The new storefront signs at Ellenton Premium Outlets are the obvious change this fall. The change with the longer reach is in the parking lot near 29th Street East. In December 2025, Manatee County commissioners unanimously approved an updated development plan that puts two hotels on part of the outlet's parking. In July 2026, news broke that a Halloween retailer and a national apparel brand had signed on to fill space inside. Taken together, the outlet at 5461 Factory Shops Blvd. is being treated as land and space that can be re-cut, not as a finished shopping center with a fixed tenant list.
The County Called the Parking Overbuilt
The approved plan adds two hotels, one with up to 122 rooms and one with up to 124, for as much as 110,060 square feet of new development on the outlet property. Both go on the parking lot at the northeast corner of I-75 and U.S. 301, on the side closest to 29th Street East.
The commissioners' discussion explains why the plan passed so easily.
"I think this is a good use, that we need more hotels. I think this is a good use of over-built parking, honestly." Commissioner George Kruse, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times
The numbers back up his point. The hotels take away 197 spaces, which leaves 2,235 under the new plan, down from 2,432. That's roughly one space in twelve. It's a real reduction, but the property is still built around a very large parking field. On most weekdays, the empty asphalt at the far edges was the space nobody needed, and that's the space the county decided could hold buildings.
Who the Hotels Are Built For
These aren't standard overnight hotels. Developers have signed franchise agreements that lock in two extended-stay brands. Hilton's LivSmart Studios is the 124-room building, aimed at longer stays, with studio-apartment-style rooms. The Times noted that existing rooms in Tennessee have a sink, dishwasher, stovetop and microwave. WoodSpring Suites, the 122-room building, is also extended-stay, with in-room kitchens at what the brand calls "affordable rates."
That matters for the property's daily rhythm. An outlet mall serves shoppers who come for a few hours and leave. Extended-stay rooms with kitchens bring people who stay on the property for days or weeks. They'll buy groceries along U.S. 301, eat at the restaurants nearby, and use the same intersections residents use. The outlet gets a second set of regulars living on its own lot.
What Changes Around the Ice Rink
Anyone who drives to the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex will feel this first. The LivSmart Studios building goes in the parking area south of the rink, and WoodSpring Suites goes east of it. The plan caps both at four stories. So the rink, which now sits next to open parking, will have two mid-rise neighbors on that side of the property.
Traffic plans are changing on the same edge. WWSB reported in December 2025 that a traffic signal was planned at 60th Avenue East and 29th Street East, near Palm Grove Luxury Apartments, with construction expected to start in April 2026. The hotels and the signal sit on the same corner of the corridor. That corner is about to carry more cars at more hours of the day than a shopping-only property ever brought.
The Schedule Is a Forecast, Not a Fact
This is where Ellenton residents should hold the dates loosely. A county workshop document dated May 27, 2025 expected groundbreaking around the second quarter of 2026 and opening in the third quarter of 2027, pending permits. WWSB's December 2025 report put groundbreaking in spring 2026 and opening in fall 2027. As of early October 2026, we found no news coverage or county record confirming that ground has broken, and none confirming that the 29th Street signal is built. That doesn't mean the work hasn't started. It means the spring milestones have passed without public confirmation.
| Project | Location | Last published milestone | Confirmed since? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton LivSmart Studios, 124 rooms | South of Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex | Opening Q3 2027, per plan records | No later update found |
| WoodSpring Suites, 122 rooms | East of the rink | Groundbreaking spring 2026, opening fall 2027 | No later update found |
| Traffic signal | 60th Ave. E. and 29th St. E. | Construction expected April 2026 | No later update found |
| Olive Garden | 5710 20th St. E. | Lease signed, approvals pending, February 2026 | No opening date announced |
Inside, the Storefronts Are Being Re-Cut Too
The hotel approval re-cuts the lot. This year's tenant changes do the same thing inside the buildings. On February 2, 2026, Saks Off 5th announced in a social media post that most of its stores would close, and the Ellenton location was on the list of stores holding closing sales. By July, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that Spirit Halloween would open in that former Saks Off 5th space. Spirit's own store locator lists the Ellenton store at 5709 Factory Shops Boulevard, Suite 800, and identifies it as the former Saks Off 5th.
The same July report announced Abercrombie & Fitch, placed next to White House Black Market and Dooney & Bourke. The Business Journal noted three Abercrombie & Fitch stores already in the Tampa Bay region. Whether Ellenton's is open yet depends on which Simon page you check. The center homepage labels it "Now Open," and the individual store page still says "Coming Soon." Check before you make a special trip.
The two moves fit together. A department-store-sized space that one national chain gave up now has a seasonal-category retailer. Meanwhile, a brand with existing regional stores picked a slot in a row of fashion outlets. The center, home to more than 130 stores, is filling space according to what's available rather than holding out for one like-for-like replacement.
The Corridor Is Filling In Around It
More extended-stay guests and a steady flow of shoppers mean more demand along U.S. 301 and the side streets, and the food options there have been adding up:
- Gateway Subs, 2215 60th Ave. E., opened in 2025 as the St. Petersburg chain's first Manatee County location.
- Legacy BBQ, 2443 U.S. 301, Suite C, is a family-owned spot run by owner and operator Bill Sweet.
- Crawfish & Crab Bayou, 3412 US-301, Unit 101, was set to open March 5, 2026, with a grand opening planned for March 8. We could not independently confirm the opening.
- Olive Garden leased 5710 20th St. E., west of Ruby Tuesday near the I-75 and U.S. 301 interchange. As of February 2026 the company was still working through approvals and gave no opening timeframe.
Olive Garden sits on the same interchange as the outlet. It's one more sign that national operators see that corner as worth planning around, even before the hotels have a confirmed construction date.
Where the Calendar Goes Off the Property
The outlet corridor changes slowly. The fall calendar a few miles away is fixed, and two dates require reservations.
- Spooky Science at the Rye Preserve Pavilion runs Thursday, October 15, from 1 to 3 p.m.
- Master Gardener Tour: Rye Preserve runs Saturday, October 17, from 9 to 11 a.m. Rye Preserve is at 905 Rye Wilderness Trail in Parrish, with a canoe and kayak launch to the Manatee River.
- The Bill Mergens Memorial Car & Truck Show fills the Gamble Plantation grounds at 3708 U.S. Highway 301 on Sunday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., hosted by the Gamble Plantation Preservation Alliance.
Rye Preserve's Friday and Saturday tent camping returns for its November through April season right after the car show weekend.
Property near U.S. 301 and I-75 is about to sit next to two approved extended-stay hotels, a planned signal and a busier interchange. That changes how land on this corridor gets valued. Kona Realty brings developer and land-use fluency to these questions, whether you're holding, building or selling near the outlet corridor. Contact Us to talk through what the approved plan means for your address.
