“Scott Fish doesn’t want to be called a savior.
But the principal of Franklin, Tenn.-based UP Development Inc., which has Orlando Fashion Square mall near downtown Orlando under contract to purchase for an undisclosed price by year’s end, does have some evidence stacked against him on that claim.
For one thing, his firm specializes in redeveloping shopping centers, re-imagining about 20 throughout the Southeast.
For instance, last year, UP Development rescued the once-flailing Shoppes at Alafaya, a 200,000-square-foot retail center near Waterford Lakes in east Orlando, resolving several lien issues and allowing construction to continue.
So now, can he do the same with Orlando Fashion Square, a mall that has re-invented itself in recent years by filling empty spaces with tenants such as Planet Fitness?
“I don’t know if it needs saving as much as a little work,” said Fish. “There’s a great customer base…”