Lakewood Ranch interactive lounge coming to Mall at UTC

UNIVERSITY PARK -- Shoppers will soon have an additional place to kick back and relax at The Mall at University Town Center as they learn more about Lakewood Ranch.

An interactive lounge sponsored by Lakewood Ranch Communities is coming to the mall's south intermediate court in the first quarter of 2015, said Kim Dominguez, mall marketing and sponsorship director.

A sign advertising the lounge has been placed exactly where it will be, she added.

"(The lounge) will be an interactive seating area that will be focused on Lakewood Ranch properties with multiple TVs that will allow (Lakewood Ranch) to display their homes and developers," Dominguez said.

Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, one of the primary Lakewood Ranch developers, wants to share the community with people visiting the area, SMR spokeswoman Lisa Barnott said.

"University Town Center is attracting a whole new world of shoppers to the area who may not realize that there's a thriving community just on the other side of Interstate 75," Barnott said. "We want to capture the attention of those people and let them know about everything Lakewood Ranch has to offer."

The lounge, which will also have tablets displaying the community, is in its fabrication stage, according to Dominguez.

"We are well into the process," she said.

Claire Aronson, University Parkway/Sarasota reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024 or at caronson@bradenton.com. Follow her on Twitter@Claire_Aronson.

This story was originally published December 24, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Lakewood Ranch interactive lounge coming to Mall at UTC."