A Target store with a sales area of ​​almost 14,000 square meters is planned in the Marketplace in the Heritage Harbour shopping centre, according to documents filed this month with Manatee County Development Services.

The proposed Target at 725 Lighthouse Drive, next to Costco, would be one of the company’s larger-than-average stores. Target’s newest store is planned for the northeast corner of the intersection of State Road 64 and Interstate 75.

“Across much of the country, our typical Target stores average about 125,000 square feet. However, we have the ability to open and operate stores in spaces of any size – from densely populated urban areas to sprawling suburbs to college campuses,” the company says on its website.

The 150,000-square-foot Target store is valued at $20.6 million, according to the building application. A construction timeline and opening date for the new Target location have not yet been announced.

The marketplace at Heritage Harbor is being developed by Edgewood Properties of Piscataway, New Jersey.

The concept plan on Edgewood Properties’ website also shows that there are pending leases for a 3,700-square-foot market, a 5,900-square-foot sporting goods store and a 5,100-square-foot arts and crafts store.

“At Target, we are constantly exploring potential locations for new stores. I can tell you that we are pursuing the opportunity to reach guests in the Bradenton Heritage (Harbor) area, but at this time we are not at a point where we can announce plans for new stores,” a Target spokesperson said in an email Wednesday.

Third Target store opens in Manatee County

Also listed are pending leases for a 3,900-square-foot breakfast/brunch cafe, a 2,800-square-foot Chinese restaurant, a 7,182-square-foot restaurant/wine bar and a 5,400-square-foot steakhouse.

Miller’s Ale House opened in November at 7175 State Road 64 E.

A representative of Edgewood Properties contacted by phone declined to comment on which businesses might join the Marketplace at Heritage Harbour.

But John Musson, a resident of Heritage Harbour, said it was clear that a new retail sector was emerging in his community.

“It’s underway. They already have the shovels in the ground,” Musson said of Target.

“If it’s something like Costco or Miller’s, there will be a store there within a year once they level the ground,” Musson said.

The Costco store in Bradenton opened in August 2019.

Target did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its planned stores in Bradenton this week.

Another destination in Bradenton is still planned

Target also plans to open a store at 7350 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton, in space formerly occupied by Kmart. The West Bradenton store would be about 76,000 square feet, a company spokesman said in an email Wednesday. As recently as Jan. 5, Target had said the store would be about 49,000 square feet.

Target first confirmed plans for the West Bradenton store in September 2020. This week, the storefront appears to be nearly complete with its signature red paint job, but the company has not yet announced an opening date. It was unclear if expansion plans for the new store have pushed back the opening date.

“We are excited to offer customers in the Bradenton Beach area an easy, affordable and convenient shopping experience with this new Target store,” the Target spokesperson said in an email Wednesday. “As we get closer to the store’s opening, we will share more specific details – including how the shopping experience will be tailored to local guests and when the grand opening will be.”

Other Target stores in the Bradenton area

The only Target store in Manatee County is currently located at 6150 14th St. W., in Bayshore Gardens.

There is also a Super Target at 101 N. Cattlemen Road in the University Town Center shopping district, just south of the Manatee County border.

When this Super Target opened in 2006, Target District Manager John Corrigan looked to the future: “This will be the first Super Target, but not the last, for Sarasota and Manatee counties.”

Founded in 1962, Target has 1,956 stores in the United States. Last year, the company opened 21 new stores.