The off-the-chart success of Lakewood Ranch is sending major ripples throughout the entire region. The new residential developments that are part of Sarasota County's 2050 plan, along with the creation of The Mall at University Town Center, are at the core of real estate development within the corridor.   Here's why:

• The 2050 Plan issued in 1995 saw no actual development until 2012 when developer Pat Neal began building his 1,999-unit Grand Palm community (near Venice) as a "mini-village or hamlet."  
• Lakewood Ranch's Villages project is the first Village plan to be approved by the County under the 2050 Village guidelines.   This 5000+ home development should begin seeing finished homes in 2017.
• The Mall at University Town Center has been instrumental in introducing several major new retailers to the area:
• 50% of the mall's stores are new to the market and most will eventually have more than a single location in our metro area   
• As such, competition in the local retail sector is heating up.  Westfield is working to entice retailers to its re-vamped centers.  The CineBistro now under construction at Westfield's Southgate Mall, near downtown Sarasota, will redefine the movie theater experience.
• The River Club Plaza on State Road 70, anchored by Walmart, is completely leased out .
• Ranch Lake Plaza, previously anchored by Sweetbay Stores, now has Goodwill Retail Store to generate traffic.

With Lakewood Ranch anticipating approximately 1,000 new homes annually, the spillover activity is quite understandable. The real estate world along the I-75 corridor is exploding well beyond its boundaries.