Don't live in the city unless you like the following:
Noise (parties, trucks, kids yelling, people fighting), lots of people always around, smells (both pleasant and possibly foul), potentially homeless people, lack of trees, surplus of cars, lots of different types of people.

It could well have been flower shop too, would you then complain about the constant overwhelming smell of flowers? There are plenty of intown suburbs available too, perhaps they would have worked better for you. The primary reason we are looking for a loft is tha we want all of the above.

plus we already have a dry cleaners on the corner of twiggs and tampa not to mention a dry cleaning service in the building.

:ohno:You might want to move as I hear that they can be loud and smelly.

I meant the 23rd of jan not the 26th for the opening. sorry

Don't live in the city unless you like the following:
Noise (parties, trucks, kids yelling, people fighting), lots of people always around, smells (both pleasant and possibly foul), potentially homeless people, lack of trees, surplus of cars, lots of different types of people.

It could well have been flower shop too, would you then complain about the constant overwhelming smell of flowers? There are plenty of intown suburbs available too, perhaps they would have worked better for you. The primary reason we are looking for a loft is tha we want all of the above.


all of that is fine, however, i think having four resturaunts for all of the four retail units is excessive. I understand that thye have nobody else wanting to lease from them and so they just rent to the first person that knocks on their door. Having four resturaunts is definitely not the highest and best use of those retail spots. Their needs to be some kind of variety in order to have longevity. you have to remember that this is not New York city, where we have to live in those conditions because of the lack of land and prices. There is plenty of other spots for 4 different resturaunts to lease.

you might not agree with me now, and I hate to be so negative, but you guys wait and see whats going to happen to skypoint. The residents will not be happy in the long run....

They always planned for restaurants/bars to be there. Look at how the patios were made and how they went and got all the spots zoned for liquor. Where did you get the idea that they'd put in a dry cleaners? They want restaurants and bars for Element too.

Restaurants also bring people in at night, which is a good thing for the area. (And for residents, the more people milling around the safer you'll feel.)

With Skypoint and Element adding lots of restaraunts and bars, and the seemingly good growth of similar businesses along and near Franklin, this corridor of downtown appears to be on its way to being the highest density area in the city for unique eateries and bars.

That's a good thing.

all of that is fine, however, i think having four resturaunts for all of the four retail units is excessive. I understand that thye have nobody else wanting to lease from them and so they just rent to the first person that knocks on their door. Having four resturaunts is definitely not the highest and best use of those retail spots. Their needs to be some kind of variety in order to have longevity. you have to remember that this is not New York city, where we have to live in those conditions because of the lack of land and prices. There is plenty of other spots for 4 different resturaunts to lease.

you might not agree with me now, and I hate to be so negative, but you guys wait and see whats going to happen to skypoint. The residents will not be happy in the long run....

I'm thrilled that 4 restaurants will be in the retail space. The variety you talk about is present in the types of restaurants moving in. Being able to walk downstairs for a Burger or some Sushi makes me quite happy. And by your own logic, there are plenty of different spots for non restaurants to lease as well. What will we be so unhappy about in the long run exactly?

Anyone going to be downtown late? Cuz Five Guys is open and those with facebook can get themselves free food! They were doing this at the lunchtime rush (11-1 ) but will be doing it in the evening too:

To celebrate the official opening of Five Guys Burgers and Fries at Skypoint (777 North Ashley Drive in downtown Tampa), they’re giving away a free burger, hot dog and fries (at that location) to anyone who befriends them on Facebook.

Offer good today from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. and from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. tonight.

Their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tampa-FL/Five-Guys-Burgers-and-Fries/43954778748)

(hat tip, the Daily Loaf (http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2009/01/26/free-food-at-five-guys-today/))

^ Nice, I guess I know what's for dinner tonight.

Great, now I know myspace is dead! Darn social networking sites, guess I will have to finally join :)

Myspace has been "Dead" for a while... At least to me. It's more annoying than anything else. Great place for teens and young adults but beyond that? Ugh.

It was an interesting mix of Skypoint residents and the homeless. But a great burger.

^I guess the homeless run their facebook from the John F. Germany public library. :ohno: ;)

I've always been reluctant to get a Facebook page...............nope....................not gonna get one.

But then again.....Buddy Johnson has one :hahano:

Five Guys is a pretty good hamburger.. They give you tons of fries as well with your burger..

I went by Skypoint on Friday at around 6 PM or so and was happy to see Five Guys and Taps totally packed...

^^
That's good to know. Some areas throughout the bay area have been real busy recently.

Channelside Bay Plaza was surprisingly busy last night after 11pm... But it looks like the school-aged punks from Ybor are migrating there.

Most likely because the cinema there was sold out for X-Men, so they went there instead.

Anyone know if RAWBar opened yet? I drove by the other day and it was packed, looked like a pre-opening party or something.

Steve

^When I went by on Friday I didn't see it. Also, the SW corner still had a "coming soon" sign for the Azteca Mexican cafe..

I drove by on Thursday night....odd. Maybe it was a private event or something. Whatever it was it was packed.

Steve

Anyone know if RAWBar opened yet? I drove by the other day and it was packed, looked like a pre-opening party or something.

Steve

It was a private Bday party..they are looking at a May 16th opening. Very cool looking inside, dark, loungy, nice sound system.

^When I went by on Friday I didn't see it. Also, the SW corner still had a "coming soon" sign for the Azteca Mexican cafe..

Yea and there's nothing going on inside. I'm not optimistic it actually opens.

How many residents are sick and tired of all these rules at skypoint????
i.e. All RESIDENTS and guests need to show photo ID to enter the pool area. Is this what we pay HOA dues for? Its like living in a jail cell!
Anyone else have some feedback on this? Is there anything the residents can do to challenge to regulation of the staff???

Yea I'm with you on that one..I'm pretty sure that the homeowners associations has been turned over to residents at this point so I'd say just show up to one of the meetings. I don't even know what the ID rule is in response to. I mean besides big downtown events, I never see any big party at the pool.

