City of Venice purchases former Douglas Jeep dealership for $11.8 million

The City of Venice has purchased a 37,000-square-foot building on 4.7 acres at 1280 U.S. 41 Bypass South in Venice for $11.8 million. The city will relocate its solid waste, recycling and fleet maintenance operations to the property after it makes approximately $1 million in necessary updates.

The purchase price includes about $200,000 to $250,000 of personal property, such as office suite furniture, vehicle lifts and other fleet maintenance equipment.

Michele Fuller and Jag Grewal, CCIM, SIOR, of Ian Black Real Estate represented the City of Venice in the transaction. Terry Purdy of Merritt Real Estate represented the seller, Douglas Jeep.

“The City of Venice needed more space and initially planned to build a new 40,000-square-foot facility,” said Grewal, partner at Ian Black Real Estate. “However, with construction costs projected around $20 million, purchasing this property for $11 million was a far more cost-effective solution. It simply made sense to buy rather than build.”

Originally, the building was constructed in 1999. The city’s updates will include securing the perimeter, installing new fuel tanks, adding more restrooms and putting in additional walls.

“This purchase represents a valuable investment for our community,” said City Manager James Clinch, P.E., MPA. “It allows the City Solid Waste, Recycling and Fleet divisions to continue delivering exceptional service to our residents, while also providing a safe, modern and clean working environment for our staff. The facility is designed to be sustainable through future storm impacts, ensuring continuity of operations when our community needs them most. Just as importantly, this acquisition marks a significant step in revitalizing the Seaboard area as proposed within the recently adopted Seaboard Master Plan.”

“We’ve had a long-standing relationship with the City of Venice, helping with projects like the fire station, police station and other facilities,” said Fuller, partner at Ian Black Real Estate. “They’ve been wonderful partners—moving quickly and efficiently throughout this process. This new location will be a great service to the community.”

Douglas Jeep purchased the site in 2018. The dealership has vacated the site and relocated to a new location at 2372 S. Tamiami Trail.

This week, Ian Black Real Estate also was involved in the closing of a $23.5 million sale of 9000 Town Center Parkway in Bradenton to Manatee County. Combined with the sale of 1280 U.S. 41 Bypass South, the two deals totaled $35.3 million closed in one day for the firm.

About Ian Black Real Estate

Ian Black Real Estate (IBRE) is a boutique commercial real estate brokerage firm located in Sarasota, Fla. The firm is one of the largest commercial brokerage firms in Southwest Florida and boasts a deep knowledge of the commercial real estate market in Sarasota and Manatee counties and the surrounding area. For more information, visit ian-black.com.

About SIOR

SIOR is the leading global professional office and industrial real estate organization that certifies commercial real estate service providers with the exclusive SIOR designation, based on achievement, knowledge, accountability and ethical standards. Only the industry’s top professionals qualify for SIOR. Today, there are more than 3,200 members in 685 cities and 36 countries. For more information, visit www.sior.com