IN THE PUBLIC EYE: John Simon

Age: 66
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Family: Divorced with two children
Education: George Mason University and Warren Wilson College from Niagara University, law degree from University of Miami
Occupation: Developer and planner

There’s nothing like downtown Sarasota, according to developer John Simon.

“Enough of a critical mass of retail, arts, proximity to the water. Sprinkle in some neat neighborhoods, and you’ve got a really unique recipe,” Simon told the Observer late last year. “It’s an undiscovered gem.”

That recipe is why Simon and his Isaac Group Holdings development company chose to build here.

The firm is behind the Pineapple Square development — a two-phase project responsible for retail stores on Lemon Avenue and Main Street, such as clothiers Brooks Brothers, Eileen Fischer, and the newly announced J. McLaughlin that’s set to open this summer.

Other tenants include Pastry Art and Sur la Table, and on State Street more retail and a possible hotel, condo units and/or office space.

Simon lists only a few other downtowns that are as “livable” as Sarasota’s — big names, such as New York, Chicago, Portland and Seattle.

Simon continues to discuss the Pineapple Avenue and Lemon Avenue locations with a number of three-star hotel operators, although he declines to name any until a contract is signed.

Originally planned to be complete in 2009, Pineapple Square’s condos have been on hold during the downturn in the economy.

Simon, a full-time resident that is spending more time than usual away from his home to work on other projects, has signed on as a board member of several civic groups — the Downtown Improvement District, Downtown Sarasota Alliance and Greenspace Policy Committee.