Mixed-Use project pondered for failed Walmart site in Sarasota

Officials in Sarasota, Florida, are envisioning building a mixed-use project on the site of the town’s Ringling Shopping Center, the site over which Walmart lost a fight to build a new store.



The 9.7-acre site could accommodate 222 residential units and 175,000 sq. ft. of office and retail space. Customer traffic at Ringling Shopping Center, Sarasota’s oldest, had fallen off precipitously in recent years.



Increased road traffic was what inspired locals to oppose the Walmart, but, ironically, a mixed-use site would likely result in even more traffic, reported the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. An analysis showed that the Walmart would have generated about 452 vehicle trips during the peak afternoon rush hour, while the mixed-use facility would cause 100 more than that.



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