The 1899 Fruitville ‘superblock’ project takes a big step towards groundbreaking.
By Noah Bookstein
Original Air Date: June 17, 2026
Host: 1899 Fruitville, the big residential project near downtown Sarasota set to replace the Historic Downtown Village, took a big step towards groundbreaking. Meanwhile, small business tenants at the village are scrambling to safeguard their future at a location down the road. Noah Bookstein has the details.
Noah Bookstein: The development review committee handed Tennessee-based Bristol Development Group a win on Wednesday with partial approval of their 1899 Fruitville project, a massive housing complex which would replace Sarasota’s historic downtown village. The high visibility village on Fruitville Road, between Gillespie and Goodrich avenues in the Gillespie Park neighborhood is home to cottages housing small businesses and restaurants. The committee granted partial approval to the developers on the condition that the project’s pending traffic study doesn’t reveal any issues. If it does, the project could be sent back for another full round of review.
Rendering of the proposed project, 1899 Fruitville
DRC: We will be issuing partial sign off today with the caveat of, if the traffic study comes back with anything substantial that triggers any additional review from departments that don’t have comments that now they do have comments, it will need to come back to DRC.
NB: While the project got partial approval, several items are still unresolved. The city’s arborist says current plans don’t meet code for removing the property’s three grand trees, including a 29-inch live oak that must be preserved. There are also unresolved utility issues, including a water main connection problem and an easement that must be cleared before the building permit can be issued, and the developer still has to specify exactly which floors will include the required affordable housing units.
Philip Di Maria, a representative for the developer, spoke to WSLR News at City Hall. He said the company was excited to see the project moving forward and was looking forward to the next stop at the planning board. The developer is proposing to fill the entire block with a five story complex of 324 apartments and a parking garage. Around 10% of the units are going to be offered at an affordable rate. There are no plans for commercial space on the ground level of this complex. Residents and nearly 4,000 signed petitioners are concerned the development affects local favorite small businesses and overburdens nearby roads.
Breakfast House: Moving east on Fruitville Road? | Photo: J Werner
Tenants at the historic downtown village have been left in the dark by the developer and by their own landlords. One of the tenants, Wendy Goldberg, owner of the Breakfast House, feels she’s been left guessing about a move-out date, despite lease agreements that require 90 days notice from the landlords, Alex and Marlene Lancaster. Tess Craig, owner of the Artful Giraffe, told WSLR News she has received almost no information from the Lancasters.
Tess Craig: Most of this information we found out the way everybody else has—from the news. It’s a little tough because we have not been informed from anybody—the landlords, the developers—right now, it’s tough to communicate with them. The communication has definitely been rough.
NB: WSLR News reached out to the Lancasters for comment, but we were unable to connect with them by deadline. With no clear timeline on moving, and after struggling to find commercial spaces in their price range, Goldberg is now shouldering a mortgage on a new property and rent on the old one. She purchased the new property to be a space for a handful of the businesses being displaced by the new development. Craig said she was hopeful a group of businesses would be able to move with their bungalow structures to the new location on Fruitville and North Briggs.
TC: Wendy Goldberg has closed on a property just down the road, still on Fruitville. She is renovating the current structure there that will become the new Breakfast House. The Artful Giraffe, Siegfried’s Restaurant, Discover Sarasota Tours and the Cookie Cottage would all be moving there as well in the relocated and preserved buildings. We are working on Sarasota Bungalow Village. The idea is to work with the Preservation Foundation and some other really great organizations to help us save some of Sarasota’s unique character. All of it’s making us very nervous. We are going strong, though. We really are passionate about saving these buildings and saving our businesses—creating a community space that’s family friendly—one that turns this narrative from a loss into a celebration.
Grand trees at the Historic Downtown Village. | Photo: J Werner
NB: Now these small business owners are being forced to navigate complex city permitting processes. They are leaning on connections and community support to navigate this process with limited resources. City Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch encouraged Goldberg and Craig to insert themselves into the process as much as possible to ensure they are part of the conversation.
Jen Ahearn-Koch
Jen Ahearn-Koch: I’m quite confident they’ll begrudgingly have to learn about it but be able to navigate it, learn it, understand it and do it themselves. Hopefully, in that process, they can also come to me and say, “It would be easier if this” or “This doesn’t make sense; maybe we could streamline the process that way” or “Here’s a better way to do things.” We can always improve the process.
NB: Tess Craig said she has lost sleep over the process, but she is grateful for the community support.
TC: We have so many people supporting us right now in this. We feel like a little bit of a small fish in a big pond, but the amount of people that are helping us, want to see this happen, are being supportive, are helping us connect with the right people—it just gives me chills. It’s amazing that we are finding this support from our city.
NB: Reporting for WSLR News, Noah Bookstein.
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