10530535483?profile=RESIZE_710xAlthough the design may change, the plans for a 231-unit complex drew a positive response at a community meeting. The Lantana Kmart on this site closed two years ago. Rendering provided

By Mary Thurwachter

The Lantana Kmart on South Dixie Highway has been shuttered for two years. If developers have their way, the store famous for blue-light specials will be torn down to make way for a 231-unit apartment complex.
Hugo Pacanins, a regional development partner with Morgan Group, shared the proposal for the 18.6-acre site at a neighborhood meeting at Lantana Pizza, another of the businesses in the Kmart plaza. The property is owned by Saglo Development Corp. of Miami.
Besides construction of studios and one- and-two-bedroom apartments, the plans include cosmetic improvements for the other retail portions of the property, including Winn-Dixie.
Four out-parcels — Bank of America, Dunkin’ Donuts, Burger King and a vacant restaurant building — are not part of the application.
The Town Council paved the way for the Lantana Village Square development in September 2019, when it approved a necessary change to the comprehensive land-use plan for the shopping center on the north side of Hypoluxo Road. The council will be reviewing a site plan in June. If approved, construction could begin as early as next year, Pacanins said.
Cushla Talbut, an attorney with Greenberg Traurig who is processing the application for the planned development, said the project proposes five four-story buildings with elevators and an entry from Greynolds Circle. Among the amenities would be a dog park, gym, pool, upgraded parking lot and a pocket park on the north end of the property.
Community benefits, Talbut said, would include adding more than 500 trees, four electric car charging stations and public art.
Rents haven’t been decided but it is estimated they will range between $1,700 and $2,800 a month. Ten percent of the project would be designated as workforce housing, with rents designed to be affordable to workers in professions such as teaching, firefighting and nursing.  
While many attendees seemed to like the plans, not everyone approved of the architectural designs.
“Where did they get their inspiration — Lego?” asked Ed Shropshire, a former council member who attended the gathering. He suggested something more in line with Lantana’s seaside fishing village look would be more suitable.
Pacanins said the architectural design was not set in stone and changes were likely.
“Maybe something with more a Key West look,” Pacanins said.

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