A generation after it was first born as a concept, Coconut Creek’s MainStreet community finally appears to be taking shape.

City officials put the finishing touches last month on a land swap deal that will make MainStreet possible, with developers closing on 170 acres between Wiles Road on the north, Sample Road on the south, Lyons Road on the east and State Road 7 on the west.

City officials and promotional material tout Mainstreet as Coconut Creek’s “new downtown,” a mixed use development that combines retail, residences, green space, parks and wetlands.

The scope may have changed — it originated 23 years ago as a 500-acre plan larger than the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, with 10,000 new residences. Over time, the construction targets have become less ambitious, said Coconut Cre

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