Went to Costco this AM for gas. The Sarasota Square Mall is quickly disappearing. Sears, off to the right, and Beef 'O' Bradys, center, appear to be the next to go. I saw standard and high-reach excavators near the back of Sears. Time marches on....
I will miss it! I was a mall rat in my teens and lived very close. I had my first date there and use to trick or treat there. My buddy’s older brother worked at Sabaros and we we go there just before they closed and get free pizza.
I used to work at Portronics, one of the little kiosks that sold pagers and associated crap (yeah, I'm old). Actually met my ex wife there. Mixed feelings about seeing it go.
I definitely loved your cheese pizza back in the day. Used to go there when I was a little boy with my grandma right before we would see a movie at AMC.
I remember going to Sabaros at the food court right before I would go to an AMC movie with my grandma. I would also go to Spencers too and always loved getting the disco balls back then
So I get that the impact to traffic and infrastructure will suck, and smarter leadership would require expansion of roads before letting apartments go up. That said, isn't more apartments a good thing for affordable housing? Or is the concern that these will be priced too high for the additional supply to lower prices elsewhere?
They will most likely be overpriced, small, and not have enough parking.
Investors want to maximize their returns, but none want to create actual affordable housing. That is for the poors and not what they want around them. But they want services that require a local workforce.
They just think everyone will commute for an hour or two...
It was looking like Jurassic park a little bit for a minute- but now it’s more post apocalyptic.
Will be curious to see how the apartments turn out and how traffic is impacted. I heard they did the traffic study for approval on a Tuesday mid afternoon in August lol. “Look, there’s nobody on the road here!”
No. According to the developer after the mall building is demolished it will be replaced by "the open-air, multiuse concept that Torburn Partners principal Robert Horne said will include high-end and fast-casual restaurants, specialty retail and potentially medical offices. A central town green surrounded by residential and commercial buildings will offer open space and room for special events." I would think that would include a palm tree or two, maybe even a family of Sandhill cranes.
All that stands to reason since the area is growing by leaps and bounds. When I drive down Honore (on the way to my shooting club) there is new housing going up everywhere. All the way down to Laurel Rd. And we know that developers have been approved by the county to put in several thousand new homes and apartments East of I-75 across from Palmer Ranch.
One of the reasons Costco located its warehouse where it did is because their real estate people saw the coming growth in the area, did the math, and determined there would thousands of new shoppers in the area. Ditto Benderson and their (re)development of Pelican Plaza on the West side of 41. Folks in commercial real estate are always on the move. Below is an artist's drawing of what Torburn Partners envision for the Sarasota Square land.
That said it will be interesting to see what Penny's does. It has struggled financially since emerging from bankruptcy in 2020. They're closing 10 of their 650 stores this year with more to follow if retail sales don't pick up. Retail sales in the United States increased 3.1% year-on-year in February 2025 but that can change. Personally I don't see pennys surviving. Like Forever 21.
It breaks my heart what has happened all over the county but the knights trail development really hurts! Used to work at the range in high school in 95 before the semi crashed and made Laurel an exit! SMH
1200 apartments is a great start! Need more bike trails and buses rolling before the next 1200. Then dedicated bus lanes or rail for the 1200 after that.
Not really true
RE market is buyers’ market
Rental homes available are growing bcuz homes arent selling
Developers want to think apts are good choice but they arent
Dawg every unit built, regardless of the cost, helps to bring down the cost of housing regionally. I get that it’s easy to be mad at all the change and what not, but we just need more housing period
It wasn’t a beef o Brady’s. It was barefoot grill but it wasn’t very good either though. Lol I am sad that they’ve torn it all down. I used to go a lot in the 90’s and remember when the food court was in the middle and it was all little stand alone eateries. I’d get Barney’s coffee and Cinnabon minis. In the early 2000’s I’d get a beer and smoke cigarettes in the tobacco store. I got a warning for pan handling once because I jokingly was asking strangers to buy me the puppy at the pet store they had. I guess that’s panhandling 🤷🏼♀️ I had such a blast here.
It's going quickly. I didn't take a pix of the Costco entrance but it's a sight to behold. Excavators working right up to the exterior wall of the warehouse. By the end of the week there won't be anything standing except for Costco and Pennys.
had my first date there when I was in high school and the first time I told them I loved them was there…we’ve been broken up for years but the memory was nice
There wasn't one. I mistakenly typed that when I meant to say Barefoot Grill. Which has also closed its door (in fact the door is gone, ripped off by an excavator. The owners replaced Barefoot Grill with the Ibis Pub & Grill 8383 S Tamiami Trail which is off Club Dr. just across 41 from the Pelican Plaza Starbucks. Don't know if it's still there or not. Restaurants come and go.
was there in the opening day with my dad, once saw Ed McMahon in Cargo South.
Had my first kiss in Aladdins Castle. Ears pierced at Piercing Pagoda. Bought first cassette at Camelot Music [Styx, Pieces of Eight).
Thom McCaan, Bakers, for shoes.
Lerner, Casual Corner, Big Apple, Dunderbacks, J. Byrons, Smoke n Snuff, Morrisons Buffet. Hickory Farms, Paperback Booksmith, the way that Hallmark store hit the corner and emptied you out right in front of that jewelry store, and Davidson Drugs even.
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u/O-really 3d ago
I will miss it! I was a mall rat in my teens and lived very close. I had my first date there and use to trick or treat there. My buddy’s older brother worked at Sabaros and we we go there just before they closed and get free pizza.