Yeah, I am with you guys 100% on this. I have lived in Skypoint a little over a year and seen the "rules" get progressively worse. I've lived in apartment complexes with fewer rules than this. I think people should start complaining to management. It's bizarre that things keep getting taken away. First, it was the pool speakers being shut off completely because of "complaints". Then, the hours of the common areas get limited to midnight. Now, I have to show an ID to go to the pool that I own and pay dues to keep maintained? Are you serious???

So guests aren't allowed in the pool, even if they are family members of the resident/s? Or am I reading into it too much?

Either way, sounds like a bunch of BS.

I wish we could get our damn blog installed here. I could write up something about the issue. hehehe

Yeah, I am with you guys 100% on this. I have lived in Skypoint a little over a year and seen the "rules" get progressively worse. I've lived in apartment complexes with fewer rules than this. I think people should start complaining to management. It's bizarre that things keep getting taken away. First, it was the pool speakers being shut off completely because of "complaints". Then, the hours of the common areas get limited to midnight. Now, I have to show an ID to go to the pool that I own and pay dues to keep maintained? Are you serious???


As a developer, I am on the board of directors on a few Associations in Hillsborough and Pinellas. I have been seriously been thinking about running for the board at Skypoint as well. We should all get together and voice our opinions and complaints on this matter. The rules are seriously getting out of hand and I have been able to successfully change boards around in the past. What does everyone think??
Having to show my ID to use the pool that I pay for is a little over the line...
LEts come up with some ideas.....

Get on the board for sure... I've been an officer and board member of mine twice (44 unit townhouse development). Most residents are so apathetic, that board members (and their friends in the neighborhood) wind up with tremendous sway over things.

If Skypoint has officers who run the meetings (as opposed to a management company sending out their drones), my only advice is don't be Secretary... lol

As a developer, I am on the board of directors on a few Associations in Hillsborough and Pinellas. I have been seriously been thinking about running for the board at Skypoint as well. We should all get together and voice our opinions and complaints on this matter. The rules are seriously getting out of hand and I have been able to successfully change boards around in the past. What does everyone think??
Having to show my ID to use the pool that I pay for is a little over the line...
LEts come up with some ideas.....

If you ran on a platform of loosening the rules here, and treating people more like ADULTS than children who have misbehaved, hell I would definitely vote for ya. I would attend board meeting, but they are usually held while I am at work. I actually called down to the concierge earlier and told them I would like a call back from property management ASAP. This is BS that they are paying somebody to sit at the door and ID people and act as a bouncer for the pool area. I told them that punishing the entire building because of the actions of a few IDIOTS was ridiculous.

Is it the students that are attending UT that are causing the problems?

Why do they have to check IDs? Isn't there keyed access to the pool area? Or is it presently a free-for-all if you're otherwise able to get in the building? Do they restrict access for residents who are behind on thier dues?

Why do they have to check IDs? Isn't there keyed access to the pool area? Or is it presently a free-for-all if you're otherwise able to get in the building? Do they restrict access for residents who are behind on thier dues?

I haven't been in a while, but the times I have the building is locked down. Your card gets you in the front door and onto the elevator with access to your floor and the common area. Even on that floor you gotta keep using the pass to go inbetween the areas, it does oddly feel like jail. A really plush jail obviously :).

I feel bad for you Skypoint residents, that is some ridiculous stuff right there. In addition there are lots of negative things online about Skypoint so this doesn't help at all.

^I still wouldn't mind living there by any means. ;)

Those rules seem ridiculous. I didn't know they enacted those rules and had I not already put a deposit on a condo there I would think twice about buying. I think its dumb enough you have to have a fab to go between floors. In Miami we had one but then it turns into a pain in the ass if you loose one or want to see a friend on a different floor. He dropped his in the elevator shaft one day and had to walk 35 flights of stairs to get to the condo. At another condo I live in Miami we just had a front desk security guard and the guards pretty much new every resident and we didn't have any problems as well as maintenance people always in the hall and knew if people didn't belong.

I don't like Skypoint's floor plans. I've heard the walls are thin, and a few other things. I'd like living downtown, don't know about skypoint though. Those rules are gay, they're just like HCC's Hawks Landing and they have retarded rules for an "apartment complex".

Hello,

I posted a couple of weeks ago to the board and skypoint yahoo group and skypoint facebook group my concern about "the rules"
Every Friday we get the skypoint email newsletter with the rules reminder and month by month the rules are changing to more restrictions and fees.
My main issue was regarding the club room. Resreving and paying a security deposit is OK but charging a fee for the use IS NOT OK. I checked with other tower condos on Bayshore and none of them charge you a use fee for the clubroom. We co-own the common spaces, we purchase our units with the amenities, we should be able to use our spaces without dumping extra money.
Regarding the pool, absolutely absurd. If you have an access key, what is the need of ID. And why I have to have a restrictions on how many guest I can bring.
Remember the sales pitch... "oh it will be wonderfull for you and your friends to have a cook up by the pool, enjoy the music and the pool" oops guess this doesn't apply anymore now. Not even music! Pretty soon you won't be able to BBQ because some moran complaits about the smoke/smell.

I think if people make any damage to the facilities should be fine and charge for the repair, but don't punish all residents for the behavior of a few.

We need to stop this, we need to flood the skypoint board with emails voicing our complaints and disagreement.

If you feel like me, please forward your emails to Rober Neale: rneale@novaregroup.com (He is our Assistant Association Manager, and he can pass owners' concerns to the board) and Israel Diaz, israel.diaz@gmail.com our resident's elected board member.

Also you can join the facebook Skypoint group:
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=201318175064

And/or the Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SkypointTampa/

Juan . ///

Hello,

I posted a couple of weeks ago to the board and skypoint yahoo group and skypoint facebook group my concern about "the rules"
Every Friday we get the skypoint email newsletter with the rules reminder and month by month the rules are changing to more restrictions and fees.
My main issue was regarding the club room. Resreving and paying a security deposit is OK but charging a fee for the use IS NOT OK. I checked with other tower condos on Bayshore and none of them charge you a use fee for the clubroom. We co-own the common spaces, we purchase our units with the amenities, we should be able to use our spaces without dumping extra money.
Regarding the pool, absolutely absurd. If you have an access key, what is the need of ID. And why I have to have a restrictions on how many guest I can bring.
Remember the sales pitch... "oh it will be wonderfull for you and your friends to have a cook up by the pool, enjoy the music and the pool" oops guess this doesn't apply anymore now. Not even music! Pretty soon you won't be able to BBQ because some moran complaits about the smoke/smell.

