Fruitville project set New housing and retail development coming

Benderson Development Co., the Manatee County-based company behind Sarasota’s University Town Center development, is building new retail and housing near the Fruitville Public Library.

Building permit applications filed with Sarasota County throughout the past few months show plans for development along Lakewood Ranch Boulevard south of Apex Road. The Benderson-owned parcel is on either side of the intersection and part of it reaches up to Fruitville Road, across Lakewood Ranch Boulevard from the Fruitville library. Permit applications show plans for a grocery store and multifamily housing, however, at this point, no development applications or building permits have been approved for the site, Sarasota County spokeswoman Brianne Grant said. Site work appears to be underway on the parcel on the east side of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard.

Julie Fanning, director of marketing at Benderson, said the project is still in the planning phase, and the company is not ready to share more details at this time.

The new site is the latest development in the corridor east of I-75 on Fruitville Road. Fruitville Commons, which is in the northeast corner of the intersection, is the furthest along, with a luxury apartment enclave called Citria as well as restaurants and retail stores.

Next to Fruitville Commons, Orlando-based Unicorp National Development is planning a mixed-use project called Southwood Village. The most recent site plan includes more than 100,000 square feet of retail, including Wawa and Crunch Fitness and 364 luxury apartments.

And in the southeast corner of Fruitville and I-75, two separately-owned parcels recently came under new ownership. Sarasota Business Plaza LLLP sold 581,772 square feet of land to the Collier Companies, a Gainesville-based apartment developer, for $5.4 million last summer. The same entity also sold 654,890 square feet to the Sarasota-based Starling Group for $5 million in February, according to county records.

Redevelopment of the part of Fruitville Road east of I-75 is being encouraged by Sarasota County through the Fruitville Initiative, a critical area plan approved by county commissioners in 2014.

The goal of the initiative is to encourage economic development on 420 acres along both sides of Fruitville Road east of I-75 and create a gateway into the Sarasota community.