Sarasota Opera signs first new lease, for 19,000-square-feet, in recently redeveloped industrial park
By Post
Tampa Bay Newswire
Published: Aug 19, 2023

The Sarasota Opera has signed the first new lease at recently redeveloped industrial park SRQ Distribution Campus. Leasing entire Building 3 in the park – located at 7201 15th St E in Sarasota – the Sarasota Opera’s space includes 1,500 square feet of office space and 17,500 square feet of warehouse space, which it will use for storage.

Melissa Harris, CCIM, SIOR, and Steve Horn, CCIM, of Ian Black Real Estate represented the landlord, 7201 15th St LLC – a partnership entity that includes Cary Hicks, Ken Pierce and Mark Levey – in the lease transaction. John Harshman of Harshman & Company represented the tenant.

“This property is a great fit for the Sarasota Opera and their needs,” said Harris, partner at Ian Black Real Estate. “It’s fully air-conditioned, close to downtown Sarasota, has loading docks – which is hard to find close to downtown – and a 26-foot clear-height, allowing for extra upward space for stacking items even though the footprint is relatively small.”

In April 2022, 7201 15th St LLC broke ground to develop three additional buildings totaling almost 60,000 square feet in the industrial park previously known as Biotech Campus. Construction of the three roughly 20,000-square-foot warehouses is expected to be completed on Sept. 15.

The development significantly expanded the industrial park, which also includes an existing vacant 18,800-square-foot office building that recently underwent extensive renovation, and a 12,500-square-foot warehouse leased to a long-term tenant.

“This is a unique opportunity for light industrial users looking for an in-town, smaller-footprint opportunity with some of the attractive features typically found only at large industrial sites,” said Hicks. “Given the low inventory and vacancy in this market, this project brings to the area much-needed industrial space that’s ready for move-in. We’re excited to be nearing construction completion and for signing our first new tenant.”

Notable features of the new Class A warehouses of this size that are difficult to find in this market include full air-conditioning, 26-foot clear height, truck-wells and tilt-wall construction. SRQ Distribution Campus is located in south Manatee County, a half-mile from the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, which is the only major commercial airport between Tampa and Ft. Myers.

Harris and Horn are managing leasing for the park, including the vacant 18,800-square-foot, two-story office complex with ample parking and two additional vacant buildings. Building One includes 1,500 square feet of office space and 18,500 square feet of warehouse space, while Buildings Two includes 1,760 square feet of office space and 17,240 square feet of warehouse space.

R.E. Crawford Construction is the general contractor, Cavoli Engineering is the civil engineer and CA3 is the architect for the development project.