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Sunlake Shopping Plaza OK'd But Road Still Going Nowhere

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By KEVIN WIATROWSKI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 11, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - The way was cleared Thursday for a new shopping center, complete with a Publix and a CVS drugstore, on a stretch of State Road 54 just west of Mentmore Boulevard.

The plaza, Sunlake Commercial Center, will straddle the future Sunlake Boulevard.

The developer, Amprop Development Corp., won approval from the Development Review Committee for just over 86,500 square feet of retail space. That amounts to about two-thirds of the plaza Amprop plans to build.

Despite the approval from county officials, Amprop faces several major hurdles before nearby residents can push shopping carts.

First on the list is the construction of Sunlake Boulevard. Amprop had been in a three-way negotiation with Lennar Corp. and Newland Communities, two residential developers with property that will benefit from the road.

Under that deal, Lennar drew up plans for the road. The deal ran aground last year on the question of who would be responsible for which part of the four-lane road and where the drainage would go.

Amprop is working solely with Newland Communities, which is developing Bexley Ranch, said Eric Schloesser, Amprop's managing partner. Lennar, which is building Concord Station just east of Amprop's land, pulled out of the Sunlake deal as part of its retrenchment countywide.

Lennar still owns the designs to Sunlake Boulevard and so far hasn't turned them over to Amprop, Schloesser said.

Without the rights to the plans, Amprop can't build its stretch of Sunlake between State Road 54 and Mentmore. Without the road, Amprop can't get the permits it'll need to open the shopping center to customers.

Amprop isn't the only group waiting for work on Sunlake Boulevard to begin. School officials hope to use the road and the associated traffic light to improve access to Sunlake High School. The school's first senior class will begin driving to school in August, said district planner Chris Williams.

Schloesser said he could have the road ready for the first day of school if he can get the plans from Lennar by next month.

Lennar officials didn't respond to requests for comment.

Also Thursday, Development Review Committee members:

•Approved the construction of Pasco's first Macy's department store. The two-story retail outlet will be the centerpiece of the Shops at Wiregrass plaza, now under construction at State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in Wesley Chapel.

•Approved the development of a long-term acute care facility at Connerton in central Pasco. The 50-bed facility will be part of a larger medical campus planned for the community's western edge along U.S. 41.

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

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