The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota Bay

For years, the marina-facing blocks at The Quay were the parcels everyone watched. This is what they were waiting for: a 20-story tower from Kolter Urban rising within downtown Sarasota's 14-acre waterfront district, carrying the Ritz-Carlton name and holding just 78 residences. Crews placed the final beam in December 2025, and as of mid-2026 the building is in its finishing stretch, with completion expected late in the year — reporting in early 2026 had it running ahead of schedule. What sets it apart from its neighbors is scale. Homes here start around 3,500 square feet and stretch to just under 6,000, and the plans include The Harbor Club, a private club of more than 20,000 square feet at the water's edge, with everything from indoor pickleball to kayak launches. Day-to-day service runs through The Ritz-Carlton's property management, with a 24/7 concierge and valet at the door. Beyond the entry sits the Quay Harbor lagoon, the restaurants of the district, and a level walk to The Bay Park. A companion West Tower has already been announced, part of a larger Ritz-Carlton Residences campus planned for this corner of The Quay.

The tower's architecture is credited to 10 Design, with interiors by HBA Americas — a pairing that reads more contemporary resort than formal high-rise. All 78 residences are three- and four-bedroom, flow-through plans running roughly 3,500 to just under 6,000 square feet, so every home draws light from more than one exposure. Access-controlled elevators open into private foyers rather than shared corridors. Ceilings run twelve feet on most levels and thirteen on the third floor and upper stories, behind walls of glass that frame the bay, the harbor and the downtown skyline. Terraces are edged in glass railings and fitted with built-in grills, so the outdoor rooms actually get used. Inside, kitchens carry European cabinetry and quartz counters, owners' suites pair dual walk-in closets with spa-style baths, and each home comes with a dedicated laundry room and two assigned parking spaces.

Owner amenities begin at the lobby: a social club with indoor and outdoor bars and a fireplace, a news café, a private boardroom, and a sports lounge with a golf simulator. Outside, a resort-style harborside pool with a spa, sun shelf, cabanas and terraces faces the water, alongside a waterfront fitness center and a wellness center with spa treatment rooms, vitality plunge pools and saunas. Service is handled by Ritz-Carlton property management, with a 24/7 concierge, valet parking and app-based food and beverage ordering; pets get their own dog park and washing station. The signature piece is The Harbor Club, a private, multi-level club of more than 20,000 square feet planned at the water's edge and designed to span the ground floors of this tower and the announced West Tower: kayak and paddleboard access, indoor pickleball, a gaming room with simulators, a movie theater, an additional fitness center and a beverage bar overlooking the harbor.

Days here organize themselves around the water. Coffee at the news café or on the harborside pool deck, then a paddleboard straight off the Harbor Club launch while the bay is still glass. Late mornings might mean the fitness center, a vitality plunge, or a run along the bayfront trail into The Bay Park and back. Lunch rarely requires the car — the district's restaurants are downstairs, and Main Street is a few blocks on. Afternoons stretch across the pool terraces or the golf simulator; evenings start at the social club bar and end at a downtown performance or a dinner reservation in the Rosemary District, with the walk home along the harbor. On quieter nights, the terrace grill and a west-facing sunset over Sarasota Bay are the whole plan.