Mall redevelopment is sweeping the country as people shop online, and the trend is catching on in Sarasota. One of the trends within the trends is to reimagine the properties as work-live-play lifestyle centers.
Sarasota Square Mall, in south Sarasota, to cite one example, is at the start of a redevelopment process that will involve demolition of the mall building, with the exception of J.C. Penney, to allow for mixed-use development including both commercial and residential buildings.
Now east Manatee County-based Benderson Development, owners of the Crossings at Siesta Key Mall, about 5 miles north of Sarasota Square off of Tamiami Trail, are taking an initial, procedural step toward making its property something more than just a shopping center. (Crossings at Siesta Key used to be named the Southgate Mall, and for several years mall giant Westfield owned both Southgate and Sarasota Square.)