Sarasota's Benderson Development picks up over 50 acres in Venice
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jun 11, 2024

Benderson Development has acquired a piece of Venice property that will become a mixed-use development.

Benderson, a national developer based in University Park, said Monday that it has closed on North River Marketplace, a 51.5-acre parcel at the intersection of East Venice Avenue and North River Road in Venice. The seller is JEM Florida LLC, according to Sarasota County property records, and a deed for the transaction has not yet been filed.

When the property was listed for sale in May 2023, the proposed development was to include a grocer-anchored shopping center and residential units. Benderson did not disclose any plans for the property.

Benderson, which has a 50-plus-million-square-foot portfolio of 1,000 properties throughout the U.S., said its Sarasota area holdings include two properties near North River Marketplace: Jacaranda Plaza, which was previously a Kmart, and Cocoplum Village Shops along the Tamiami Trail in North Port.

The developer said it has closed on multiple properties in the last several months including Monarch Ranch, a 3,400-acre industrial development site in Wildwood; Glengary Shoppes in Sarasota; Linton Commons in Delray Beach; Publix Super Market at Olde Village in Englewood; a freestanding Publix Super Market in Pompano Beach; Bee Ridge Square in Sarasota; and Trader Joe’s stores in Columbia, South Carolina, and Asheville, North Carolina.