As 2017 draws to an end, a great deal of commercial activity appears to be just over the horizon for the section of Tamiami Trail north of Downtown Sarasota. The North Trail has seen better days, but investors and entrepreneurs have targeted it as an area to renovate and capitalize.

Already, entrepreneurs Jessica Simmons and Kim Cressell have opened a charming and critically acclaimed coffeeshop called The Reserve at 1322 North Tamiami Trail. Halflants + Pichette Studio for Modern Architecture is seeking an investor for a 21-unit single building condominium just north of The Reserve.

Further north, Jebco Ventures is also pursuing a 152-unit two building condominium along Whitaker Bayou at 1889 North Tamiami Trail called the Strand which we have covered in the past, with unit prices starting at $300,000.

Between Whitaker Bayou and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Benderson Development has obtained the Monterey Village Motel located at 2413 North Tamiami Trail and plans to lease it to Starbucks.

The Ringling College of Art and Design plans to develop a new building to house a computer animation, game art, and motion design program on the southeast corner of the Trail and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Ringling has high hopes of making this a signature building of its campus.

Finally, as mentioned in an earlier post, the Florida Department of Transportation will be building three new roundabouts along the Trail by 2020 to help relieve traffic, two of which will be in the North Trail on 10th Street and 14th Street.

These ambitious and high-value commercial projects will hopefully breathe new life into this segment of the Trail, encouraging developers, investors, and entrepreneurs to fill in the gaps between them and creating new opportunities for workers and consumers alike. It would transform the North Trail into a glamorous and inviting northern entrance to Downtown Sarasota, driving even more commerce into a downtown area that is currently undergoing a major commercial development boom.

To learn more about these commercial projects, please read Susan Burns’s article on 941CEO.