Fontanot buys building, considers Mexican restaurant

Fontanot buys building, considers Mexican restaurant

BUYER: Fontanot LLC (principal; Manuel Fontanot), Sarasota

SELLER: J. Walter McCrory Trustee

PROPERTY: 349 Monroe Drive, Sarasota

PRICE: $3 million

PREVIOUS PRICE: $1.23 million, July 1991

LAW FIRM ON DEED: Levin Tannenbaum PL, Sarasota

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: Manuel Fontanot's Fontanot LLC purchased a 9,313-square-foot building at the southwest end of St. Armands Circle from a Maus family-owned trust for $3 million. The purchase price equated to $322 per square foot.

The Maus family owns the clothing and accessory retail chain Maus & Hoffman, which closed its location in the building earlier this year. The building also housed additional retail and office space.

According to Fontanot's son, Azore, the family would like to open a Mexican restaurant in the building, while keeping its remaining tenants and leasing space upstairs.

The Sarasota Development Review Committee discussed a proposal submitted by Fontanot in a pre-application session at its Oct. 21 meeting that would convert the existing two-story building from retail and office uses to a restaurant with seating for 150.

— reporting by Robin Hartill