HuB Lofts may offer downtown more variety

The building boom in downtown Sarasota will continue into the fall, with the groundbreaking for a five-story residential project slated for September.

Jones Development Co. President Brian Jones, who partnered with entrepreneur Jesse Biter on the project, said the pair has secured financing for the HuB Lofts. The complex, which will feature 97 apartments and 8,000 square feet of office space at the corner of Second Street and Adelia Avenue, will sit next to the HuB business incubator.

“This will be what we call ‘attainable housing,’” Jones said.

Rents for studio apartments will start at around $1,000, while other layouts could be more than $2,000 monthly. 

“I’m hoping it will provide a more diverse demographic, which is needed in a downtown,” said Downtown Economic Development Coordinator Norm Gollub. “That in turn may attract additional types of retail.”

Jones said his team is nearly finished with the design for the project and plans to apply for permits in May. The city is currently conducting an initial traffic review for the development, located near the sleepier mid-downtown area.

“I think it will definitely activate — and hopefully stimulate — that part of downtown with more activity,” said Gollub.

Gollub has compared downtown Sarasota to a barbell, with most activity taking place on the ends closest to Bayfront Drive or Washington Boulevard. 

The HuB Lofts, along with a 10-story unnamed project also on Second Street near Whole Foods, will ultimately add more than 275 residential units. The project would bring the number of apartments under development to more than 1,800, according to data Gollub has compiled.

“This is what we need,” Jones said. “We need people who live here.”