Wilder, which is also developing the 400,000-sf Loop West retail complex in Kissimmee, promises to bring Punta Gorda new shopping, dining, living, working and entertainment options that local residents must now drive to nearby Fort Myers and Sarasota to experience. The company describes its site as "the last great untapped market" along Florida's Gulf Coast, adding that the Great Loop's trade area will encompass Charlotte County and neighboring parts of Lee and Sarasota counties.

"We are so pleased to be entering this community and introducing this concept," Wilder says. "There has been a huge void in this community."

While Wilder has been building brand familiarity with its Loop concept in Florida, as well as its home state of Massachusetts, the Punta Gorda project will exceed anything it has done thus far, says Andy LaGrega, another Wilder principal. "The Great Loop goes beyond what came before in size, design, experience and trade area draw. We wanted the name to better reflect that," he says.

Wilder, which has largely been involved in the retail sector over the last 35 years, also has experience in urban street-level retail, mixed-use projects and regional malls. Its current portfolio includes 45 properties nationwide with another four million sf under development, including the 350,000-sf Rialto luxury mixed-use development in Orlando.