Developer reveals transformative plans for Sarasota mall

A new lifestyle mixed-use center is coming to a familiar place, as the newest owner of Sarasota Square mall has begun the process of turning the once-bustling retail center into a town center-style mix of apartments, retail stores, restaurants and activity centers.

Torburn Partners of Northbrook, Illinois and Fort Lauderdale, recently hosted a virtual neighborhood workshop to introduce its preliminary concept for the 81.5 acres along U.S. 41 at South Beneva Road. The plan includes up to 1,200 market-rate apartments and as much as 500,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and office space to replace the roughly 1 million-square-foot vacant mall. An expected cost of the entire project hasn't been disclosed.