County OKs 93-acre Sarasota Square mall redevelopment project

Last-minute height reduction of apartments secures enough Sarasota County Commission votes to transform the mostly vacant mall into an upscale lifestyle town center.

By Andrew Warfield
| 8:30 a.m. April 17, 2024
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The vision plan for a redeveloped Sarasota Square Mall into a town center shows the proximity of the apartment buildings to Sarasota Square Boulevard and the JCPenny, Costco and AMC theaters to remain.

Manatee-Sarasota

South Sarasota will have a new mixed-use town center in the coming years as Torburn Partners has received the go-ahead from the Sarasota County Commission to redevelop the largely vacant Sarasota Square Mall.

The Illinois-based developer envisions converting the 93-acre site into a mix of retailers, restaurants, offices and apartments, bringing an upscale lifestyle experience to the site south of the city and adjacent to Palmer Ranch. Aside from three big-box businesses, the mall has been a nearly empty wasteland occupying prime commercial property for several years.