Real progress

The largest retail construction project in the Sarasota-Bradenton region, a $315 million enclosed mall, is primed to move from the construction phase to the next big thing in 2014: shopping and eating.

“We are making progress in all areas,” says Octavio “Tav” Ortiz, named general manager of the project, The Mall at University Town Center, in early September. “Things are going really well.”

The mall, 880,000 square feet of retail space, is a joint venture between Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based Taubman Centers and University Park-based Benderson Development. It's also a project with a spirited backstory: Original plans included more retail, hotels and other development. But the recession nearly killed it. The current project, still ambitious, has been one of the most talked about Sarasota-Bradenton construction developments in years.