SANFORD, Fla. – It’s been one year since the Seminole Towne Center closed its doors, except for its anchor stores. The once-thriving mall has been largely vacant, but now a new plan is taking shape.
News 6 spoke with Jay Douglas, the managing director of The Ardent Companies. It’s the first time we’ve heard directly from the site’s new owners about their vision for the mall’s future.
“There’s so many different pieces that come together to make up the mall, and you know, we really view Costco as the first leg, or first domino to fall to be able to start a much more fulsome and complete redevelopment of the project,” said Douglas.
Earlier this month, the Sanford City Commission unanimously gave its approval on a pivotal step towards revitalizing the property. The construction of Costco, where the old Macy’s was located, will begin once demolition starts this summer.
[WATCH: Sanford leaders advance plans for Costco at Seminole Towne Center]
“It’s hard to correct 30 years of a downward decline or a downward spiral on the mall,” said Douglas. “You kind of need something to help kick off a new path for the mall and for the overall area.”
The 164,585 square-foot Costco will be the largest in Central Florida when it opens in 2027. Ardent expects the store to bring 12,000 cars each day to the property.
“I think Costco is one of those rare drivers that Is able to do that,” Douglas said. “You know what Costco does, the type of consumer they bring in. The Seminole Towne Center as a stopping point within this trade area is huge for us.”
Douglas explained it will be the stimulus for what has historically been a dilapidated mall. From there, they will begin to redevelop the 76-acre site, moving north.
Douglas said there are challenges ahead, but Ardent specializes in complex projects such as the former mall site.
“When you look at the various uses, there are some operating, some are vacant, some, you know, have years left to go, some are still operating but have long-term leases trying to unravel,” said Douglas.
[WATCH: Seminole Towne Center set for historic redevelopment with Costco, apartment complex]
Ardent is tasked with weaving all of it together in a way that makes sense for the site.
“Everybody wants, the city wants to see it, the community, the county wants to see it. Dillard’s and Elev8 and Dick’s Sporting Goods, like everybody wants to see this injection into the site, but it’s very complicated,” Douglas explained. “As we look at partially demolishing the mall, it would be so much easier if you could just start fresh, right?”
As for what’s next after Costco, Douglas said Ardent is taking things one step at a time.
“The reality is that we view this as the gateway to the redevelopment of the mall,” said Douglas. “When you get something that’s this large, not dissimilar to the old metaphor of eating an elephant, you kind of have to do it on step at a time.”
Douglas said once Costco is complete, their hope is that the rest will fall into place as they re-envision the old mall’s future.
“If you look at Winter Park, look at Altamonte, look at Lake Mary, and you know look at some of the developments that they’ve been able to put together, you know, there’s a true integration of projects between residential, whether it’s entertainment, whether it’s places to eat — food and beverage — and hospitality. And you see some of these projects that have been very, very successful and it’s shocking to me that Sanford kind of really doesn’t have that yet,” said Douglas.
Douglas said there’s even more potential as Seminole County continues to grow.
“I think it will be hard to consider this a mall when all is said and done,” said Douglas. “There is a movement towards a ‘de-malling.’
“We’ve actually gotten a lot better at how we put together retail and living and working and how all these things come together,” he continues. And I think that, for a lot of the malls that, you know, across Florida or elsewhere that are struggling or that are on a decline, I think if we do our job well, it can become a model for some of these malls as they look to reposition themselves and, and re-energize themselves into, you know, a new age."