A tale of two city centers growing up in the suburbs

A tale of two city centers growing up in the suburbs When Dadeland Mall opened in 1962, the area was known as ''Deadland,'' and Kendall Drive was the road to nowhere. In Plantation, cows grazed along University Drive when the Broward Mall debuted in 1978. Back then, Kendall and Plantation were typical bedroom communities filled with young families fleeing urban congestion. But today, these first-ring suburbs are becoming city centers of their own, full of multi-level retail, offices and residences. ''Mixed-use is what happens when an area starts to urbanize,'' said Bob Breslau, president of Stiles Retail, which has such projects underway in Plantation, Davie and Sunrise. ``It's a mind-set change. Where everybody is used to seeing single-story buildings, now things are going vertical.'' Dadeland is leading the way, with a condo canyon taking shape across from Dadeland Mall, driven by the arrival of Downtown Dadeland, Toscano, Metropolis and Colonnade.