The upscale St. Petersburg craft cocktail and tapas lounge has confirmed its interest in a location in downtown Sarasota. About a month after Taco Bus pulled out of plans to open on Main Street, another popular St. Petersburg concept has officially started the permitting process to open in downtown Sarasota. Cask & Ale, and upscale craft cocktail and tapas lounge, applied for a community workshop this week to present plans…
Read MoreReaders pitch ideas for Hollywood 20 redevelopment
A Dave & Buster’s arcade and restaurant remains the most popular idea for the redevelopment for Sarasota Main Plaza, while other survey respondents pitched even more grandiose plans. While the three entrepreneurs behind the recent $18.1 million purchase of the Hollywood 20 complex on Main Street begin searching for an architectural team to oversee redevelopment of the property, some creative Sarasota residents have ideas of their own. The Sarasota Observer…
Read MoreHollywood 20 property owners announce three-phase redevelopment plan
The new owners of Main Plaza are plotting improvements to retail spaces, rehabilitation for the movie theater and a potential housing, hotel or conference space project on the property. Following an $18.1 million purchase earlier this month, the new owners of Main Plaza have revealed some insight into their plans for the 8.6-acre site. BBC Plaza, the ownership group consisting of entrepreneurs Jesse Biter, Eric Baird and David Chessler, announced…
Read MoreMain Plaza sale spotlights east end of downtown
Following the $18.1 million sale of Main Plaza, how might the new owners redevelop the property — and how will that impact the eastern end of downtown Sarasota? Over the past year, stakeholders on the eastern end of downtown have hailed a comedy club, craft beer bar and buffalo wing restaurant as encouraging steps toward creating a distinct identity for the area. With that in mind, the $18.1 million sale…
Read MoreDeveloper purchases Hollywood 20 complex
A local investment group with ties to PGA golfer Greg Norman acquired the Main Plaza/Hollywood 20 complex in downtown Sarasota for $18.1 million, with the aim of reviving the aging office and retail center. The entrepreneurs behind the group, Jesse Biter, Eric Baird and David Chessler, say they have no set plans for the property. The deal closed Nov. 12. “That side of Main Street has really struggled,” Chessler said,…
Read MoreDeveloper to break ground on 180 downtown apartments
Following a $7 million acquisition, Atlanta-based Carter aims to start construction next week on a downtown Sarasota project originally conceived by local entrepreneur Jesse Biter. An Atlanta-based development firm, Carter, plans to begin construction next week on 180 apartments in downtown Sarasota, in a project that dates back at least three years. Its 10-story rental building, with ground-floor retail space and two floors of parking, is slated for completion sometime…
Read MoreBiter plans residential HuB
The HuB’s founder has a new housing project aimed at those who can’t currently afford to live downtown. Entrepreneur Jesse Biter is continuing his quest to add more attainable housing targeted at young professionals in downtown Sarasota. Now, he’s pursuing a plan to add 90 apartments next to his HuB business incubator. Brian Jones, president of Jones Development Co., is teaming with Biter Enterprises on the project. At Tuesday’s Downtown…
Read MoreCONA debates 2050 plan
Downtown developer Jesse Biter said Monday that downtown zoning codes, which keep urban living out of the financial grasp of young professionals, will pose a bigger threat to downtown Sarasota’s economic future than the proposed changes to Sarasota’s 2050 plan. The Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations held a Monday-night panel discussion titled “Urban Services, Urban Realities,” featuring Biter, Downtown Improvement District board member Eileen Hampshire, Downtown Sarasota Alliance board…
Read MoreThe man behind the plan: Jesse Biter
Jesse Biter has a vision for Sarasota, and he plans to carry out that vision. The 36-year-old Pennsylvania native sold his $16 million auto-sales software firm, HomeNet, in 2010, and currently owns DealersUnited. The software entrepreneur has big plans to build a 168-unit apartment complex on a downtown acre to offer what he calls “obtainable” rental units for working professionals. Biter, who managed the Florida campaign for presidential candidate Rick…
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