I think if people make any damage to the facilities should be fine and charge for the repair, but don't punish all residents for the behavior of a few.

We need to stop this, we need to flood the skypoint board with emails voicing our complaints and disagreement.

If you feel like me, please forward your emails to Rober Neale: rneale@novaregroup.com (He is our Assistant Association Manager, and he can pass owners' concerns to the board) and Israel Diaz, israel.diaz@gmail.com our resident's elected board member.

Also you can join the facebook Skypoint group:
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=201318175064

And/or the Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SkypointTampa/

Juan . ///

There was a point in time when I actually considered moving into one of the towers downtown, but I personally lost interest when I saw a video on U-Tube wherein a resident played his music so loud that his neighbors complained about the madness... Their complaints went unnoticed...

As for me, that was enough for me to opt out of living downtown... I'll stay in SOHO... and yes, I know that many here criticize SOHO because we're all just a bunch of pretentious assholes... whatever... :dunno:

I, for one, cannot understand why someone would pay so G.dmnd much to live in a tower just to deal with your neighbors "business." No thanks... :( And now you're dealing with the additional madness... it's not right; it's not cool, ... but it is what it is! Allow me to respectfully suggest that you move as far away as possible!!!!

If Novare posessed a clue on how to manage a structure, then you would have some say and they would listen to your concerns... Unfortunately, you've been sucked into the blackhole and you have no power to make a difference...

Truth be known... there are so many here in this forum that "get it" and if they were "king," things would be different! Unfortunately, that's not the case...

Anywho... please don't hate me because I'm a butthole! ;)

If Novare posessed a clue on how to manage a structure, then you would have some say and they would listen to your concerns... Unfortunately, you've been sucked into the blackhole and you have no power to make a difference...

I think that's the problem, they have been listening and have made changes. The problem being is who they have been listening to is a small group of curmudgeons complaining very vocally. It happens all the time, a certain subset of residents will never do anything but complain. They should not be in control of things.

I think that's the problem, they have been listening and have made changes. The problem being is who they have been listening to is a small group of curmudgeons complaining very vocally. It happens all the time, a certain subset of residents will never do anything but complain. They should not be in control of things.

You are right about that. It seems like every change in the "rules" has been a reaction to either a complaint from this small group or from an irresponsible resident. The pool speakers were cut because some idiot was out late at night blasting music. The restricted pool hours were because another idiot was out late making noise. Now, the ID requirement is because someone had too many drunk friends at the pool. I believe it's a case of being politically correct and not pointing out the person who did it. No, let's apply a blanket policy to the building instead. That makes management not have to confront the actual person.

I am going to start talking to any other residents I know and see what we can do to stop this madness. I didn't buy my unit to live in a "jail".

Hello,

I posted a couple of weeks ago to the board and skypoint yahoo group and skypoint facebook group my concern about "the rules"
Every Friday we get the skypoint email newsletter with the rules reminder and month by month the rules are changing to more restrictions and fees.
My main issue was regarding the club room. Resreving and paying a security deposit is OK but charging a fee for the use IS NOT OK. I checked with other tower condos on Bayshore and none of them charge you a use fee for the clubroom. We co-own the common spaces, we purchase our units with the amenities, we should be able to use our spaces without dumping extra money.
Regarding the pool, absolutely absurd. If you have an access key, what is the need of ID. And why I have to have a restrictions on how many guest I can bring.
Remember the sales pitch... "oh it will be wonderfull for you and your friends to have a cook up by the pool, enjoy the music and the pool" oops guess this doesn't apply anymore now. Not even music! Pretty soon you won't be able to BBQ because some moran complaits about the smoke/smell.

I think if people make any damage to the facilities should be fine and charge for the repair, but don't punish all residents for the behavior of a few.

We need to stop this, we need to flood the skypoint board with emails voicing our complaints and disagreement.

If you feel like me, please forward your emails to Rober Neale: rneale@novaregroup.com (He is our Assistant Association Manager, and he can pass owners' concerns to the board) and Israel Diaz, israel.diaz@gmail.com our resident's elected board member.

Also you can join the facebook Skypoint group:
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=201318175064

And/or the Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SkypointTampa/

Juan . ///
That is why I will never live in a condo tower... This is also a very bad thing for downtown Tampa, if people see these problems with the few residents living there, just think who will want to move there. I'm curious as to who lives in this building and where they are from. It sounds like they bought a condo but think it's only their building and want to do things their way. This metro in general is filled with whiners, you guys have old people in that building?

the fee is only if you want to reserve the clubroom for your own use and thereby excluding the rest of the residents from using it. i have done this a couple of times and see no problem in it. if the fee did not exist the room would be constantly booked.

That is why I will never live in a condo tower... This is also a very bad thing for downtown Tampa, if people see these problems with the few residents living there, just think who will want to move there. I'm curious as to who lives in this building and where they are from. It sounds like they bought a condo but think it's only their building and want to do things their way. This metro in general is filled with whiners, you guys have old people in that building?

Whoa there, I think you've jumped way ahead. It's a very bad thing for downtown Tampa that some residents are fed up with the HOA? Is there an HOA in existence that some people aren't fed up with? Sure there are some problems they need to work out, but get any group of 400 together and there will be problems. Culture hasn't yet developed and that takes some time.

