By KIM KUMMER
Official plans for the new Provo Towne Centre were revealed at a ground breaking ceremony on Thursday.
Construction of the largest mall in the state of Utah began on June 5. J.P. Realty, Inc. has been trying to get a mall built in Provo for about 20 years, said John Price, chief executive officer and chairman of the board for J.P. Realty.
'It's an incredible amount of hard work to put it all together, because it's a redevelopment area,' Price said.
Most of the land acquired was formerly owned by a trailer park, an RV park, and businesses. Some was designated for an LDS stake center.
Provo has considered the concept of having a mall for a long time, said Mayor George Stewart. Previous administrations had selected this particular site as the best location.
Provo administrators wanted a developer to buy the land but problems arose in getting anchor stores to commit with no specific location. Without a commitment from anchor stores, developers didn't want the project.
Stewart realized the city had to become involved for this project to become a reality.
'So that's when the city started acquiring the land,' Stewart said. '(Provo) spent over $12 million on property.'
Provo will be reimbursed $10 million from J.P. Realty and $2 million from property taxes. The mall is expected to generate about $2 million a year in sales taxes for Provo.
Land preparation already completed includes grating, storm sewers and a land check for environmental cleanliness, Price said.
Three of the five anchors have been announced: Dillard's, Sears and JC Penney.
According to J.P. Realty's news release, the mall will include 100 specialty shops, theaters, a food court with 15-20 vendors, and four restaurants. The mall will feature 11,000 square feet of overhead natural lighting.
The first phase of the mall is scheduled to open in the fall of 1998.