Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA is a business consultant in Sanford who specializes in the finance behind decisions like this one. Here is his perspective on what the Seminole Towne Center redevelopment means for nearby owners.

Costco is coming to Sanford. That much is real. The question every nearby owner is asking is simple: should I expand now, so I am ready, or wait until the crowds actually show up?

The answer: do not bet the business on a date nobody can promise. The Seminole Towne Center redevelopment is a plan with a moving schedule. Before you sign a lease or hire a crew, model what happens if the traffic shows up early, on time, or late. If you can survive the late version, move. If you cannot, wait, or move smaller.

What is actually planned at Seminole Towne Center?

The mall closed in 2024, except for its anchor stores. The Ardent Companies, based in Atlanta, finalized its purchase of the 76-acre property after that. Earlier in 2026 the Sanford City Commission unanimously approved a step allowing a Costco on the former Macy's site.

The Costco is planned at more than 156,000 square feet, which would make it the largest in Central Florida, with a gas station and 847 parking spaces. In January 2026, city officials said they expected it to open in early 2027. Ardent's development leader has described broader plans for stores, restaurants, and residential, built in phases from the south end of the property to the north. He has not named other committed tenants, and he said he is not sure how long the full project will take.

Read that carefully. One anchor is moving forward. Everything else is a plan. Ardent does not own the anchor storefronts still operating, like Dillard's, so parts of the old mall stay open while the rest changes around them.

What about surviving the gap before the traffic comes back?

If your business sits on that corridor, you do not have one problem. You have two, and they need opposite plans. Problem one is the hole. The mall that fed you foot traffic closed in 2024, and there is construction next door through 2026. That is a long stretch where a business built on borrowed traffic has to generate its own.

Redevelopment value in 2027 does not pay your rent in 2026. That is the whole problem in one sentence. Owners who fixate on how good the corridor will be miss the fact that they have to still be open when it arrives. Build a week-by-week cash view that runs past the expected Costco opening. Not a budget. Money in and money out, every week, so you know whether you make it to the other side.

Related: Expanding into a new space downtown instead? Read the business consultant's perspective on renovating in historic downtown Sanford. Renovating in Historic Downtown Sanford

Why is timing the whole game?

The schedule has already moved. Early reports pointed to demolition starting in spring 2026. By July 2026, the estimate had shifted to July, and a Planning and Zoning vote on the site's sign program was pushed from July to August. None of that is unusual. Big projects slide. But your costs do not slide with them.

Here is the trap. A lease starts the day you sign it. Payroll starts the day you hire. New customer traffic starts whenever the project actually opens. If those dates do not line up, you are paying for a bigger business while you still have the same customers.

How do you model three opening timelines?

Do not build one forecast. Build three. Same decision, different arrival dates for the traffic. Then look at the cash.

These are example numbers. Yours will be different. But the shape is the same for almost every business. The late scenario is the one that breaks owners, and it is the one most owners never run.

Related: Expansion is where profitable businesses run out of cash. See why in Profitable on Paper, Broke in the Bank. Profitable on Paper, Broke in the Bank

Is the corridor that comes back the same one that left?

No. That is problem two, and almost nobody is planning for it. A Costco with a gas station and 847 parking spaces does not just add traffic. It changes who drives there, when they drive there, and what they buy while they are out. If you sell fuel, tires, optical, pharmacy, or bulk food, a warehouse club next door is a direct competitor with better buying power. If you run a restaurant, salon, service business, or specialty shop, that same traffic is a gift, but only if your lease, staffing, and hours are ready for it. Traffic you cannot serve is traffic your competitor gets.

So the first decision is simple: which side of Costco are you on? Competitor or beneficiary. The answer shapes everything else. From there, you have four real options.

• Expand. Fits owners with strong cash, a proven concept, and a business that benefits from warehouse-club traffic, like restaurants, quick service, salons, and specialty services.
• Reposition. Fits owners who sell anything Costco sells in bulk, like fuel, tires, optical, pharmacy, or packaged food. You will not beat them on price. Win on service, speed, specialty, and relationships.
• Relocate. Fits owners whose lease is ending soon anyway. Moving closer to the new traffic can make sense, but negotiate rent before the traffic arrives, not after.
• Wait. Fits owners who cannot survive the late scenario. Waiting is not losing. It is buying certainty. Watch the milestones and move when the risk drops.

One more thing. Rents on that corridor will move once the traffic returns. Find out exactly when your lease renews. Renewing during the quiet period and renewing after Costco opens are two very different negotiations.

What triggers should tell you it is time to move?

Instead of guessing a date, pick milestones in advance. When a milestone hits, you act. When it does not, you wait. No drama, no gut calls.

1. Demolition actually starts on site. Start lease conversations.
2. Building permits are issued and vertical construction is visible. Negotiate terms, with rent starting near the projected opening.
3. An opening date is publicly announced. Sign, and start hiring 60 to 90 days out.
4. Opening day. Measure traffic for 90 days before adding anything else.

The same idea works for hiring and inventory. Commit in steps, each tied to something you can see.

How Does This Hit Different Industries?

The same issue lands differently depending on what you sell. Here is how a business consultant would break it down for three kinds of Sanford businesses.

How a Business Consultant Helps

Most owners near the mall are not real estate developers or finance people. They are restaurant owners, mechanics, stylists, and retailers who are great at their trade. Then a decision like this lands on them, and it can make or break the next five years.

Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA takes it through Organize-Plan-Grow™. Organize: get your current numbers clean so you know what the business really earns today. Plan: build the three-timeline model, test the lease, staffing, and cash needs, and set your trigger points. Grow: when the milestones hit, execute with a plan instead of a hunch.

Dr. Paul has built 500+ financial models for small businesses over 14+ years. He builds the model with you, explains every line in plain English, and stays with you while you make the call.

Dr. Paul works on site with owners across Sanford and Seminole County. See how he works as a Sanford business consultant, review his financial projections, or learn more about Dr. Paul's Organize-Plan-Grow™ Strategy.