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Feature Article, May 2006
Serving Growing North Tampa
Forest City and The Goodman Company are developing The Shops at Wiregrass, which will serve an area expected to add 200,000 people over the next 5 years.
Randall Shearin
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Forest City and The Goodman Company are developing The Shops at Wiregrass, a 750,000-square-foot retail development that is part of the Wiregrass Ranch community in growing North Tampa.
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When The Goodman Company and Forest City Enterprises announced The Shops at Wiregrass a few years ago, the Wiregrass development was just a vision. Today, North Tampa is experiencing explosive growth, and the demand for the center is greater than it was when it was first announced. The Shops at Wiregrass is just part of the master-planned Wiregrass Ranch development, a 5,000-acre community located about 15 minutes north of Tampa. The major components of Wiregrass Ranch include the 750,000-square-foot The Shops at Wiregrass, which anchors the 2.7 million square feet of retail that will eventually be in the project; 10,000 single-family residential units being constructed by Pulte Homes; 5,000 multifamily units, and 2 million square feet of office space.
The Shops at Wiregrass got its first taste of success in October 2005, when JC Penney opened a freestanding store that will eventually be a part of center. At 98,844 square feet, the JC Penney store has enjoyed tremendous success since its opening.
“From what we understand, JC Penney is at least 25 percent ahead of their plans,” says John Dowd, senior vice president of development for The Goodman Company. “They are very happy with the performance.”
The Shops at Wiregrass will be a 750,000-square-foot outdoor, main street-style shopping and entertainment district. In addition to JC Penney, Dillard’s has also signed to anchor the project. About 50 percent of the inline space has been chosen by retailers, though the project is only about 15 percent committed. By year end, Forest City expects that inline space for The Shops at Wiregrass will be 65 percent committed. Forest City is leasing space to lifestyle tenants, including home goods merchants and restaurants. The developers expect to have at least six or seven restaurants as part of the center, plus another three or four on the outparcels.
The center will have a curved main street that weaves through the project.
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A site plan of The Shops at Wiregrass.
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The center is located at State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in North Tampa. Forest City and Goodman have recently completed their design development drawings (vis-à-vis its architect for the project, Atlanta-based Cooper Carry). Construction is expected to begin in September, with a late fall 2007 opening anticipated for the center.
Based on the performance of the JC Penney store, the market is ready for more retail.
“We’ve always felt that the area is retail starved,” says Dowd. “JC Penney is proof of that and it’s ready for more.”
“This is the fastest growing area in the state of Florida, surpassing even Orlando,” says Jim Richardson, vice president-development, of Forest City Commercial Development. “Over the next 5 years, it will add close to 200,000 new residents. There is just tremendous growth there right now.”
Most of the growth in the area is from young families and older, active retirees. Cooper Carry is taking from historical buildings in the area, like those in Ybor City, to influence the design of The Shops at Wiregrass. The developers plan to install mature landscaping to add shade to the project. The component will enhance time spent at the center. Among the landscaping used will be trees and greenery that is indigenous to the area.
“Forest City and Goodman also have a commitment to sustainable design,” says Angelo Carusi, principal with Cooper Carry. “While we are specifying a lot of products that are available in the area, like stucco, we are accenting it with a variety of limestones similar to those from the area.”
©2006 France Publications, Inc. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints of this article contact Barbara Sherer at (630) 554-6054.
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