A terrific 10 years for the Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota

It was Oct. 16 in 2012 and Todd Mathes was attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the Mall at University Town Center.

He remembered thinking the plans by Benderson Development and the Taubman company to build an 880,000-square-foot shopping mall in two years were "ambitious."

The partners announced to the crowd that the new mall would be open two years to the day after the groundbreaking.

"I remember that day," said Mathes, who is the director of development for Benderson Development. "I thought everyone was nuts."

But like most things connected with the mall, everything went to plan and a ribbon cutting was held Oct 16, 2014.

On Oct. 16, the mall will celebrate its 10th birthday as one of the biggest drivers of economic impact the region ever has known.

"My father, Nathan Benderson, had the early vision to create a regional shopping destination here," said Randy Benderson, the managing director of Benderson Development. "At the time, Lakewood Ranch was just starting to take shape. The growth in southwest Florida has been extraordinary. It has allowed UTC to become a super-regional shopping destination."

It seemed like somewhat of a questionable decision to build such a large mall at a time when indoor malls around the country were floundering and the country was coming out of a major recession.

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"That was a goal of ours (to build a regional shopping destination) when we took the risk coming out of the housing recession to start construction of the mall," Randy Benderson said. "What we probably could not have envisioned was the sense of community that developed around UTC in the years after we opened the mall."

The Mall at UTC became not only a shopping destination, but a place where families could meet for social events, and to gather for the holidays. The mall came to life with an amazing holiday lights display, a holiday parade, a recreation area — The Green — for weekly events, a bevy of workout-related programs inside the mall, and much more. The next-door Nathan Benderson Park allows people to combine a day at the park with shopping and/or a nice meal at one of the mall area's many restaurants.

"The mall energized our region," Randy Benderson said. "Taubman had perfected the mall model by the time we partnered at UTC and they were widely recognized throughout the industry for their commitment to innovative architecture and excellence in design. That’s exactly what we wanted to bring to the region.

"The mall reflects our commitment that UTC would be a special place. We made the same commitment to Nathan Benderson Park, next door, and now Mote Marine is poised to open its new Science Education Aquarium. These are all iconic, placemaking projects which in and of themselves have transformational potential. To put them all in one place creates a powerhouse of a destination."

Vanessa Baugh was commissioner of the Lakewood Ranch area's District 5 at the time. 

Baugh, who retired from the commission in 2023, said she was excited, but worried, about how the mall would fare.

"I was concerned," Baugh said. "Who wanted an indoor mall at that time? Everyone wanted to be the (outdoor) Lincoln Mall in Miami.

Even so, the potential, if successful, was enormous.

"I was involved with Benderson Development at the time, even though the mall was in Sarasota County," Baugh said. "Randy Benderson and Todd Mathes always made sure Manatee County had a place at the table. When it came to roads, they always wanted to do whatever they could to help."

A jewelry store owner in Lakewood Ranch, Baugh said she was like many East County business owners who thought the mall could hurt their businesses by taking away their customers.

"I was leery," she said. "But it actually helped us. It brought more people this way."

She said other benefits were that the Cooper Creek area would change and grow into a strong retail center and the diverging diamond project at Interstate 75 and University Parkway was speeded up to meet the traffic needs.

The UTC mall and its surrounding districts grew right along with the nearby Lakewood Ranch community.

“UTC and Lakewood Ranch have complemented each other's growth over the years, offering our residents, the region, and visitors a diverse and unmatched mix of entertainment, shopping, and dining options," said Laura Cole, senior vice president of Lakewood Ranch Communities, in an email.

The $315 million mall itself is a work of art with a light-changing, barrel vault ceiling and a 1,100-foot long skylight that allows shoppers to feel that they are outside even though they are in a climate-controlled environment.

"We are in the tropics," said Jose Ayala, the Mall at UTC's general manager for the past five years. "We wanted the sunlight to come through. It was a specialty design. Not many malls have the skylights that we have."

Ayala, who was the general manager of the Mall of San Juan (Puerto Rico) in his previous post, said Taubman has been known for "boutique malls" and being very selective in choosing tenants. He said that has been a key to the Mall at UTC's popularity.

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"The type of tenants complement each other," he said. "We have changed some brands, because we trade up. We are very careful selecting the right tenants. We share (with Benderson Development) what we see in new trends. This center has evolved."

When talking about the mall impact on the region, Ayala notes that the Mall at UTC has more than 2,000 employees along with the tax revenue it generates.

Mathes, who joined Benderson Development in 2011, said there is a synergy with Taubman, and with the surrounding communities that has made the mall and the shopping districts so successful.

He also complimented the mall's anchor tenants, such as Dillard's, for the success.

He said the mall and shopping districts share needs and trends, such as the vast amount of fast casual food and sporting goods that are available.

The amount of people who schedule family time at UTC and the surrounding districts also has amazed him.

"People want to spend their leisure time here," he said. "None of us could have put their arms around that."

It's been a decade since the mall opened, but Mathes still remembers the time two months before the scheduled opening when he thought everyone was nuts to complete such a massive project in two years. Unfortunately, it looked like he was going to be right.

"Ninety days before we opened, you would have said, 'No way!'" he said. "We had hundreds of electricians, plumbers and construction workers."

But they made it.

"Opening day was a huge party," he said.