Benderson acquires 51-acre site in Venice for mixed-use project

Benderson Development has acquired a 51.52-acre site in Venice, where it plans to develop a mixed-use property. Benderson officials declined to disclose financial terms of the sale.

Owners Stephen and Michelle Hazeltine were the sellers, according to a spokesperson for Benderson.

North River Marketplace had been promoted by the Barclay Group, a company based in Tampa and Phoenix, as a Publix-anchored shopping center in addition to housing.

Plans still call for a residential component, with retail tenants and other details not yet confirmed, a spokesperson for east Manatee County-based Benderson says.

North River Marketplace will be located at the corner of East Venice Avenue and North River Road, an area that is currently seeing an influx of residential development in south Venice.

Two other properties nearby are Benderson-owned, according to a statement from the developer — Jacaranda Plaza, a former K-Mart building that was transformed on U.S. 41 south of Center Road in Venice now anchored by Aldi, as well as Cocoplum Village Shops on Tamiami Trail in North Port.

Benderson is based in University Park. Its portfolio includes more than 1,000 properties across 41 states.