Manatee County boasts a wealth of new or newly renovated retail outlets that offer all sorts of choices for shoppers. Under construction is Phase I of the new University Town Center. The regional mall at University Parkway and I-75 is slated to eventually encompass 1,680,000 square feet of retail space and 220,000 square feet of office space, 500 hotel rooms and up to 1,750 residential units, according to Mark Chait, director of leasing for Benderson Development Co., LLC. Phase II of the two-level mall project headed by Benderson Development is slated to start later this year, said Chait.
The state Department of Community Affairs recently removed a legal impediment that had delayed the start of construction at the new mega-mall and mixed-use project, and company officials said they would start as soon as possible. In November, state officials issued an order ruling that the project is in compliance with Sarasota County’s comprehensive plan requirements, which cleared the way for the company to apply for a building permit and prepare to call in its work crews. The mall, developed jointly by Benderson, The Forbes Co. and The Taubman Co., will bring a mix of retailers previously unavailable to shoppers in the area, officials said. It will be anchored by Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Macy’s, with a projected opening date expected to be in November 2010.
The University Parkway area doesn’t have enough retail, said Chait. “We believe the retail and office and hotel we’re developing will thrive in this area.” Phase I of University Town Center entails a SuperTarget shopping center including a Bed Bath & Beyond, The Sports Authority, Michaels, Ulta beauty retailer, and Best Buy. Just a short trip west on University Parkway, another new Benderson retail center is being developed called University Park Center. Built on a 29-acre site near University Park Country Club, it is located at the northwest corner of University Parkway and Honore Avenue. A glistening new Kohl’s department store is its anchor tenant. With 88,000-square-feet of space, it employs about 180 workers and is among 15 department stores the company opened this fall in Florida. Facing Kohl’s is a Fresh Market, owned by a national grocery chain that specializes in natural and organic foods.
The store opened Nov. 5 and employs 95. It features 22,000-square-feet of retail space and offers a large selection of organic produce, non-perishable groceries, full-service deli, bakery, quick food on site, wine, coffees and candies, meat and seafood. Construction crews are also building a new M&I Bank there that is expected to open during the first quarter of next year, Chait said. A Publix shopping center at the corner of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and State Road 70 just opened this year. It boasts a gleaming new Publix, complete with every amenity such as sushi to-go and a bakery. Also in the shopping center are other stores, like Monkey Paws Ice Cream & Coffee House, Indigo Reef & Grill and Planet Beach Tanning Spa. Albertsons sold three of its local Manatee County stores to Publix, its Lakeland rival, as part of a $500 million deal that included 49 stores statewide. The three Albertsons stores involved in the deal included those at 9005 U.S. 301, Parrish; 4651 Cortez Road, Bradenton, and 1101 Eighth Ave., Palmetto. Another store in Sarasota County also became a Publix, at 4840 S. Tamiami Trail. Two Albertsons markets remained part of the Albertsons company, incuding the one on Manatee Avenue West.
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