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Restaurants In Lineup For Cypress Creek

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By KEVIN WIATROWSKI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 29, 2007

WESLEY CHAPEL - P.F. Chang's and Panera Bread are two of the dozen eateries announced Wednesday by the developers of Cypress Creek Town Center.

Cleveland-based Richard E. Jacobs Group officially announced part of its tenant lineup for the regional mall it is building on the southwest corner of State Road 56 and Interstate 75. The list of retailers, which includes Sports Authority, Books-A-Million and Circuit City, has been revealed through building permits, engineering plans and other public records.

Until Wednesday, Jacobs was extremely tight-lipped about its future tenants, declining to discuss even those revealed by public records.

Wednesday's statement, released by Jacobs spokesman Bill Fullington, represented the first time the developers unveiled the mix of restaurants, special-interest stores and personal services on tap for the mall.

Fullington said there will another round of tenant announcements, but he didn't say when.

"When we feel like we've got enough critical mass to make a decent splash, we'll make an announcement," Fullington said.

Jacobs is one of three major retail developers planning to compete for the shopping dollars of residents of southern Pasco and northern Hillsborough counties. Like its rivals, Jacobs plans to build an open-air "lifestyle center"; it originally planned an enclosed mall.

When it was approved by Pasco County commissioners in 2004, Cypress Creek Town Center was the first of the three plazas out of the blocks.

Since then, Jacobs' rivals, The Grove at Wesley Chapel and Shops at Wiregrass, managed to get the jump on development as Jacobs' project got bogged down by legal challenges.

The Grove opened its first phase this month just north of County Road 54 and Oakley Boulevard. The rest of the 800,000-square-foot mall is expected to open in the spring.

Shops at Wiregrass, being developed by Jacobs' hometown rival Forest City Enterprises, is under construction at S.R. 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. The 750,000-square-foot plaza could open as soon as next spring.

Jacobs hopes to begin erecting its buildings by January or February, Fullington said. The company still plans to open the mall next fall.

"At this point, everything's on schedule," Fullington said.

Environmentalists continue to fight the project because it sits on the banks of Cypress Creek, an Outstanding Florida Water and a major tributary of the Hillsborough River. The Hillsborough provides Tampa's drinking water.

Critics of the mall contend runoff from the site will ruin the creek. Jacobs has agreed to extensive measures aimed at avoiding that by reducing runoff from the site.

Jacobs has fended off every challenge to date but faces a federal lawsuit by the Sierra Club aimed at overturning a federal wetlands-fill permit granted this year.
CYPRESS CREEK TOWN CENTER TENANTS

Here is the list of tenants Richard E. Jacobs Group revealed Wednesday. Company officials say they'll release more names, possibly early next year.

Restaurants

P.F. Chang's; TGI Friday's; Akaya Japanese Steak House; Fish City; Red Brick Pizza; Matoi Sushi; 5 Guys Original Hamburgers; Panera Bread; Bamboo Creek Asian Bistro; Jamba Juice; Coldstone Creamery; Urban Flats

Fashion, Specialty Stores

Picture Factor; Yankee Candle; Hallmark; Family Christian Bookstore; Payless Shoe Source; Asphalt; Motherhood Maternity; Claire's Boutique; Movie Stop; Game Stop; Soccer Corner; Vitamin Stop

Home, Personal Services

Mattress Firm; Nail Trix; Grow Financial Federal Credit Union; T-Mobile; Caribbean Adventures Travel; Hair Matrix

Other Stores

Sports Authority; Linens-N-Things; Old Navy; Kohl's; Staples; Justice for Girls; Dress Barn; Famous Footwear; SuperTarget; Books-A-Million; Circuit City
Movie theater

AMC Theatre

Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201 or kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com.

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