Sarasota cottage village Screen grab from: ABC7 news
The Historic Downtown Village, home to 17 locally owned businesses, was under contract to be sold to a developer who planned to replace the bungalows with a 324-unit apartment complex. In July, Breakfast House owner Wendy Lee Goldberg purchased about an acre at 128 North Briggs Avenue, roughly a mile east near Fruitville Road and Tuttle Avenue. She and neighbouring business owners were also exploring the idea of a Sarasota Bungalow Village, potentially moving several cottages onto the property and arranging businesses around a community green with shaded walkways, reported Sarasota Magazine.
In early October, owners Alex and Marlene Lancaster told tenants the deal had fallen through and that they would continue owning and managing the property, taking it off the market entirely. The reversal ends months of uncertainty for shop and restaurant owners who had been weighing relocation options, according to reports by Sarasota Magazine and MySuncoast. One owner told MySuncoast that the restaurant has been a constant in their life since childhood, with family members returning after college to keep the business running. Laetitia Kepecz of FAM Cuisine said, as per Sarasota Magazine, that she had heard rumors that the deal might fall through but did not trust the news until confirmation arrived directly from the Lancasters.
A cluster of colorful cottages along Fruitville Road in downtown Sarasota has been spared from demolition, at least for now. For many of these business owners, the cottages are more than just a lease. They describe the village as a community where customers know their names and where generations of families have worked. That sense of continuity is what makes the threat of displacement so emotionally charged. As the development review process unfolded, tenants found themselves in a difficult position. They needed to plan for the possibility of moving, but they did not know when they might have to leave or whether they could afford comparable space in downtown Sarasota. Some tenants took more concrete steps toward relocation. Her plan was to convert an existing house into the restaurant’s new home.
The collapse of the 1899 Fruitville deal does not resolve that tension, but it does buy time for the cottage village and the people who depend on it.
The Lancasters told tenants their intention is to retain the property and provide the stability they had before the offer arrived. Real estate experts say the end of this deal may not end developer interest in the property. Mark Klecka, a realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty, noted that given the site’s location, zoning and previous redevelopment proposal, another developer is likely to approach the owners eventually. But for now, that remains a forecast rather than a certainty, as per Sarasota Magazine. That message brought relief to business owners who had been living with the prospect of displacement for months. For now, the colorful cottages will continue to house the same mix of restaurants, shops and services that have defined the village for years. The story of the Historic Downtown Village reflects a broader tension in growing cities like Sarasota. On one side is the pressure to add housing density near employment centres and transit corridors. On the other is the desire to preserve small-scale, locally owned businesses and the character they bring to downtown neighbourhoods.