Capital Development, owned by Bob Blume, and Target have yet to close the land deal for the store, but the store itself is slated to be a 125,400 sf. It is scheduled to open in July 2001 and will be the new anchor of the mall.

If Target Corp. doesn't begin building its 125,000-square-foot store in South Sound Center by late September, however, it may have to delay opening the store until October 2001. Target's policy is to open stores in March, July or October, the months that precede peak shopping seasons -- spring, back-to-school and Christmas.

Target is seeking to buy 10 acres from the mall's owner, Capital Development Co., but must first wait for Capital Development to buy a 3-acre parcel from Ira Grant, who owns a neighboring Texaco station. A small portion of Grant's property extends into the area where the store would be built, and the pending deal between Grant and Capital Development is the main holdup at this point.