- March 19, 2026
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An apartment building that includes affordable housing units planned to replace an iconic stretch of Fruitville Road has begun its journey through the city of Sarasota’s administrative approval process.
Dubbed 1899 Fruitville Road, a five-story, 324-unit residential project had its first appearance March 18 before the city's Development Review Committee. Should it successfully navigate the city’s staff approval gauntlet, it will replace the entire block of Fruitville Road and Fourth Street between Gillespie Avenue and North Osprey Avenue.
That covers 3.44 acres and 22 parcels that urban infill developer Bristol Development Group of Franklin, Tennessee, would purchase and demolish all structures to make way for the redevelopment. That includes one residential and multiple commercial buildings, most notably the rainbow row of former residences-turned-businesses along Fruitville Road, including The Breakfast House and German restaurant Siegfried’s.
The strip of Fruitville, parallel to Main Street, has gone through multiple iterations and tenants going back several decades. Sarasota attorney Alex Lancaster, through Marlex Corp. of Sarasota, owns at least six of the properties, Sarasota property records show. Alex Lancaster and his wife Marlene first bought a cottage there in 1985 and by 2010 they had 16 cottages in their portfolio. The cottages were initially built in the 1920s and 1930s.
The application is requesting administrative site plan approval plus three adjustments. The property is zoned Downtown Edge with a future land use designation of Urban Edge. Because no rezoning is requested and the site is within a downtown zone district, approval will not include the public process.
With multiple staff comments needing addressed, a resubmittal to the DRC will be required.
Utilizing the city’s downtown attainable density bonus program, the project will include 36 attainable housing units.
According to the application, the proposed project includes one apartment-style building ranging from four stories along Fourth Street to five stories at its highest point. The height transition complies with a requirement that DTE-zoned sites adjacent to the Downtown Neighborhood (DTN) zone district are limited to one story above maximum DTN height within 100 feet of the boundary. This results in the step-up to five stories beyond that 100-foot distance.
Internal to the project is a six-level, 439-space parking structure with one vehicle access point off Fruitville Road and two off Fourth Street.
The proposal continues a trend of high-density residential redevelopment on the eastern edge of downtown.
The most recently completed such redevelopment is Aster & Links, which stands across Fruitville Road from the 1899 Fruitville Road site behind the Sprouts grocery store. Fronting Main Street, that development includes two 10-story buildings with 420 apartments and 50,000 square feet of commercial space.
On North Osprey Avenue between Main Street and Fruitville Road, The High Line is planned for 11 stories and 142 residential units. And just to the east are plans for Fruitville Gateway, a 274-unit multifamily building covering just more than 3 acres within the block of North Washington Boulevard, East Boulevard Fruitville Road and Fourth Street.
“Collectively, these completed, proposed and emerging developments create a cohesive pattern of urban, mid-rise residential density that aligns with and supports the proposed intensity for the proposed redevelopment,” reads the application.
Bristol Development Group, according to its LinkedIn profile, builds "high-quality, amenity-rich urban and suburban living at attainable prices in growing Sunbelt cities." Recent projects, according to its website, are Santa Rosa Beach, Huntsville, Alabama, Columbia, Tennessee and Glen Allen Virginia. The firm was founded in 1999.
This article originally appeared on sister site YourObserver.com.
