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Hernando Today

Three New Plazas To Open Soon

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By TONY HOLT Hernando Today

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 11, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - Three new shopping plazas are about to be unveiled in the coming months, giving prospective retailers more options along busy streets.

The traffic count along the State Road 50 truck route through Brooksville is approximately 28,000 per day. That will benefit the two yet-unnamed plazas in that location.

The plaza formerly known as the By-Pass Plaza across from Hardee's will be ready for new tenants by the spring, said owner Joe Gawrylczyk.

"Someone came up there and said, 'You turned a piece of coal into a diamond,'" said Gawrylczyk about the renovation. "It's definitely a big improvement aesthetically."

His plaza is located a mile or so east of where Tom Malouf is building his. He hopes to have it finished by next month. It is located at the corner of Cortez Boulevard and Horse Lake Road.

Beef 'O' Brady's was his first tenant. He has received interest from a day spa, pizza parlor, ice cream shop, liquor store and steakhouse, he said.

"Timing is everything," Malouf joked. "I think we missed the right time."

The economy was in better shape when he first made efforts to build there three years ago, he said. Nonetheless, he is encouraged with the amount of interest he has received.

The same goes for Gawrylczyk, who has space suited for at least one mini-storage business and an auto garage.

"There's a need for something there," Gawrylczyk said. "There's not much other than a tractor supply (store) and a Hardee's ... This has been a nice project close to a major intersection and the area really needs that."

A third plaza in the Brooksville area is being built along Spring Hill Drive east of California Street. It is separate from the nearby retail complex that includes Kohl's and an upcoming Target store.

The property is owned by Regent. A Dollar General reportedly is interested in occupying space at that location.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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