Sales for downtown Sarasota's Waldorf Astoria Residents get underway

Upside-down aerialists served Champagne Wednesday as a focal point of a ceremony kicking off sales of the planned Waldorf Astoria Residences at 1390 Main St., where the vacant Zenith Building now stands.

The event at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens brought together stakeholders in the project, such as Michael Saunders, whose Sarasota real estate company will handle the sale of the 86 residences, along with Sadek Omar and Curt Frost, leaders of developers Jebcore Cos. and WMG Development.

Prices start at $2.2 million for the units that will range in size from one to five bedrooms, feature 14-foot high ceilings and a broad range of luxury features. Design is by ODP Architecture and Design.

Courtesy image

A sales gallery is open at 1605 Main St.

The planned 18-story building, also including more than 40,000 square feet of retail, will replace the 12-story Zenith building, which has stood at the city’s Five Points junction since the 1970s. The project does not require City Commission approval and is in the process of working its way through the administrative process.

Construction is expected to begin this year, with completion estimated in 2029.

Guests at the kickoff event heard from stakeholders in a panel discussion about the project and what it could mean for Sarasota.

“This site was safeguarded with a long-term view well before the path forward was defined,” said Frost, president and CEO of WMG Development. “We believed in the importance of protecting this corner of downtown Sarasota for the right use and were willing to take that risk in service of the city’s future. That commitment guided every decision that followed and ultimately led us to partners who shared our conviction that this site deserved something meaningful. Seeing that vision come to life in a project of this quality has been incredibly rewarding.”

The 1.18-acre site is at the southwest quadrant of the roundabout at Main Street, Pineapple Avenue and Central Avenue. It lies in both the Downtown Bayfront and Downtown Core zone districts, and no rezoning is required.

This article originally appeared on sister site YourObserver.com.