Personally, I hope the project doesn't get built in its current form... I think it should have far less retail and residential, more office and hotel space and otherwise be developed into something actually useful, like a community college or something along those lines.
EPA reviewing Cypress Creek Town Center again after prompting from U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor
St Petersburg Times
By Lisa Buie, Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, September 30, 2009
http://tampabay.com/news/growth/epa...ter-again-after-prompting-from-us-rep/1040188
WESLEY CHAPEL — U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, who raised concerns about the proposed Cypress Creek Town Center when she was a Hillsborough County commissioner, has called upon the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a further review of the project.
The EPA has agreed to look into the matter and will decide within two months whether to restrict the proposed 1 million-square-foot outdoor mall at Interstate 75 and State Road 56. The project is adjacent to Cypress Creek, a federally protected waterway that feeds into the Hillsborough River, a drinking water source.
"I ask you to give every due consideration to suspending this permit and examining the very serious environmental issues at stake," Castor, D-Tampa, wrote in a Sept. 15 letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. "Your agency has the authority … to restrict the permit until such time as it is modified to protect Cypress Creek."
The proposed mall is being developed by the Richard E. Jacobs Group of Cleveland and Sierra Properties of Tampa. Developers have said when all phases are complete, Cypress Creek Town Center is expected to provide more than 3,800 new full-time jobs, more than 1,000 construction jobs, annual revenue of $6 million for Pasco County and $2.4 million for the Pasco County School District.
The development has been controversial since the beginning, when environmentalists expressed concern about its possible effect on Hillsborough's drinking water.
In 2005, Castor urged Hillsborough commissioners to intervene in the state Department of Community Affairs' review of the project both on environmental grounds and the possible negative effects on University Mall, 10 miles away, in Tampa. Her statements about protecting the existing mall drew criticism from Pasco County commissioners.
Castor's press secretary, Ellen Gedalius, said Tuesday that Castor's current interest in the proposed mall was based solely on environmental concerns.
"It had been an issue for quite a long time, and she wants the EPA to take a fresh look," Gedalius said.
A reply sent to Castor on Tuesday from the EPA's acting regional administrator promised an independent review and decision within 60 days.
Acting regional Administrator Stanley Meiburg wrote that EPA staffers had already reviewed the findings of the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the project but "due to time and resource constraints" were unable to visit the site.
"Based on detailed discussions with the corps staff and other state and federal resource agencies, EPA determined the applicant had sufficiently avoided and minimized impacts to wetland resources" and that the developers' mitigation plans were sufficient to compensate for "the proposed unavoidable impacts."
However, after receiving Castor's letter as well as information received since the corps issued its findings, the agency has decided to review the matter.
This is the latest in a series of snags to hit the proposed mall. Plans were put on hold for 18 months when the Army Corps of Engineers suspended the mall's permit after muddy water flowed into Cypress Creek. The corps reinstated the permit on Sept. 4 after the developers agreed to a $297,000 fine for violating the Clean Water Act.
The Sierra Club also has sued the corps over its decision to issue the permit, and Kearney Construction LLC, which did earthwork for the mall and later filed for bankruptcy, has sued the developers over $1.6 million it says it is owed for work after changes were put in place to protect Cypress Creek.
Those cases are pending.
Mall spokeswoman Deanne Roberts said Tuesday the developers have received no notification from the EPA and therefore had no comment.
EPA reviewing Cypress Creek Town Center again after prompting from U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor
St Petersburg Times
By Lisa Buie, Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, September 30, 2009
http://tampabay.com/news/growth/epa...ter-again-after-prompting-from-us-rep/1040188
WESLEY CHAPEL — U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, who raised concerns about the proposed Cypress Creek Town Center when she was a Hillsborough County commissioner, has called upon the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a further review of the project.
The EPA has agreed to look into the matter and will decide within two months whether to restrict the proposed 1 million-square-foot outdoor mall at Interstate 75 and State Road 56. The project is adjacent to Cypress Creek, a federally protected waterway that feeds into the Hillsborough River, a drinking water source.
"I ask you to give every due consideration to suspending this permit and examining the very serious environmental issues at stake," Castor, D-Tampa, wrote in a Sept. 15 letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. "Your agency has the authority … to restrict the permit until such time as it is modified to protect Cypress Creek."
The proposed mall is being developed by the Richard E. Jacobs Group of Cleveland and Sierra Properties of Tampa. Developers have said when all phases are complete, Cypress Creek Town Center is expected to provide more than 3,800 new full-time jobs, more than 1,000 construction jobs, annual revenue of $6 million for Pasco County and $2.4 million for the Pasco County School District.
The development has been controversial since the beginning, when environmentalists expressed concern about its possible effect on Hillsborough's drinking water.
In 2005, Castor urged Hillsborough commissioners to intervene in the state Department of Community Affairs' review of the project both on environmental grounds and the possible negative effects on University Mall, 10 miles away, in Tampa. Her statements about protecting the existing mall drew criticism from Pasco County commissioners.
Castor's press secretary, Ellen Gedalius, said Tuesday that Castor's current interest in the proposed mall was based solely on environmental concerns.
"It had been an issue for quite a long time, and she wants the EPA to take a fresh look," Gedalius said.
A reply sent to Castor on Tuesday from the EPA's acting regional administrator promised an independent review and decision within 60 days.
Acting regional Administrator Stanley Meiburg wrote that EPA staffers had already reviewed the findings of the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the project but "due to time and resource constraints" were unable to visit the site.
"Based on detailed discussions with the corps staff and other state and federal resource agencies, EPA determined the applicant had sufficiently avoided and minimized impacts to wetland resources" and that the developers' mitigation plans were sufficient to compensate for "the proposed unavoidable impacts."
However, after receiving Castor's letter as well as information received since the corps issued its findings, the agency has decided to review the matter.
This is the latest in a series of snags to hit the proposed mall. Plans were put on hold for 18 months when the Army Corps of Engineers suspended the mall's permit after muddy water flowed into Cypress Creek. The corps reinstated the permit on Sept. 4 after the developers agreed to a $297,000 fine for violating the Clean Water Act.
The Sierra Club also has sued the corps over its decision to issue the permit, and Kearney Construction LLC, which did earthwork for the mall and later filed for bankruptcy, has sued the developers over $1.6 million it says it is owed for work after changes were put in place to protect Cypress Creek.
Those cases are pending.
Mall spokeswoman Deanne Roberts said Tuesday the developers have received no notification from the EPA and therefore had no comment.