PSL's New Shopping Mecca

Prayers to the shopping gods made by residents in southwest Port St. Lucie have been answered.

No longer will they have to make the arduous trek to Jensen Beach to shop at stores like Target or Old Navy. By mid-2007, those stores, along with a host of others, will be entering America's fastest growing city along Gatlin Boulevard on both sides of its I-95 exit.

With three power shopping centers and one neighborhood center, Gatlin will boast roughly 1.5 million square feet of retail space. The stores will be concentrated in a span of just two miles between Rosser Boulevard and Village Parkway.

The Landing at Tradition will likely be the first completed. There, at least 10 national retailers will open their first shops in St. Lucie County, said Alan Karrh, director of retail marketing for Tradition. Work crews are preparing the land now and construction is scheduled to begin by early summer.

In addition to fulfilling the shopping needs of an under-served market, the retail developments will help ease road congestion, because area residents won't have to enter Martin County.
"Getting to the Treasure Coast Square Mall is 30 minutes-plus on a good day," said Port St. Lucie councilman Christopher Cooper. "Now, residents will have the amenities near their homes."