Hello,

I posted a couple of weeks ago to the board and skypoint yahoo group and skypoint facebook group my concern about "the rules"
Every Friday we get the skypoint email newsletter with the rules reminder and month by month the rules are changing to more restrictions and fees.
My main issue was regarding the club room. Resreving and paying a security deposit is OK but charging a fee for the use IS NOT OK. I checked with other tower condos on Bayshore and none of them charge you a use fee for the clubroom. We co-own the common spaces, we purchase our units with the amenities, we should be able to use our spaces without dumping extra money.
Regarding the pool, absolutely absurd. If you have an access key, what is the need of ID. And why I have to have a restrictions on how many guest I can bring.
Remember the sales pitch... "oh it will be wonderfull for you and your friends to have a cook up by the pool, enjoy the music and the pool" oops guess this doesn't apply anymore now. Not even music! Pretty soon you won't be able to BBQ because some moran complaits about the smoke/smell.

I think if people make any damage to the facilities should be fine and charge for the repair, but don't punish all residents for the behavior of a few.

We need to stop this, we need to flood the skypoint board with emails voicing our complaints and disagreement.

If you feel like me, please forward your emails to Rober Neale: rneale@novaregroup.com (He is our Assistant Association Manager, and he can pass owners' concerns to the board) and Israel Diaz, israel.diaz@gmail.com our resident's elected board member.

Also you can join the facebook Skypoint group:
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=201318175064

And/or the Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SkypointTampa/

Juan . ///



I genuinely believe that the board members is the crux of the issue. They seem to be very inexperienced and just make up new rules as they please. They seem to lack the knowledge of how to properly run a COMMUNITY and not make it somewhere that residents feel uncomfortable. A home is supposed to be somehwere where we can unwind from a hard days work and relax in the amenities that we pay alot of money to use. We should not be treated like children and get punished for every little complaint.

If we keep allowing the board to act like this, it will be detrimental to our community and to the already depressed values of our units. We cannot afford to have skypoint get a bad wrap in the Tampa area. It is a beautiful building with amazing amenities. We need board members who will allow the residents to feel at home and not a prison!! I seriously would love to run for the board and represent all of my neighbors and voice everyones concerns. I feel very strongly about this. Im telling you guys, I have lived in condos my whole life, this can seriously hurt our property values and most importantly the overall image of Skypoint. WE CANNOT AFFORD THAT TO HAPPEN!!!!

Does anyone know when we can elect new board members?

If anyone has any questions or concerns, please message me. I will be attending the board meetings and will voice the absent residents opinions at the meetings and make sure this issue will get resolved.

I genuinely believe that the board members is the crux of the issue. They seem to be very inexperienced and just make up new rules as they please. They seem to lack the knowledge of how to properly run a COMMUNITY and not make it somewhere that residents feel uncomfortable. A home is supposed to be somehwere where we can unwind from a hard days work and relax in the amenities that we pay alot of money to use. We should not be treated like children and get punished for every little complaint.

If we keep allowing the board to act like this, it will be detrimental to our community and to the already depressed values of our units. We cannot afford to have skypoint get a bad wrap in the Tampa area. It is a beautiful building with amazing amenities. We need board members who will allow the residents to feel at home and not a prison!! I seriously would love to run for the board and represent all of my neighbors and voice everyones concerns. I feel very strongly about this. Im telling you guys, I have lived in condos my whole life, this can seriously hurt our property values and most importantly the overall image of Skypoint. WE CANNOT AFFORD THAT TO HAPPEN!!!!

Does anyone know when we can elect new board members?

If anyone has any questions or concerns, please email me at bsoroory@aol.com . I will be attending the board meetings and will voice the absent residents opinions at the meetings and make sure this issue will get resolved.


The board is still majority Novare. The association has not turned over yet, which is a good thing because the developer still has a few outstanding issues to rectify.

I've lived in the building since June 2007 and don't have any problems with the rules. In general, I find management reasonable and accommodating in most instances. I agree SkyPoint's rules have become slightly more rigid over the last year, but it's only because there are more selfish, irresponsible people living in the building.

Most residents care about the community and take care of it, but the old 80/20 scenario applies ...80% (or more) of the problems come from 20% (or less) of the residents. I also am a fan of penalizing/fining the actual violators, rather than impose rigid rules across the board, but so far none of the rules seem all that awful. I've lived in communities where residents had to show pool tags or other identification to access amenities. This kept the community nice, rifraf out, and values up. The rental fee for SkyPoint's club room is not exorbitant -- the fee just ensures that the room is cleaned afterward, minor damages are repaired, and it provides funding for ongoing maintenance and refurbishment. And as jahdish stated, the room would be constantly booked if not for the fee.

As said previously, anytime you get 400 people living together there will be disagreements. To make things work takes compromising, and that will come in time. Personally, I tend to believe that our vertical community is not for everyone.... Those that are unhappy might want to try a more lenient building or stick with apartments or single family homes.

I'm pretty sure that upon contract signing, residents at Skypoint agreed to certain rules in the building. If they broke the rules, they should be punish and not the rest of the residents who have agreed and followed the rules that signed to. Screw the whole "little children" bullcrap where if one is punish, everyone one is punish. I was against such a philosophy as a little kid and I'm against it now.

The best thing to do is probably gather a petition(of sorts) from residents in Skypoint and present it to the board at their next meeting. Stating basically what I said above where that the residents who have signed the petition have followed through with their contract and shouldn't be punished because just a few handful of residents haven't followed with their contract.

The best thing to do is probably gather a petition(of sorts) from residents in Skypoint and present it to the board at their next meeting.

Fantastic advice, but it will be of little avail if no action is actually taken.

I do not live in Skypoint, but I do live in a community and it is the same in all communities. I would bet that none of the people complaining about the rules have actually been to a meeting. They may email or call about a complaint about the new rules, but will take little other action. Whereas the other side have likely gone to the meetings to voice their opinions.

This is what happens in all communities. The ones that show up to meetings and make their voice heard will get things done...the ones that complain to each other but never go to the meetings will not be heard. Gather a petition and get as many people as possible to come to the meeting.

Steve

Fantastic advice, but it will be of little avail if no action is actually taken.

I do not live in Skypoint, but I do live in a community and it is the same in all communities. I would bet that none of the people complaining about the rules have actually been to a meeting. They may email or call about a complaint about the new rules, but will take little other action. Whereas the other side have likely gone to the meetings to voice their opinions.

