Image via Lakewood Ranch

Lakewood Ranch announced three new tenants for Waterside Place, a new cultural center within the community set to open this fall. Italian restaurant Bella Vita and medical spa Bay Area Aesthetics both have signed on to be part of the new development. Lakewood Ranch Medical Group will also open a 7,000-suqare-foot primary care center.

“Our mantra, when it comes to leasing at Waterside Place, is to look for only best-in-class restauranteurs, retailers and shops, which has been a successful focus as shown by the quality of our current tenant list,” said Kirk Boylston, president of Lakewood Ranch Commercial. “Without exception, these tenants are among the best in the region and will provide an unmatched user experience at Waterside Place. We clearly have narrowed the pool of candidate tenants, but the level of quality in the design, construction and programming at Waterside Place has allowed us to be successful as we continue to lease up the project.”

It's all part of a line-up of destination food and service places. The center will host the Players Centre for Performing Arts. Restaurants and bars include Good Liquid Brewing, O&A Coffee Supply, CROP Juice, Duck Donuts, Kore and Kilwins, while other destinations include upscale barber ManCave for Men, salon PAINT Nail Bar, gyms 3 Form Fitness and The Yoga Shack and the relocated SmithLaw.

Chris Smith, managing partner at SmithLaw, said he’s confident the new center will be a great place for his law firm's clients and staff alike. “Waterside is destined to have many thousands of homes in the next 10 to 15 years,” he said. “It’s going to be a growing area with a lot of homes to be built. The closer you are to clients, the better off you are. Especially with affluent clients.”

The new restaurants will contribute to an evolving culinary and culture scene. Bella Vita was created by restauranteur and Italian native Giuseppe “Peppe” del Sol, from the Napule restaurant in Sarasota. Bay Area Aesthetics, led by Amy Lauvray Hurlebaus, will offer skincare and rejuvenation treatments and products.

In addition to Bella Vita, the area has seen prominent restaurant groups set up shop, such as Tableseide, which is working with Good Liquid on the brewery, and JPAN owners, who are opening up the Kore barbeque concept. 

Image via Lakewood Ranch