By Matt Wiley
During the past several months, there have been periodic rumblings about future development at the long-vacant Cypress Creek Town Center Development of Regional Impact (DRI) on the north and south sides of S.R. 56, just west of I-75. However, an updated site plan has been submitted to Pasco County and the development of the long-awaited outlet mall portion of the project looks as if it’s all but moving forward.
that is located entirely south of S.R. 56, on behalf of Tampa Premium Outlets, LLC, and the Richard Jacobs Group, which co-owns the property with the Simon Property Group.
“The plans have been revised to reflect the joint development of the property by JG Cypress Creek, LLC, and Tampa Premium Outlets, LLC, into a Premium Outlets Mall with future retail,” wrote Linden. “And, even the internal layout of the buildings, access drives, parking lot and other site features (related to the mall) have all been revised.”
Linden also wrote that the project would be divided into phases, the first of which has been submitted to the county for approval and details construction of the outlet mall, the “spine road” that borders the front parking lot of the mall that will be named Grand Cypress Dr., as well as the overall infrastructure for the south side of the development.
The 56-acre site for the outlet mall is Phase 1 of seven on the south side of S.R. 56 and the mall will be capable of accommodating 1.1 million sq. ft. of retail space.
Linden’s letter also points out that, even though it has been revised, many aspects of the new site plan still are consistent with the plan that fell through in 2007, when development of the DRI was put on hold due to legal issues involving runoff pollution into Cypress Creek and damage to the habitat of the endangered east indigo snake on the property during the initial road and utility development of the planned mall sites.
Among the features that have not changed are the master drainage infrastructure, intersection configurations at S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd. (which will be extended), and the development footprint, which won’t affect any wetland areas.
“The next step is getting the site plan approved,” says Pasco County Zoning administrator Carol Clarke. “Several agencies will review the plans and give comments back to the developer, who will then have to resubmit the plan for approval.”
No date has yet been set for Pasco County to vote to approve the final plans.
Clarke notes that even though the site plan has not yet been approved, there still is a good chance that the developer could have the mall opened by sometime next summer, as was indicated last November. “The developers are very experienced and are very good at setting opening dates, creating a schedule and meeting it,” Clarke says.
Although development is moving along on the south side of the DRI, Clarke notes that she hasn’t seen much movement on the more than 200 acres located north of S.R. 56 in the Cypress Creek Town Center DRI. That property is owned by Sierra Properties (which also owns one parcel on the south side) and approved for commercial and residential development. A representative from Sierra could not be reached for comment. with the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News as we follow this development.
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