This is what happens in all communities. The ones that show up to meetings and make their voice heard will get things done...the ones that complain to each other but never go to the meetings will not be heard. Gather a petition and get as many people as possible to come to the meeting.

Steve



Steve, I completely agree with you. Thats why I am going to run for the board. I really like the idea of coming up with some kind of petition as well. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The residents should come together and propose some better solutions to the current board. Im sure if we come together we can turn this around!

I also just made a page devoted to Skypoint residents so that they can voice their opinions and discuss issues. http://www.myspace.com/skypointcondos The page is also for networking and meeting your neighbors so add this to your buddy lists!!! My only friend so far is Tom!lol

I will make sure to get everyones opinions and concerns heard by the board!

Good luck! :cheers:

Steve

Whoa there, I think you've jumped way ahead. It's a very bad thing for downtown Tampa that some residents are fed up with the HOA? Is there an HOA in existence that some people aren't fed up with? Sure there are some problems they need to work out, but get any group of 400 together and there will be problems. Culture hasn't yet developed and that takes some time.
Yes that's all true but the thing is this is the first major residential condo in downtown, people will see this as a failure if it gets worse. It would be different if it were some subdivision out somewhere because there are a few of them with idiotic rules and where it's a pain for residents, this is more than that.

I am thinking about buying a 2 bedroom corner unit in Skypoint and was wondering how much noise can be heard through the walls. I saw a video on youtube and it got me worried that the walls might be too thin. I like to party on the weekends and usually have a group of friends preparty at my place before we roll out to the clubs, I also have a bose lifestyle sound system which can get loud. Are the walls as thin as they seem on the video? Do you think I will still have the same problem in a 2 bedroom corner? I don't wanna have my neighbors hate me...

I am thinking about buying a 2 bedroom corner unit in Skypoint and was wondering how much noise can be heard through the walls. I saw a video on youtube and it got me worried that the walls might be too thin. I like to party on the weekends and usually have a group of friends preparty at my place before we roll out to the clubs, I also have a bose lifestyle sound system which can get loud. Are the walls as thin as they seem on the video? Do you think I will still have the same problem in a 2 bedroom corner? I don't wanna have my neighbors hate me...

I think you'll be fine Paul. Most of the residents are busy, young professionals who enjoy having a good time on the weekends. I've seen that video you mentioned. I would take that with a grain of salt. Thats not an accurate portrayal of the living experience. However, it is a condo, and no matter how think the walls are, if your blasting music, im sure someone will probably complain (that would happen in any building). Most residents are very respectful to their neighbors and community. I'm sure you will be as well.

As far as buying, I would definitely buy. Im sure your going to get a smoking deal on a 2 bedroom right now. I'd say go for it.

Thanks MBA2010. I take it from your name youre persuing/planning on getting your MBA? If so which school? I am currently planning to go back to school for my MBA this fall at USF.

Thanks MBA2010. I take it from your name youre persuing/planning on getting your MBA? If so which school? I am currently planning to go back to school for my MBA this fall at USF.

Thats great. Now is the best time to back to school in my opinion. And Yes, Im pursuing my MBA at UT.

SKYPOINT RESIDENTS!!!
Just a reminder to please join http://www.myspace.com/skypointcondos . This is strictly for Skypoint residents where we can discuss the good with the bad. I am going to make sure all of our concerns are heard to our current inexperienced board.

For whatever it's worth, my experience with condo boards has taught me to never "air the dirty laundry" in a public forum, like some of you are doing on here, facebook, and myspace. You are, in effect, going to cause your concerns about a tarnished perception to come true (and you and your cohorts will be to blame for it).

My suggestion would be for you to create a private forum (resident verification required) and keep your communications out of the public eye. For example, just searching for SkyPoint Tampa brings this forum up in the top 10 results.... Simply make your facebook profile private and publicly invite residents/renters to "join the discussions".

Trust me... I know you're not intentionally trying to hurt your investment, but that's precisely what you're doing. If I were you, I'd go back and edit your posts as quickly as possible, before google caches them.

Just my two cents... and I have over 10 years of development experience (including homeowners associations).

^You know, I was going to say something about that (the search results part)... SSC gets well over a million page views per day now, so a lot of the stuff talked about here does indeed wind up being seen by more people than one might initially think plausible.


And I would be perfectly willing and able to make a private forum here for Skypoint residents. If this is of interest to anyone out there, spread the word and let me know...

I picked up some yummy pizza and salads from East Coast Pizza in Apollo Beach yesterday, and talked with the owner, says that East Coast Pizza should be openeing at Skypoint around September of this year...its really really good pizza...but again, there are enough pizza places in downtown in my opinion.

^ Do you know in what space?

^ Do you know in what space?

The Azteca Mexican storefront...

FYI...I had the opportunity to try out Raw Bar on Friday night. They were still in the "soft" opening mode and the experience was quite pleasant. Decor is black with black on black details, seating is the only color - bright freakn' red.
The chef is from NoBu in Miami. Let's hope they do well.

By Sharon Ginn, Times Correspondent
In Print: Friday, June 5, 2009

DOWNTOWN — The young professionals populating SkyPoint already have their own beer, burger and sushi spots. Throwing some hand-tossed pizza into the mix seemed like a good idea to Aaron Fredricks.

This fall, Fredricks plans to open East Coast Pizza on the ground floor of the downtown condo building at 777 N Ashley Drive. He has signed a letter of intent to take over a 1,840-square-foot space, and said the lease should be finalized within weeks.

The SkyPoint space was originally leased by a group planning to open Azteca Mexican Kitchen this spring, but the restaurant never materialized.

Fredricks, a longtime pizza fanatic from Dutchess County, N.Y., opened East Coast Pizza in Riverview four years ago. The pizza is hand-tossed with a thin, crispy crust and made with fresh ingredients. It is based, he said, on the type of brick-oven-baked pizza he grew up with.

"I've been working in a (pizza) place since I was 15 years old," he said. "It's just something I always ended up coming back to."

