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Cultural Coast NEWS Sarasota Bayfront Park © VistiSarsota.com Sarsota VCB S Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc. confirmed plans to open a Nordstrom Rack at the Shoppes at University Center. The 35,000 square-foot store is scheduled to debut in the fall of 2013 in a former Circuit City space owned by Benderson Development Co. The space is being expanded by 15,000 square-feet to accommodate the Rack store. The move also could signal Nordstrom's interest in opening a larger department store in the new Lakewood Ranch Regional Mall, slated to debut in October 2014. Michael Saunders & Company has commented that more property developers in Manatee, Florida, have committed themselves to explore emerging opportunities, noting several significant deals on raw lands closed there in December. The transactions included acreage for the new Esplanades Golf Community of Taylor Morrison in Lakewood Ranch and the expansion of Neal Communities in Country Club East. Also, prominent among the deals was the $7.9 million purchase of 113 lots in The Concession, by a company owned by John Peshkin, former CEO of Taylor Morrison. In addition, DR Horton, a national home-builder based in Fort Worth, Texas, concluded its $2.4 million purchase of 135 lots in the Rye Wilderness subdivision. A craft brewery is set to open in Bradenton. After looking all across the state, Frank and Denise Tschida decided Manatee County would be the best spot for their start-up company. Motorworks Brewing will bring new life to an old Hudson Motors dealership on 9th Street West. Plans call for a tap room, outside beer garden, and about 23,000 square-feet of brewing equipment. The brewery could end up being one of the first tangible signs that the city's investment in the Riverwalk is attracting new business to the area. The Manatee Performing Arts Center has opened its $20 million, 380-seat community theater, which will be home to the Manatee Players and serve as a gathering place for a variety of community groups to use for everything from art exhibits to weddings and meetings. The theater is considered a linchpin of the Bradenton downtown revival. Ashton Woods Homes has started land development for a 91 single-family home community in Sarasota called Whitaker Park. Plans call for the homes at Whitaker Park to range from 1,700 square feet of living area to 3,200 square feet with prices starting in the high $200,000s according to Michael Roche, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Ashton Woods Homes in the Tampa Bay region. Construction of two model homes off Richardson Road is scheduled to begin in June. www.FloridaHomesMag.com | 37

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