PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Demolition began Monday on the former Macy’s and JCPenney at the Gulf View Square Mall. B&Z Port Richey, LLC is making way for 312 luxury apartment units to be built at the site. 

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The project is called Gables at Gulf View, and officials hope it breathes new life into the area.

“We are absolutely thrilled,” said Irene Bartram, CEO of Dorvidor Management Company, the Miami-based company that manages B&Z. “We’ve been working on this for awhile, the acquisition. We’re extremely excited about it. We think it’s something that this area needs.”

Residential construction is booming in Pasco County, but project officials said the Gables at Gulf View is the only new housing being developed in the West Pasco US-19 corridor area.

“What we’re trying to do here is try to encourage residential growth, especially on this corridor,” said Jack Mariano, Pasco County Commissioner for District 5. 

Mariano said redevelopment like this project is more costly than fresh development. He said he’s hopeful this project, along with incentives, could help spur more redevelopment.

“When I had approached that we cut down the residential impact fees for the west market area, I got a call from this group right here a week later, saying, ‘You know what? All of a sudden, a project that wasn’t feasible, because the county’s going to waive out those impact fees, is now feasible,’” said Mariano.

Dorvidor owns more than 1,000 rental units in the area, including 400 just across US-19. 

"People are going to have the ability to have retail right at their front door," Bartram said. "And being on U.S. 19 affords them the ability to gain access to their jobs, shopping, etc, and other family in the area.”

For any shoppers planning to head out to the Gulf View Square Mall, demolition is not expected to impact them. The mall and its other stores are expected to stay open.

Bartram said construction is expected to begin in January, and the project should be complete by early 2020.