After years of decline, the Seminole Towne Center will be under new management that citizens across Seminole County are eager for.
“The amount of bad press that has surrounded this property has been out there for too long. So it’s going to be a full rebrand,” developer Justin Kovacsik said. “We’ll probably never utter the words Seminole Towne Center again other than in private conversations.”
The Towne Center will be turning 29 this month and upgrading the mall has been a priority for the city’s economic development team. From Simon Developers, to Washington Prime to Cohen Retail Group, the mall has been under a variety of different leadership styles.
Brady Lessard, the economic development director of Sanford, explained how David Goldfarb from Elev8, has been operating on an island alone, along with Dillard’s and JCPenney. He also reflected on how “viable and vibrant” the mall once was. “Clearly when I came on board here, one of the goals and one of the priorities was ‘how do we revitalize and bring that entire corridor back to life?’ Because clearly it has not been up to snuff for many, many years,” the director expressed.
Lessard then enthusiastically welcomed Gilbane Development Company to Sanford and in front of the commission. “The folks I want to introduce tonight… are a group that I am fully confident will not only live up to the expectations that they have on their bottom line, as a private business,” said Lessard. “They are postured to live up to the expectations of not just this commission, but the companies that are going to continue operating out there and our residents. This will be a regional draw. They can bring that project to fruition.”
The Gilbane Development Company has been around for many years and are stepping into this task with the utmost confidence. “I think it’s important to mention that we’ve been around for 154 years. I can’t stress enough how disciplined our business is with our leadership,” said Kovacsick. “Being around for 154 years you see a lot of market cycles, but I can tell you from what these guys are pursuing, specific projects locally, and as we pursue development opportunities, we are extremely disciplined and selective.”
Members of the company are right at home with graduates from Seminole High, Lake Mary High and have kids that were in the Seminole County school system. “For us it’s more than just a project, it’s personal,” Vice President of Development and Lake Mary graduate, Kovacsick said. “I was in high school when this mall was originally built. It was the social center for most people my age… At the holidays, I mean it was shoulder to shoulder. So to see what it has become now, is a little bit dispiriting obviously.”
Developers have already gotten started with the process by physically evaluating the location and are looking into redesign. They say this project is unique in a positive way and plan to develop for a better future. The developer explained “We have the ability for us to step into a very complicated site that’s 29 years old– 29-year-old infrastructure, 29-year-old everything. For us to be able to bring these guys in, 3D scan the building, redesign it, and really understand what’s going on physically there first, we are developing for the long term.
