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Developer has plans, but no anchor yet
By JAMES THORNER © St. Petersburg Times, published January 16, 2001 LAND O'LAKES -- Primerica Group One has yet to land a big retailer to anchor its proposed development at Collier Parkway and State Road 54. But that hasn't stopped the Carrollwood developer from releasing a conceptual plan of the project that would occupy the 80-acre Woods family horse farm. Plans submitted to the Pasco County development review office show two 109,000-square-foot "big box" style stores, 250 apartments, three restaurants, a gasoline station, a pharmacy, a bank, offices and specialty shops. The horse farm, which has been in the Woods family for a couple of decades, is the last undeveloped chunk of one of central Pasco's busiest intersections. Primerica signed a contract with landowner Barbara Woods in the summer of 1999, but can't close the deal until it finds a large tenant. During an appearance before the Pasco Development Review Committee on Thursday, Primerica's Richard Driscoll said his company will need another six months to bring a big retailer aboard. That's about how long it will take for the state Department of Transportation to finish widening SR 54 from two lanes to four. Pasco, meanwhile, is widening Collier Parkway to four lanes. Pasco officials dropped some bad news on developers by denying them the right to install an entrance for the apartments across the road median near Academy at the Lakes school. That would block northbound drivers on Collier, the direction in which most apartment dwellers would return from jobs in Tampa, from turning left into the property. The county, however, plans to let Primerica access its property from a split in the median corresponding to the entrance to Winn-Dixie supermarket across the street. Local real estate watchers said Primerica has suffered from competition from two other prime shopping center sites in Land O'Lakes. The owners of Pasco Plaza at U.S. 41 and SR 54 and the apex property between U.S. 41 and Dale Mabry Highway have pursued some of Primerica's potential tenants, including home improvement super stores. Among Primerica's earlier projects is Heritage Plaza in Port Charlotte, a so-called "big box power center" anchored by Marshall's, Circuit City and Pier One Imports. - Feel free to discuss this and other issues important to you in our Pasco County discussion forum at www.sptimes.com/pascoforum.
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