What's (going) up in Lakewood Ranch?

Wendy Ellis, a Heritage Harbour resident and veterinarian, has made her living the past two years focusing on concierge veterinary medicine.

Later this year she plans to open a new veterinary practice in Lakewood Ranch, close to her home and in an area of high growth and need.

“It’s good timing,” Ellis said as she walked through her Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch building, now under construction on Garnet Trail. “There are a lot of new homes coming into this place. They’re developing this side of Lakewood Ranch. It’s needed.”

She has plenty of company when it comes to commercial growth in East County. Here’s a snapshot of what’s currently under construction: 

State Road 70 corridor, EAST OF LORRAINE

Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch

15205 Garnet Trail, Lakewood Ranch

Halfacre Construction Co. is building a 6,300-square-foot veterinary clinic. The facility will have seven exam rooms, a surgery suite, a full laboratory, a dental suite and a spacious reception area. It is expected to open early October 2019.

Publix Shopping Center

Northeast corner of State Road 70 and Lorraine Road, Lakewood Ranch

Publix Supermarkets will add another grocery and shopping center to the Lakewood Ranch area. Land has been cleared, but construction has yet to begin on the 48,387-square-foot grocery and the two 9,600-square-foot retail buildings that will flank it. The site also will have three stand-alone buildings for to-be-announced tenants.

Publix spokesman Brian West said Publix will have liquor and a pharmacy, and it also will be a new prototype.

“What makes this prototype unique is that the deli is completely on the sales floor,” West said. “It’s not up against the wall like you see at a normal location. The deli is on a circle on the sales floor, and everyone behind he counter is 100% customer facing. Their purpose is to help the customer.”

West said he did not have a specific timeline for the store opening, but it is expected for sometime in 2020. Typically, it takes seven to nine months to build a Publix store after vertical construction begins.

THE GREEN
AT LAKEWOOD RANCH

7-Eleven

11805 E. State Road 70, Bradenton

A new 7-Eleven gas station franchise will occupy the eastern corner of The Green at Lakewood Ranch, along S.R. 70. The 3,000-square-foot store is planned to open in November. The store’s architecture is compatible to the shopping center, and the store will offer an expanded assortment of food and beverages, a company spokesperson said in an email.

CVS Pharmacy

6015 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch

Tavistock Development is completing the construction of a 13,11-square-foot CVS Pharmacy on just over an acre. The site is immediately west of Earth Fare.

Tavistock Development spokesperson Karlee Kunkle said the store is projected to open in October.

Dental Care at Lakewood Walk

6020 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Bradenton

Property owner WMG Development LLC is constructing a 7,000-square-foot building to house a dental practice and a yet-to-be-named tenant. The building is on 1.46 acres immediately south of the Lakewood Ranch Information Center off Rangeland Parkway.

Dan Willis, WMG’s director of design and construction, said the dental practice will occupy about 3,800 square feet and is expected to open before the year’s end. Another tenant or two will occupy the rest of the space, but there is no timeline for an opening.

UNIVERSITY TOWN CENTER

Ford’s Garage

295 N. Cattleman Road Unit 1, Sarasota

The future burger and craft beer restaurant Ford’s Garage is under construction along the west side of Cattlemen Road, north of DeSoto Road. The 7,500-square-foot space is connected to a 3,817-square-foot, yet-to-be-named tenant.

Benderson Development Co. spokeswoman Julie Fanning said Ford’s Garage is expected to open first quarter 2020.

Barnes & Noble

200 N. Cattlemen Road, Sarasota

A new Barnes & Noble book store soon will open in a 14,000-square-foot building north of the Natuzzi Italia furniture store and Bassett Furniture and Home Decor on Cattlemen Road. It is expected to open in spring 2020.

Multi-tenant building

9616 S.R. 64 E, Bradenton

Benderson Development Co. is building a 10,196-square-foot commercial building in front of Homewood Inn & Suites, at the southwest corner of Cattlemen Road and DeSoto Road. Benderson spokeswoman Julie Fanning the building should be completed in early fall with new tenants opening in late fall 2019.

“We’re currently in lease negotiations with a few potential tenants for that space, but it’s too early to confirm,” she said.

UNIVERSITY PARKWAY CORRIDOR

Watercrest Senior Living

4141 Desoto Road, Sarasota (in front of The Tabernacle church)

Watercrest Senior Living Group and United Properties have partnered to construct a 198-unit luxury senior living campus, Watercrest Senior Living. It is scheduled to be completed in summer 2020.

CenterPoint

Casto Southeast Realty Services is under construction on its 77,000-square-foot medial office center on about 50 acres in the Lakewood Ranch Corporate Park. The three-story project, to be called CenterPoint, is located on about 11 acres south of University Parkway and west of Business Boulevard, immediately north of the Magnolia Green office park.

The building, expected to be finished in December, will be leased to multiple physician groups and will have a one-level ambulatory surgery center.

Casto Southeast Realty Services Vice President of Development Aaron Ruben said Casto expects for all but the first tenant to move in toward the end of first quarter 2020.

STATE ROAD 64 CORRIDOR

COSTCO Wholesale

A new Costco Wholesale store will the be anchor tenant for a future shopping, dining and entertainment mecca at the northeast corner of Interstate 75 and S.R. 64, in front of the Heritage Harbour Community. Costco, slated to open Aug. 21, currently is the only announced tenant for the more than 100-acre site. The project also is slated to have apartment housing.

Retail plaza (River Club Retail)

9516 State Road 64 E., Bradenton

Retail Solutions Advisors is under construction on a 9.75-acre retail center across from Haile Middle School on S.R. 64. The site is 1.5 miles east of Interstate 75, immediately west of River Club Car Wash.

Site plans show five total buildings, three of which are out-parcels and the other two with inline retailers. Those buildings show anywhere from seven to 11 businesses each and are 25,800 square feet and 10,800 square feet respectively.

General contractor Raj Mathur, of Raj Mathur Construction, said the out-parcels and the multitenant buildings will have typical neighborhood service offerings like a nail salon, fitness studio and restaurants. The out-parcels do not yet have users identified.

LAKEWOOD RANCH
BOULEVARD CORIDOR

Honest-1 Auto Care

2511 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch

The eco-friendly auto-care chain Honest-1 is under construction on a new 5,277-square-foot facility at Crowder’s Plaza.