Outlet Mall Developer Gets Greenlight to Build

Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel and New Tampa residents itching for news about the proposed outlet mall on State Road 56 finally have some.

Pasco County planners gave a greenlight to the project that will result in the construction of a 1.1-million-square-foot outdoor mall, The Tampa Tribune reported.

The Simon Property Group has been working to build the Tampa Premium Outlets at Cypress Creek Town Center for some time. While purchase of the property still needs to be finalized, the Tribune quoted county planner Owen Young as saying, “They’re good to go.”

Simon Property Group also owns Manatee County’s Ellenton Premium Outlets. Stores that have expressed an interested in the Pasco location include Saks Off Fifth and Super Target. It is unclear what stores remain on board after the lengthy approval process.

The 140-acre site, which is owned by the Richard E. Jacobs Group, had stood at the center of an environmental controversy since its owners received permitting to build the Cypress Creek Town Center in 2007. Those permits were challenged by the Sierra Club in 2008 and development work on the site has been at a virtual standstill ever since. The developers won the legal challenge, but Simon Property Group still needed to have its plans approved by Pasco.

It is unclear when the mall is slated to officially open for business.

Check out The Tribune’s full story here.

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