If you are researching Sarasota as a place to live, what is being built right now may be the most important thing you can understand about this market.
I have lived in Sarasota for 40 years. My family moved here in the 1960s, and I have been here through the boom years and the down cycles. I have watched this city get things right, and I have watched it leave gaps that needed filling for decades. In 2026, it is closing several of those gaps at the same time, in a way I have not seen in my lifetime here.
This is not a news report. It is how a longtime local reads four projects: a $21 million waterfront park at the gateway to Siesta Key, a 96-acre redevelopment on US-41 anchored by Whole Foods, a $44 million sports and aquatics center in Lakewood Ranch, and 1,000 new homes on the last large open parcel on the Sarasota County side of Lakewood Ranch. You will see what each one means for daily life, and why the timing of your move matters more than most people realize.
Stickney Point: A $21 Million Park at the Front Door of Siesta Key
If you have driven to Siesta Key over the south bridge on Stickney Point Road, the route most people take from US-41, you know the corner. The colorful cluster of buildings at 1500 Stickney Point Road, right where the road meets the water, has been a local landmark for decades: a bait shop, a few businesses and a lighthouse structure. It has been there so long people stopped seeing it.
In May 2026, Sarasota County commissioners voted 4-1 to spend just under $21 million to buy all 2.04 acres. The plan is not commercial. The plan is to tear down the buildings and turn the whole site into a waterfront park.
Here is what the site offers:
- 700 feet of bay frontage and 390 feet of canal access
- More than 33 existing boat docks
- An early vision that includes picnic areas, canoe and kayak launches, 30 to 40 public boat slips, fishing access, shade structures and space for food vendors
- The lighthouse structure, which is expected to stay as part of the park’s identity
I have driven that road more times than I can count. The north bridge off Siesta Drive gets the attention and the views. Stickney Point has always been the workhorse: functional, busy and commercial. Now the county is turning that workhorse entrance into a waterfront spot with public water access and a park that will be free to every resident and visitor. That is a statement about what Sarasota wants to be at the front door of its most famous beach.
Closing was projected for July 2026, with a concept plan to follow. It will not happen overnight. It is happening.
Sarasota Square: What South Sarasota Has Been Waiting For
Drive south on US-41 past Bee Ridge Road and you hit one of the more tired commercial stretches in the county. The old Sarasota Square Mall has struggled for years. People in Palmer Ranch and nearby neighborhoods have made longer drives to other grocery stores because this corridor never had the shopping to match the homes being built around it.
That changes with the 96-acre Sarasota Square redevelopment. The developer, Torburn Partners, has signed Whole Foods Market as the anchor, a 36,000-square-foot store that will be the first Whole Foods in the South Sarasota corridor. Joining it:
- HomeSense
- Charles Schwab, CAVA, Chipotle, Joe and the Juice, and Warby Parker
Phase 1 is already 88 percent pre-leased, with a delivery target of the first quarter of 2027.
The full project is much bigger than a grocery center. The complete buildout calls for 530,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and commercial space, more than an acre of open-air gathering space for community events, and 1,200 luxury homes built in phases through 2028. This is not a mall replacement. It is a mixed-use town center for a part of the county that has been waiting for it.
If you are looking at Palmer Ranch, South Sarasota or the US-41 corridor south of downtown, one of the steady knocks against the area has been the drive for premium grocery and shopping. That knock goes away. The question for you is whether you want to be in place when the shopping and services catch up to the homes.
Lakewood Ranch: $44 Million Tells You Who This Community Is For
Lakewood Ranch has been the fastest growing master planned community in the country for years running, and the growth numbers are well documented. What has been harder to keep up with is the public side: the parks and recreation centers paid for by the county instead of by each village’s HOA and CDD. People who live in Lakewood Ranch have noticed that gap.
Manatee County’s answer opens at Premier Sports Campus North in fall 2026. The Athletics and Aquatics Center is a $44 million, 44,000-square-foot public facility built to serve the Lakewood Ranch area. It includes:
- A competition pool and a therapy pool
- Locker rooms and walking trails
- 24 pickleball courts, 14 of them covered
For context, most public pickleball facilities in Florida have four to eight courts. Pickleball has been the fastest growing sport in the United States among adults over 55 for several years in a row, and demand for courts in this area has been running well ahead of supply. People have been driving long distances or joining expensive private clubs to get court time. Fourteen covered courts you can use in the Florida summer heat, at a public price, solves that. It is going to change daily life for active retirees and second homeowners in that part of the county.
EverCreek: The Last Big Parcel on the Sarasota County Side
PulteGroup, through Pulte Homes, has closed on nearly 500 acres in the southeastern corner of Lakewood Ranch, on the Sarasota County side. The site is off Bourneside Boulevard, about 1.5 miles north of Fruitville Road.
The plan is 1,000 homes, 850 single family homes and 150 townhouses, set among natural open space. EverCreek is the last large undeveloped parcel on the Sarasota County portion of Lakewood Ranch.
If you want the Lakewood Ranch lifestyle and amenities and prefer a Sarasota County address, whether for taxes, schools or being closer to the city of Sarasota, EverCreek gives you options that have not existed until now.
What All Four Projects Signal About Sarasota
Taken one at a time, each project is interesting. Taken together, they say something specific about what Sarasota has decided to become.
- A county that spends $21 million on a public waterfront park at its most famous beach believes in long-term public access
- A developer that pre-leases 88 percent of Phase 1 before it opens has found real, unmet demand
- A county that builds 24 pickleball courts in one place is paying attention to who is moving in
- A national homebuilder that buys the last big parcel in a master planned community is making a clear bet on where demand is going
I have watched communities make investments that signal growth, and others make choices that signal they are coming to a stop. What Sarasota is doing right now reads like growth.
Why the Timing of Your Move Matters
If you are at the research stage, when you move into a market like this matters more than most people realize. From being here this long, I can tell you the best time to move into a market like this is not after the projects open and prices reflect them. It is during the build, when the future is visible and not yet priced in.
Final Thoughts
Sarasota is filling gaps that locals have talked about for years, and you can see where the city is headed if you know how to read it.
If you have questions about the Stickney Point park, the Sarasota Square project or what EverCreek means for your Lakewood Ranch search, email me at [email protected]. I read every message, and I will give you the real read on what is happening here.
If you are moving from out of state, you can also get relocation support and our free Sarasota Relocation Guide at theAGNTgroup.com/relocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is being built at Stickney Point Road on Siesta Key?
Sarasota County voted in May 2026 to buy the 2.04-acre site at 1500 Stickney Point Road for just under $21 million. The plan is a free public waterfront park with kayak launches, public boat slips and fishing access, keeping the lighthouse structure.
Is Whole Foods coming to South Sarasota?
Yes. A 36,000-square-foot Whole Foods will anchor the Sarasota Square redevelopment on US-41, with Phase 1 targeted for the first quarter of 2027.
When does the Lakewood Ranch aquatics and pickleball center open?
The Athletics and Aquatics Center at Premier Sports Campus North is set to open in fall 2026, with two pools and 24 pickleball courts, 14 of them covered.
What is EverCreek in Lakewood Ranch?
EverCreek is a planned Pulte Homes community of 1,000 homes on nearly 500 acres, the last large undeveloped parcel on the Sarasota County side of Lakewood Ranch.
Watch the Full Episode
This article is based on our July 2026 episode of Lyndsey Knows Sarasota.