Sarasota Opera leases warehouse space in redeveloped industrial park
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Aug 25, 2023

The Sarasota Opera is the first tenant to sign a deal in a redeveloped industrial park called SRQ Distribution Campus.

The opera has leased the entirety of Building 3 in the park, which includes 17,000 square feet of warehouse space and 1,500 square feet of office space. The warehouse space will be used for storage.

The park was previously known as Biotech Campus. The redevelopment has brought 60,000 square feet of industrial space in three buildings to the property; construction began in 2022 and should wrap up in September. The park also includes a vacant 18,800-square-foot office building that has been renovated and a 12,500-square-foot warehouse leased to a long-term tenant.

Melissa Harris and Steve Horn of Ian Black Real Estate represented the landlord, 7201 15th St LLC, in the lease transaction. John Harshman of Harshman & Co. represented the tenant.

The landlord is a partnership entity that includes Cary Hicks, Ken Pierce and Mark Levey.

“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.”

Harris and Horn are marketing the SRQ Distribution Campus for lease. Building 1 has 1,500 square feet of office space and 18,500 square feet of warehouse space; Building 2 has 1,760 square feet of office space and 17,240 square feet of warehouse space.

“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, one of the developers. “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.”