Just like back home, he'll sell a variety of pizzas by the slice, along with calzones and stromboli. The restaurant will be open daily, will serve beer and wine and will seat about 40 inside and 40 outside.

Fredricks persuaded his best friend and fellow pizza enthusiast, Rocco Ricciardi, to move from New York to Tampa to be a partner with him on the SkyPoint location. He expects the downtown location will do the bulk of its business at lunchtime, at least for now.

"At 5 o' clock that place is a ghost town," Fredricks said. "They're trying to get it where more people are coming into downtown, like every other (major) city. I think we're getting in there at a good time, because we're getting a good deal. But I think we're a couple of years off."

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/retail/article1006973.ece

WHAAAT?! NY PIZZA!?!?!?!

Yeah, it's pretty good too... I have a freind who lived off 301, and now lives in Apollo Beach, and we must have eaten East Coast at least 5 times in the past year. It's very good, and has one of the better NY style crusts I've had... I love their calzones too... And the young ladies they have working there... very nice. ;)

I'll tell you what though, the location of the current one sucks for anyone who lives north or west of Brandon. The only thing around it is some bowling alley place across the street. (which is admittedly kinda cool, because they have an all-adult bowling lounge, and the whole place is less than 2 years old).

Now that they are opening downtown, I am absolutely certain that I will be going there more often than just when I go to Apollo Beach to see my friend.

Never had East Coast before, excited to try it. Though I do think it's odd that he describes that area as a ghost town after 5. Maybe a couple years ago, but not these days. Three other restaurants are in the same building, all open for dinner. Five Guys is busiest during lunch, but the others are more dinner oriented.

And you've got to figure there's what, at least 750, and perhaps 1000 more vacant or u/c units around downtown that will be filled up over the next year or so (at one price point or another)... And both museums will open soon enough.

There are certainly worse places around town for a new restaurant to try and open.

Buddy of mine who lives in Skypoint just told me that the daily/weekly rags(tbt, creative loafing) and the brochures for local eateries, services, etc. have all been removed from the mail area. You now have to ask the Concierge for a tbt. Not sure I understand, that area was very well maintained, neat and orderly, and it was nice to come down and pick up a tbt in the morning, or get some suggesitons or grab a discounted card to a local merchant, etc.

Maybe the condo assoc or management co wanted some money to put them inside the building. Wouldn't be surprised - or maybe the concierge is ripping the residents off

I am in the process of Buying a condo in skypoint, do any of you guys have any inside information. Although I am from Tampa I have not lived there since 2001 when i joined the Army. Please any and all info is helpful.:)

Yeah, Tampa is a bit more interesting than it was 8 years ago.

As far as inside info goes, members have posted a number of restaurant recommendations for the area... Read back through this thread and you'll find quite a bit of discussion about various concerns in the building. Mind you, this is an internet message board. You're always better off taking advice from people you know personally. There are several Skypoint residents who are members here, though I'm not sure how often they frequent the site.

If I move back to Tampa, I would definately consider moving here.

RAWBAR is open according to UCTampa.com.

RAWBAR is open according to UCTampa.com.

Has been for a while.

Has been for a while.
Oh, cool. I plan on going to the August 6th council meeting so I might try it out. I went to the Five Guys there last time I went to Tampa.

Are the prices of skypoint condos going up recently, or is that just me?

I don't know, but the building is nearly sold out and the market is beginning to come back.

Perhaps all that is available right now are pricier units?

Plus its the only new build in the DT proper. With Element going rental it makes Skypoint that much more valuable. If the market were indeed turning around, you'd see Element reconsidering their business plan. My guess is that if Element went for sale, existing units at Skypoint would crash again due to Element being back on the market. It'll probably be another bad year or so on the real estate from, which isn't such a bad thing.

FYI...
Well I got my closing date 30 Dec 2009. After over two years of back and forth i pulled the trigger. Unit 31XX will be officially mine. I wonder if any of my (future) neighbors are on this board.

FYI...
Well I got my closing date 30 Dec 2009. After over two years of back and forth i pulled the trigger. Unit 3103 will be officially mine. I wonder if any of my (future) neighbors are on this board.
I think we have about 3 members on here that are residents at Skypoint.

That's definitely good to hear Rico

Welcome to the skyclub. I am in 2811. Congratulations. Its a good time to get one. THe park and museum open up in little more than a month. The museums lights were on tonight. Hopefully they wont hit the gas main again like they did today because the water fountains were on for awhile during the day today too.

Thanks Guys! ;) I am really excited about becoming one of Tampa's downtown residents.

@TampaArnold- the park and the museum are one of the positive deciding factors. I can't wait to experience them!!

Not that it's a surprise considering the date, but the pizza place for Skypoint has fallen through. The spot is available again. Some bad luck for what is a very nice location (two deals gone bad).

Not that it's a surprise considering the date, but the pizza place for Skypoint has fallen through. The spot is available again. Some bad luck for what is a very nice location (two deals gone bad).

That sucks. I didn't even realize that there was another retail spot available in Skypoint. Any idea why the deals are falling through? I wonder who will fill it now?!

Guys what are the assements like at Skypoint? Also, are there any people in foreclosure or doing short sales in the building? I might be moving to Tampa and will be looking at condos and homes, but I hate throwing away money into the assesments in condo units. I'm also pretty much an expert in foreclosure and short sale transactions (done over 100 in the past two years) and would be looking to pick one up for cheap.

Not that it's a surprise considering the date, but the pizza place for Skypoint has fallen through. The spot is available again. Some bad luck for what is a very nice location (two deals gone bad).
Was that the East Coast pizza place? Right?

Was that the East Coast pizza place? Right?

That's the one.

Dammit, I thought so! That sucks, because that place is awesome and I'm tired of having to drive to the middle of nowhere to get their yummy calzones.

RicoSuave,

How do you like it so far? Is noise through the walls an issue?

RicoSuave,

How do you like it so far? Is noise through the walls an issue?


