Lizzy Alfs

lalfs@tennessean.com

Scott Desano is targeting a late 2017 opening for a Bellevue outpost of his popular Desano Pizza Bakery.

The pizzeria founded four years ago in Midtown specializes in handcrafted Neapolitan-style pizzas, which are baked for only 90 seconds in 6,000-pound wood-burning ovens.

Desano has grown the business to include locations South Carolina, California and Florida, with a restaurant under construction in Charlotte, N.C.

Desano signed a lease this summer for a 4,700-square-foot space at the One Bellevue Place redevelopment project.

“We’re excited to go out there,” Desano said. “Nashville is growing in all kinds of different ways and it’s going to be interesting for us not to be in a standalone (building).”

The 87-acre, 1 million-square-foot development on the former Bellevue Center mall property is expected to include roughly 350,000 square feet of retail space with tenants including Sprouts Farmers Market, Carmike Cinemas theater, HomeGoods, Chili's Grill & Bar and Panera Bread.

Also planned for the site is a 337-unit apartment complex, 111-room Home2 Suites hotel and up to 350,000 square feet of office space.

Desano — who believes there is opportunity for additional expansion of Desano Pizza Bakery in the Middle Tennessee market — said Nashville’s west side is underserved with dining options.

“There’s been some new residential projects out there and there’s more scheduled and this should be exciting to them,” Desano said. “There will be more of an opportunity for people to get some good food.”

The Bellevue Desano Pizza Bakery will be roughly half the size of the Midtown location with about 80 to 100 seats.

The restaurant will serve the same menu as Midtown, which includes pizzas, calzones, salads, meatballs and desserts. The restaurant prides itself on “simple, seasonal food prepared with the freshest ingredients,” according to its website. Desano imports ingredients from Italy and follows the guidelines set by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana for its Neapolitan pizza.

Desano hopes to begin construction on the Bellevue space in July 2017 with plans to open by the end of next year.

Reach Lizzy Alfs at 615-726-5948 and on Twitter @lizzyalfs.