Mixed-use Complex Eyed in Venice Island


 

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, July 18, 2017 – The residential community of Bellagio on Venice Island may soon be neighbors with a new area amenity. South of this neighborhood, which is host to charming Venice homes for sale, an 11.6-acre parcel is being considered for a mixed-use development consisting of a hotel and retail buildings.

Two developers—the Venice Realty Group and Michigan-based JCRE Development—earlier expressed interest in this site owned by the Venice Municipal Airport. The city chose to negotiate with Venice Realty as JCRE decided not to move forward with a presentation of its proposal in a meeting with local officials last June.

From a Circus Arena to Shops

Ringling Bros Circus Arena Historical Photograph

Venice Realty plans to build a four-story hotel with 116 rooms in the airport-owned parcel located off U.S. 41, which was the former site of a Ringling Brothers circus arena. This arena, a winter stop for the circus, was demolished in 2014 despite local conservationists’ efforts to preserve it.

Besides a hotel, which would also be home to a 5,000-square-foot meeting room, Venice Realty is also proposing to develop commercial buildings for shops and restaurants at the site’s U.S. 41 frontage. Should this developer’s plan pan out, the hotel would be Venice’s first since the 1997 opening of the 110-room Hampton Inn & Suites at Venetia Bay Boulevard.

Businessmen’s Hotel Eyed

Northwest of the Bellagio community, a 1.45-acre site at 775 South Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) is likewise being considered as a 103-room hotel targeted for business travelers. Its proponent, California-based Land Developers and Associates (LDA), specifically plans to build a Four Points by Sheraton hotel on this location, which is also a city-owned land. An adjoining one-acre parcel will be developed as a parking area for hotel employees.

The proposed businessmen’s hotel, which is planned for four stories, would have to hurdle the concerns of some neighboring residents though. The site of this proposed Sheraton-bannered hotel sits next to some existing single family homes of Country Club Estates and is near the low-rise condo Villa Veneto on Guilder Drive as well.

Residential Privacy Concerns

Villa Veneto

Like the nearby residential community of Bellagio, these neighborhoods count on privacy as amongst their selling points to searchers of Venice homes for sale. Some of the local residents have already expressed worries about the impact of a hotel next to their residences.

The homes at Country Club Estates and Villa Veneto are quite attractive not only because of their intimate settings. Their price points around the $200s–$300s range can likewise appeal to many prospective buyers of Venice homes for sale.

Villa Veneto consists of a pair of two-story buildings set for a total of 12 units. Currently, it only has two units left up for sale with each featuring living areas of about 1,800 square feet designed with three bedrooms.

Perks of Living in Venice

Historic Venice, Florida

A small and close-knit condo community, Villa Veneto is walled and gated, occupying a 1.13-acre lot at the junctions of Fairway Boulevard with Guild and Golf Drive. This property nestles amidst lush tropical landscaping, and its other perks include a heated pool and gazebo plus convenient access to the various points of interest in Venice.

As conveniently located, Bellagio offers single family homes priced in the $400s typically with three bedrooms within floor areas of between 1,800 and 2,200 square feet. Bellagio also enjoys proximity to the quaint shops and restaurants of the city’s historic downtown district plus the prospect of having a mixed-use development just south of it.