There’s some good news this week in Sarasota commercial real estate: developers are adapting. The newly opened The Floridian has created an alternative to the traditional senior living model that offers residents more flexible leasing options with resort-style amenities. A vacant Toys R Us will be converted into a self-storage facility near the DeSoto Square Mall in Bradenton. New restaurants and bars are already popping up in familiar places, like Waters’ Edge Winery, which has opened in the former location of Social Eatery & Bar in downtown Sarasota. The recently opened McGrath’s Irish Ale House remodeled the vacated (and Scottish-themed) McAllister’s Grill and Tavern in Lakewood Ranch. Tripletail, a new seafood concept offered by the Gecko’s Hospitality Group that will be able to seat 150 socially distanced diners, will open in 2021 at the Landing.

The local restaurant industry isn’t the only one getting a boost. In the spring of 2022, Custom Orthopedics will unveil a new two-story, 88,000 square foot medical facility on a 17-acre site in Lakewood Ranch, their biggest location yet. In the meantime, Amazon has just opened a new 111,000 square foot distribution center in Venice. Venice has also welcomed a new Harbor Freight Tools that will be open every day as an essential business during the pandemic.

Things are currently looking up for some of Sarasota’s small businesses as well: Norman Love’s Confections has opened at the University Town Center mall, which currently has several other restaurants expected to open in early 2021 in the CASTO Center Point area. CROP Juice has just relocated from Gulf Gate to a new location in Stickney Point and expansions are planned at Harry’s Continental Kitchen in Longboat Key. And Longboat Cottage, which was recently purchased by the Chiles Group on behalf of the Longboat Key Historical Society, will become new parking and office space once the original structure has been relocated.

Read more about this week’s developments in commercial real estate here:

https://mailchi.mp/cc11b877b803/local-commercial-real-estate-news-events-week-ending-december-4th