. Luncheon will be served promptly at 12:30. Advance reservations are required at $60 per person for Chamber members: $65 for non-members. There will be open seting with tables of 8 or 10 rewerved upon request. Sponsorships offering many benefits are available. To reserve, call (516) 746-7724, ext. 101; mail checks payable to the Garden City Chamber of Commerce to 230 Seventh Street; or register on line at www.GardenCityChamber.org .