Good question! The week I moved in there was some work being done on my floor (31st) and that kind of got under my skin a bit but the world is not perfect! LOL. Other than that I have no complaints about hearing stuff through the walls. Hope that helps....

BTW I LOVE LIVING @ SKYPOINT!! Are u thinking about purchasing?

Wow 31st floor, man you must have some incredible views from that height!!

i live in skypoint and I don't hear any noise through the wall. Occasionally I hear someone pulling up their blinds but thats about it. You can hear the train go by though, however I lived by the train all my life so it doesn't bother me.

i just closed the deal on a one bed unit facing south! looking forward to the move

congratulations, i will probably see ya in the elevator sometime

i just closed the deal on a one bed unit facing south! looking forward to the move

Great! Congratulations bro..... what floor are you on?

Hello All,

Moved into a 31st floor unit (Rico, I'm one of your neighbors I believe) at the first of the year and really love the place. Noise has not been a problem at all. Compared to other urban environments I've lived in (Marina del Rey, Solana Beach, San Diego and recently Rocky Point) this place is quiet.

The recent opening of the Curtis Hixon Park, art museum and some cool downtown eateries make it a great location from my standpoint. Oh, and having Four Green Fields close by is a plus too! :cheers:

Hello All,

Moved into a 31st floor unit (Rico, I'm one of your neighbors I believe) at the first of the year and really love the place. Noise has not been a problem at all. Compared to other urban environments I've lived in (Marina del Rey, Solana Beach, San Diego and recently Rocky Point) in this place is quiet.

The recent opening of the Curtis Hixon Park, art museum and some cool downtown eateries make it a great location from my standpoint. Oh, and having Four Green Fields close by is a plus too! :cheers:

DataCenterDesigner,

100% correct we are neighbors! :cheers:

I'm on the 19th floor.

Who do you guys use for homeowner's insurance?

James,

Here's a couple of agencies you can try:

Jack Rice Insurance
13080 S Belcher Rd
Suite H
Largo FL 33773
tel: 727-530-0684
fax: 727-532-9602

Sunshine Security Insurance Agency
1325 Snell Isle Boulevard Northeast
St Petersburg, FL 33704-2473
866-487-2643

I belive they both write for Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Co.

Thanks, I'm still shopping around and I'll check them out.

I'm on the 19th floor.

Who do you guys use for homeowner's insurance?

Just in case you are still shopping around. Here is who I used.

BRYN INSURANCE SERVICES, LLC
14502 N. Dale Mabry Highway
Suite 200
Tampa, Florida 33618

(800) 504-6320 toll free
(813) 963-1409 direct line
(866) 717-6929 toll free fax

www.bryninsurance.com

Been living in skypoint for over a month now and love it. Moving in was a major pain, but thats all in the past now. Curtis Hixon park is great and the (unconnected at the moment) riverwalk is pretty cool.

Does anyone know who lives in the penthouse on the 32nd floor? I think they were throwing a party not long ago and I was jealous I wasn't invited!

My gf needs a parking space, does anyone know somebody willing to rent theirs out or of a nearby garage that isn't too pricey?

Since you live DT I believe you can get a free on street permit for her (well, for you, but she could use it) or get a Guest Permit (I believe it is free too) that would allow her to park free in the meters - if there are meter spots available. Alternatively you can get monthly permits for low cost in the lots or pay more for a garage permit. The cheapest 24hr lot is Regional/Royal at $19 located at the Southwest corner of N Tampa St & E Fortune St., about 4 blocks from Skypoint. The cheapest garage is Ybor at $27, but the closest garage is Poe at $72 a month.

Steve

Awesome! Who would I contact for the street permit?

Thanks

Awesome! Who would I contact for the street permit?

Thanks

Here you are:

Residential on street (meter spots):http://www.tampagov.net/dept_parking/Programs_and_services/residential_parking_permits.asp

Non-residential on street (meter spots):http://www.tampagov.net/dept_parking/Programs_and_services/On-Street_Parking_Permits.asp

Garage Permit just in case:http://www.tampagov.net/appl_customer_service_center/form.asp?strServiceID=560

Steve

I didn't see anything near skypoint on those links

I didn't see anything near skypoint on those links

They are just links to the City of Tampa Parking Division, from there one has to know the parking situation (location, etc.). However, on closer inspection it looks like Skypoint may fall outside of the bounds of the meter permits. If you are interested in those it might be best to contact them at: Phone: (813) 274-8182 Fax: (813) 274-8956.

The garage permit is applicable if one parks in Poe as it is the closest garage.

Steve

I have no faith that it will happen, but yet another restaurant has announced it will open in Skypoint. Another pizza place actually, Pizza Fusion (http://www.pizzafusion.com/). This is from the Downtown Partnership which was light on info:

Another restaurant is planning to open in downtown. Pizza Fusion will open in SkyPoint located at 777 N. Ashley Drive. Pizza Fusion features organic pizzas. An opening date has not been announced yet. Monday Morning Memo will report that information to you once it is available.

Does anyone know why The Element has no bottom floor retail yet? I don't get it, I mean if you are charging too much for rent, just lower it until you get people in there. Why let it go vacant?

--Joey

If it were that easy there would be no empty retail spots... Element is looking for solid long-term tenants that increase the value of their property. Lowering the rent just gets you people without money.

Does anyone know why The Element has no bottom floor retail yet? I don't get it, I mean if you are charging too much for rent, just lower it until you get people in there. Why let it go vacant?

--Joey

I don't think simply lowering the rent would be a good idea from a long term standpoint for Novare. Yes the building would probably have a lower vacancy; but what would be the downside of that ? I think they are targeting the correct demographics buy keeping the rent at those price points.


~Rico

There are a couple of forces at work. Commercial Real Estate (CRE) is in a sharp downward correction. This moves far faster than residential - commercial credit is extended over short terms, typically about five years, and borrowers unable to roll the debt over default. If Novare is able to survive the trend, they benefit from survivor bias. That is, the inventory of available space (not merely empty, but actively available) shrinks, and the 'survivors' attract tenants. Right now, there's a large overhang of retail, service and office space vacant and competing for tenants.

