Tenants line up for new retail space

EAST COUNTY — Tenant spaces are filling up quickly as developers push forward with plans for River Club Park of Commerce, home to the East County’s newest Walmart Supercenter.

Texas Roadhouse, Hungry Howie’s Pizza and Tire Choice all have contracts for stand-alone buildings in the plaza, and Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse, Hair Cuttery and Nail Art & Spa are among tenants coming to the inline-portion of the plaza, said Casto’s John Hutchens, asset manager for the project.

“I think this is just confirmation that if you have a well-located site, and you’re close to a Walmart that leasing can be pretty successful,” Hutchens said. “The project is doing surprisingly well in this economy. We’re really happy with it.”

The River Club Park of Commerce Development of Regional Impact consists of 245 acres at the intersection of State Road 70 and Interstate 75, and extends south to Linger Lodge Road and east to the Braden Woods community. The project’s anchor, Walmart Supercenter, opened in April.

Developers now are looking toward future phases of the commercial portion of the development. The plaza’s two future retail strips, which will flank Walmart to the east and total approximately 30,000 square feet of space, as well as its five out-parcel locations, are about 70% leased, Hutchens said.

“There’s a good mix of service-based retailers and restaurants,” Hutchens said. “A couple of the restaurants are new to the area and are pretty exciting. Some of the other ones are national tenants that are typical of an inline shopping center like this one.”

Casto’s design of the properties will play heavily off select design features used by Walmart, including its sweeping arches, Hutchens said.

Casto expects to break ground on the plaza’s next phase in August, with tenants occupying spaces starting in the first quarter of 2013, Hutchens said.

Developers took the project to the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners this week with a request to modify a preliminary site plan that required the construction of a 700-foot-long, 8-foot-tall wall along the western portion of the project, as a visual barrier of the project for the adjacent Braden Woods community.

With approval from the commission, developers now will install enhanced landscaping in the area the wall was to be constructed.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected]