The property owner makes a new offer to destroy no more than 65 acres instead of 76, down from the original 104.
By JAMES THORNER
Published February 14, 2004
LAND O'LAKES - With plans to open a mammoth mall in central Pasco County in three years, developers of Cypress Creek Town Center promise to destroy fewer wetlands at Interstate 75 and State Road 56.
Concerns about wetlands on the 511-acre mall site have delayed approval of the 1.5-million-square-foot mall. The swamps feed Cypress Creek, which indirectly supplies millions of gallons of Tampa's drinking water.
On Friday, mall developers made what they hope is their final push toward approval. In a 40-page document to county and state regulators, representatives of property owner Robert "Hi" Sierra agreed to reduce potential wetland destruction from 76 acres to 65 acres.
It's the second time Sierra has rejiggered mall plans to spare the environment. His original proposal suggested uprooting 104 acres of wetlands.
Sierra announced a deal in December for the Richard E. Jacobs Group to develop the mall. The Cleveland company plans a parklike outdoor mall with anchors typically found in enclosed malls. It could create 6,000 jobs and bring in $7.5-million a year in taxes.
Project lawyer Biff Craine said Jacobs' arrival has helped Sierra hammer out a mall layout that would be less harmful to the environment.
"I'm pleased with where we're at right now. I think we've gotten to a point where we've been able to sharpen the pencil now that we have the developer on board," Craine said. "That's helped everything to get into better focus."
Mall officials also agreed to devise an "ecosystem plan" that describes when, where and how they will preserve, restore and create wetlands within the same area drained by Cypress Creek.
By the time the mall is complete, developers will have overcompensated for wetland destruction to "create a greater value than the loss incurred," Craine said.
Members of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, whose thumbs-down recommendation of the mall forced the latest round of revisions, withheld comment Friday on Sierra's latest concessions.
In addition to the mall, Sierra proposes 600,000 square feet of other stores, 420,000 square feet of offices, 630 apartments and 700 hotel rooms.
Craine said he's confident that hearings can begin on the mall by April or May. Approval could come by early summer.
"You're never going to please everyone," he said. "We hope we've given them enough information to take a look at our overall program."
