Butler Plaza is a large retail complex located in southwest Gainesville, Florida. It is the largest retail power center in Florida and among the largest in the southeast United States. Built on the former site of Stengel Airport, which closed in 1971, the shopping center currently consists of four major sections: East, Central, West, and North. Butler Town Center is currently under construction on the east side of the development. The complex is named for the late Clark Butler, who developed the area along with his daughter, Deborah Butler, who joined the team after college in the 1980s. It is sometimes nicknamed the "Miracle Mile" and "Restaurant Row" due to the number of restaurants. It is bordered by 34th Street on the east, Interstate 75 on the west, and Archer Road on the south. Anchor stores include Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Sam's Club, and two Publix supermarkets. In addition to attracting customers from Gainesville and the nearby University of Florida, Butler Plaza also attracts customers from outside Alachua County.
Butler Plaza East
Butler Plaza East is anchored by a 14-screen Regal Cinemasmovie theater located on the northern side of the complex. Other tenants include
Butler Plaza Central is located directly adjacent to Butler Plaza East and is anchored by a Best Buy, one of two Publix Grocery Stores in the shopping center, and several other medium-sized retailers. Other tenants include
Butler Plaza is the westernmost section of the complex and is separated from Butler Plaza Central by Clark Butler Blvd.. This section is anchored by a Target and a second Publix supermarket. Other tenants include
Butler originally envisioned expanding the shopping center to the north into of vacant land, formerly occupied by a trailer park. These plans called for an additional of retail space, 400 hotel rooms, and of office space. Although Clark Butler died in 2008, his daughter Deborah has continued to achieve the expansion goals as well as set new ones. In 2013, the City Commission approved both land use and zoning amendments to the existing approved Butler Plaza expansion. In the planning stages for more than a decade, the Commission's approval signals the final planning modifications prior to Butler Enterprises filing site development plans. These plans include the expansion to lands owned north of the existing retail center, including the former mobile home park, and redevelopment within the existing shopping center. The City Commission's approval did not modify the 2012 approval for a total of 2.5 million square feet of retail space, 250,000 square feet of office uses, 500 hotel or motel rooms, and up to 1,000 apartments or condominiums. Development thresholds were not the subject of discussion. The amendments were centered on reorienting the proposed Town Center closer to the gateway to the shopping center and bringing greater flexibility to the plan, allowing Butler Enterprises to accommodate tenants within a more agile economy and marketplace. The proposed project is a multi-year, multimillion-dollar investment that will bring 3,500 permanent jobs to the community and at least 1,500 construction and support jobs plus an expanded tax base. The expansion will be easily accessed from all directions, including the new four-lane, multimodal SW 43rd Street connector, beginning at Archer Road running north through Butler Plaza and Butler North. Butler North's tenants include:
Butler Town Center is currently under construction with anticipated completion in the fall of 2018. The town center will displace much of the Butler East complex and will consist of over 350,000 sq feet of open-air retail space. The center will be anchored by several large national tenants. Plans also include the construction of over 200 upscale apartments and a 13,000 sq feet chef driven food hall. Announced tenants include:
