200 Acres in Punta Gorda, Florida will see Mixed-Use Project

Originally Posted on Monday, December 11, 2006

GlobeSt.com reports that the Wilder Cos. has acquire 200 acres in Punta Gorda, Florida where it plans to build a project called the Loop. The Loop will consist of 1.2 Million sf. of retail, 500 residential units and 100,000 sf. of office space as well as a 200 room hotel. The Loop is an expansion of the same New Urbanism concept that the company has had in other areas of the country. If you visit the main website www.attheloop.com you will see links to each of the projects that have carried the Loop name. The first one, in Methuen, Massachusetts north of Boston, is already fully operational and seems to be doing very well. You can visit the website by clicking here.

There is another Loop in Orlando that has been successful as well, and the Wilder Cos. hope that this success will continue in Southwest Florida. This is the big gamble though as many feel that the demographics must shift within the next few years to provide the kind of growth that will fill a development of this size. The Punta Gorda market is underserved contend the Wilder Cos. brass, particularly in terms of upscale shopping options. They say most people living here are going to Fort Myers or Sarasota to shop and this in turn is helping a migration out of the city that this new development could reverse.

Below is a picture of the general location of the project on Jones Loop Road...