Plans for an apartment project promising affordable rents for downtown professionals cleared a legal hurdle this week with an approval from the Sarasota City Commission, but the developer behind the effort still must get financing before the project can move ahead. 

Jesse Biter, a software developer best known locally for renovating the HuB building downtown and supporting business incubation efforts there, has touted the Second Street project as a way to create housing space for young professionals downtown. He said the need became clear to him when he realized so many of the people working at HuB and other downtown companies could not afford rents or to buy a condo in the city core. 

Sarasota City Commissioners voted 3-2 to allow Biter to combine two pieces of land on Second Street together to build the project. In total, the development as planned would have 180 apartment units, 21,000 square feet of office space and more than more than 7,400 square feet of first-floor retail/office space.

Architect Gary Hoyt said the approval to combine properties for the project was important for the sake of making a sound project for downtown. "In an urban setting, we need to combine the properties and want to maintain continuity," Hoyt said. Combining the properties means the project will include the corner of Second Street and Central Avenue, stretching east along most of a city block. "Basically, it's the building that gets to activate the street," Hoys said.

But officials with the project also confirmed that Biter has not been able to get all the financing for the project on his own. Consultant Joel Freedman said because of Biter's lack of experience in residential development. "banks are hesitant to finance." But Freedman said Biter is already in talks with a development partner with the appropriate experience. "A deal is on the table," Freedman said.

And Biter himself said Tuesday that all possibilities don't end with the one deal. "I'm talking with a few potential partners to find the best one to ensure the project gets built as apartments," he said.

City Commissioner Susan Chapman, who noted the property is allowed a higher development density right now because a previous project was approved as part of the expired Downtown Residential Overlay District, voted against the project on Monday and questioned whether Biter will follow through with the project as planned. "Are we preserving densities for a project that is no longer viable?," she said.

But Freedman said if the deal doesn't go through, the allowed densities for the land will expire in 2015. Freedman said Tuesday the project was still moving forward. "Everything is looking good," he said.

Biter in June 2013 bought the primary piece of property from United Way of Sarasota County for $2.8 million and the addition piece of land at the corner of Central from CRA Holding for $850,000.