UTC Mall Construction On Schedule

The Mall at University Town Center, to be located on University Parkway in Sarasota, is under construction and on schedule. The $315 million, 880,000-square-foot mall will be a mix of the Mall at Millenia in Orlando and International Plaza in Tampa. Leasing for the Mall at UTC is also taking place, and so far developers have secured  Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's and Dillard's, as well as a list of 115  other mall tenants.  A second phase featuring two hotels, condominium homes and pad sites will fill the remaining 200 acres near the mall, owned by Benderson, but construction has yet to begin on that phase. The construction of the mall is only one very large project being added to the list of other projects that have opened or are opening in the Sarasota/Bradenton area; an area under very large scale development at this point. Recently we have seen an LA Fitness go up, the Shoppes at University Town Center have opened, A Nordstrom outlet is coming, The Fresh Market and Kohl's have opened, not to mention the monolith that is Nathan Benderson Park (Phase I being completed this August). Developers are looking to turn Sarasota into a hub for tourism and athletic events, and are expecting to contribute to the re-growth of the Florida economy.   The Mall is expected to open in October of 2014. http://www.bradenton.com/2013/05/12/4522175/mall-rowing-venue-continue-momentum.html