The article about Plantation's midtown, below, was taken from the Sun Sentinel:
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sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/plantation/fl-plantation-fountains-20100606,0,6477822.story
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Plantation's Midtown takes shape
By Lisa J. Huriash, Sun Sentinel
10:17 PM EDT, June 6, 2010
Taking a mall that's a known quantity and turning it into something new is helping the Fountains Shoppes of Distinction defy the odds in this recession, its developers say.
The Fountains renovation project is just months away from completion, making it a rarity in South Florida's struggling construction industry.
Plantation sees the mall as the centerpiece of a live-work-play community that will serve as this city's Midtown centerpiece, a commercial and residential attraction.
"They'll come for a destination. 'Let's go walk around the Fountains,'" said attorney Paul D'Arelli, who represents the project's two developers. "It's what Plantation has been trying to create, a sense of downtown that they lacked before. Here people can congregate."
The old Fountains mall, just south of Broward Boulevard on the west side of University Drive, has been struggling for years. In 2002, after big retailers Linens-N-Things, Old Navy and Ross Dress for Less moved out, patrons and store owners complained about the emptiness.
The City Council decided to do something and think big. The plan was to redesign the mall and combine it with a residential component so it could be both self-contained for city dwellers, and a regional marketplace for shoppers.
"We wanted to head off the possibility of our midtown area becoming blighted like [State Road] 441 had done," said Councilman Jerry Fadgen. "It was a unanimous decision to make it a more vibrant area of the city."
In the following years, the city began to think about a downtown concept and named it "Midtown," reflecting its central location. The city held public design meetings for business owners and residents to talk about their visions, and then the developers came around, Fadgen said.
In June 2006, the City Council approved plans for two residential towers on unused parking lot space in the back of the mall. The retail component followed in 2008.
Developer Granvil Tracy's 252-unit Midtown 24 apartment complex is up and running. The first tenants moved in a few months ago.
"There's always a risk, but the reality is people need shelter — it's a necessity," said Tracy. The tower is 20 percent occupied. When it fills up, he plans to start construction on a second, 226-unit tower.
As for the mall, it got a new anchor in December: Kohl's Department Store. Anchor transience had been a chronic problem.
Once completed, the expanded Fountains will have 477,343 square feet of commercial space. A Dick's Sporting Goods — the first one in Broward County — will move in this winter, as will a Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores.
Existing stores, including a dry cleaner, Jenny Craig, TooJay's Gourmet Deli, Stromboli Pizza and Pat's Macabi Cigar Bar, were shifted to new locations.
Before, the mall was shaped like the letter "E," making it hard for people to browse, said project attorney D'Arelli.
"It wasn't pedestrian friendly, it wasn't vehicular friendly. Cars would come in and they couldn't figure out how to get from one side of the 'E' to the other," he said. "The circulation was very bad."
The new design eliminates the center wing, allowing for easier access.
Ken Luba, who manages the cigar bar, said he's already starting to see more pedestrian traffic. Before, "we were in an obscure part of the mall. It's going to be interesting to see how it all fits together."
Jo Anne Di Fiore, the co-owner of Stromboli Pizza, said she's staying optimistic.
"The end product will probably be beautiful, but now we have dust and bulldozers," she said. "The end justifies the means, when we get new tenants and the roads are nice."
She's hoping the pedestrian friendly idea takes off, and worries about the mall's overall health.
"People don't really walk too much in Florida. Maybe in the winter, but in the summertime it gets brutal. And it's a big risk for anybody to go into business right now."
Across the country, there is little new development, said Marty Richmond, spokesman for Ohio-based Developers Diversified Realty, which is redeveloping the mall. Richmond said the company has spent $24 million so far.
"Redeveloping shopping centers is an efficient way to meet growing demand, particularly in high-quality locations," he said. "We are starting to see retail demand increase."
Councilwoman Diane Veltri Bendekovic said she envisions a bustling shopping area.
"The Fountains is coming back," she said. "By the next holiday season we'll have a lot of activity. You always want that for your city."
"The important thing is people come —horse, car, walk, I don't care," she said. "Just as long as they come."
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