Column by Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune.
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The future of the Mall at University Town Center project, a multimillion-dollar shopping mall that promised to bring high end brands to Southwest Florida for the first time, was almost dead in the water this time six years ago.
Plans to build the $315 million center stalled amid the worst recession several lifetimes. Key tenants Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus abandoned plans to open new stores here. Brick-and-mortar sales continued to plummet as national chains struggled to combat the ever-growing online shopping threat.
But that was then.
As the regional economy was finding its footing, Taubman Centers Inc. and Manatee County’s Benderson Development Co. resurrected plans to build the ambitious shopping center, breaking ground two years ago on a 276-acre parcel that would be home to the most upscale shopping mall between Tampa and Naples.
On Thursday, shoppers will walk through the doors to the 880,000-square-foot mall for the first time.
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