Developer Wants "Downtown Affect" with Wesley Chapel Mall

[FloridaFuture]

Here's an intriguing village project....

Mall At Wiregrass Makes A Village
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By MICHAEL SASSO msasso@tampatrib.com

Published: May 18, 2006



WESLEY CHAPEL - To hear mall builders talk about their projects these days, it sounds as if they aren't building shopping centers anymore. They're building "pedestrian villages" and "town centers" with retail, according to the current industry jargon.

The latest example is The Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel. On Wednesday, the developers of this planned open-air mall unveiled their plan to create an urban village feel in the heart of suburbia. To do it, developers Goodman Co. of West Palm Beach and Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises propose to build 12 separate retail buildings instead of one massive building and to give each its own mix of columns, towers or other architectural features.

They also propose heavy use of brick pavers, tree-lined curving streets, fountains and outdoor seating. Put into context, the plan for The Shops at Wiregrass is part of a nationwide movement away from traditional enclosed malls, such as Tampa's University Mall.

"This will be a place where people will come on a Sunday afternoon to just hang out," said John Dowd of Goodman Co.

The Shops at Wiregrass, which is planned for the intersection of State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, is one of three huge outdoor malls planned for Pasco County. The others are Cypress Creek Town Center, at S.R. 56 and Interstate 75, and The Grove at Wesley Chapel, at S.R. 54 and I-75.

So far, The Shops at Wiregrass developers have only announced two tenants, JCPenney (which is already open) and Dillard's. Marquee Cinemas was to be a third anchor, but pulled out of the project, Dowd said.

The mall is expected to cost $105 million to build. Among its features, unveiled Wednesday, are:

•A semicircular format. Forest City Vice President Jim Richardson said the mall's main road will follow a curve, preventing people from seeing the end of the road. That will focus their attention on the buildings and create an urban feel, he said.

•Detached buildings. All told, the mall will be 750,000 square feet (or about three-fourths the size of a modern enclosed mall), but it will have 12 buildings instead of one. In general, the buildings will use earth tones and Mediterranean styles.

•An upscale restaurant area. The Shops at Wiregrass will create an area near its main entrance for full-service restaurants, including outdoor seating. That would be similar to other area malls that have created restaurant wings, such as WestShore Plaza and International Plaza.

The Shops at Wiregrass is following a multi-year trend toward building open-air centers. Technically, the project is considered a "lifestyle center," which refers to an outdoor center with an urban streetscape feel. According to ICSC statistics, there are about 30 such lifestyle centers expected to open this year in the United States. By comparison, there is only one traditional enclosed mall expected to open this year, in Jonesboro, Ark.

The Shops At Wiregrass
•Size: 750,000 square feet

•Completion: Fall 2007

•Location: State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard

•Developers: Goodman Co., West Palm Beach; Forest City Enterprises, Cleveland

•Major Tenants: JCPenney, which opened in October, and Dillard's

http://www.tbo.com/news/money/MGB30E5FCNE.html

[TampaMike]

What the hell is going on with the Cypress Creek developement? This is bugging me.

[FloridaFuture]

Its facing heavy opposition from residents and enviormentalist. Residents complain about traffic and Enviormentalis claim the pollution will damge the local watershed due tot the location being on or near water-filtering-land. It may not happen from what i hear.

[Jasonhouse]

lol... what a crock article.