From the other side, businesses rely on credit lines in order to open new locations. In an active environment, credit's extended on fairly easy terms, and qualifying presents few obstacles. That's not our situation just now. It remains to be seen if Tampa - or the balance of the country - is in a recovery. There are some tentative signs that it is, but any new ventures or operations interested in expanding an existing franchise are undoubtedly searching for confirmation before committing.

So, right now, there's an overhang of vacant commercial space, credit is tight, and the business community isn't sure we're in a good environment for expansion or relocation. They're hesitant to take on new debt.

I drove through downtown last night around 11pm, whatever is at the bottom of skypoint was pretty packed out, quite a few people on the patio area and inside, nice to see, almost like a glimpse into the future.

I have no faith that it will happen, but yet another restaurant has announced it will open in Skypoint. Another pizza place actually, Pizza Fusion (http://www.pizzafusion.com/). This is from the Downtown Partnership which was light on info:
They're going to open by Halloween.

Oh btw Skypoint residents/SSC members, tell your association president to shut up and stop complaining about the music going on at Curtis Hixon.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/growth/new-downtown-park-has-some-neighbors-covering-their-ears/1100346

^lol... What a bunch of idiots.

Yeah its driving me nut. I wan't more events downtown and in the park. Unlike some other people in this building, I knew what I was buying into when I got this condo and its specifically why I bought it.

Yeah its driving me nut. I wan't more events downtown and in the park. Unlike some other people in this building, I knew what I was buying into when I got this condo and its specifically why I bought it.

I could be more empathetic if the events went really late or really did violate the noise statutes. But complaints about an orchestra early in the evening that brings hundreds of people to your urban neighborhood is pretty much insane. I'm not sure what it takes to oust the HOA president, but that needs to happen ASAP. He should be out there championing these events and bringing more in. They will only increase your property values and make the retail portions sustainable.

Why would you think that this building would be different than any other building or home owner (see Janus Landing). There is always some person who moves in then complains. THe problem arises when the city caves to that person, as Ms. Iorio always does.

I drove through downtown last night around 11pm, whatever is at the bottom of skypoint was pretty packed out, quite a few people on the patio area and inside, nice to see, almost like a glimpse into the future.

On the NorthWest corner? That's Taps it always seems to draw a nice crowd. It's got a good location being under Skypoint and right on across Ashley from the new park.

When they do happy hour Taps is reasonably priced but it is pretty overpriced otherwise.

--Joey

The point next door has a pretty good happy hour. 5 bucks from 5-7 or 5-8 and the outdoor seating is pretty fun. Of note, I heard that Mansion (the one from miami) is possibly opening up a club on Franklin street near the fly. Also some guy who lives is channelside said he is trying to open up a martini bar in DT near skypoint. He said he has narrowed it down to two sites and already has his liqour license. That would be good news if some new businesses open up. The eat fresh daily, the new yogert bar and the tropical cafe should be opening up in the next couple months.

Also some guy who lives is channelside said he is trying to open up a martini bar in DT near skypoint. He said he has narrowed it down to two sites and already has his liqour license.

Don't you need to have the location before the license?

I was just going to say, how can you get a liquor license without knowing the location?

apparently he said you can get one but you have to have a location within 90 days for lose it

My experience here has been generally negative.

The concierge desk runs the building like a totalitarian regime -- the amount of anal retentiveness and privacy invasion they exhibit can be stunning.

There is required orientation, required approval for any modification to the apartment, requirement to talk to the property manager for the slightest modifications to your apartment. Although you might be owning, you are barely treated as a guest.

For entry, they require you to put a hideous glaringly white barcode on the SIDE of your car. It looks obnoxious and if you have tinted windows, stands out like a giant zit.

There is no dumpster on site making it necessary to either hire an outside guy or haul off anything larger than a trashbag from your apartment yourself.

The parking lot is narrow and people drive down at extremely fast speeds--have seen more than one accident.

It is extremely difficult to have guests, and the surrounding area is filled with drug addicts and the homeless at night making it unsafe for parking.

One very shady thing is that the cleaning service for the building, SkyMaid, is run by the HOA president, Israel Diaz.

I would not let these people enter my apartment at all costs because god knows they would find more HOA violations for which they would fine you or require you to attend MORE meetings.

If you leave anything in the hallways for more than 20 minutes, you receive a call from the EXTREMELY anal retentive concierge desk asking you to clear the hallway, citing "neighbor complaints" although after speaking with my neighbors, I suspect they just roll the camera through the floors to check if anything is in the hallway because they don't have anything better to do. The concierge desk is extraordinarily passive aggressive.

The sirens of ambulances and police rolling through downtown echo through the apartments nightly, even on the highest floors.

The only positive I can think of is that it appears nice on the surface and there are televisions in the elevators displaying AP news headlines, but it's a cheap facade. Neighbors are nice as well.

They do not allow you to have Verizon FIOS internet connections or upgrade past a T1, so if your work depends on that, forget about this place.

If you want to buy property that is declining in value, suffer monthly HOA fees and restrictions, and not enjoy your apartment due to the extreme anal retentiveness of staff and ownership, I would recommend SkyPoint apartments for you.

For other high end apartments for rental or purchase, I would suggest Post Harbour or Bayshore. Although with the former you would have to suffer long morning traffic delays, the trade off might be worth it.

My experience here has been generally negative.

The concierge desk runs the building like a totalitarian regime -- the amount of anal retentiveness and privacy invasion they exhibit can be stunning.

There is required orientation, required approval for any modification to the apartment, requirement to talk to the property manager for the slightest modifications to your apartment. Although you might be owning, you are barely treated as a guest.

For entry, they require you to put a hideous glaringly white barcode on the SIDE of your car. It looks obnoxious and if you have tinted windows, stands out like a giant zit.

There is no dumpster on site making it necessary to either hire an outside guy or haul off anything larger than a trashbag from your apartment yourself.

The parking lot is narrow and people drive down at extremely fast speeds--have seen more than one accident.

It is extremely difficult to have guests, and the surrounding area is filled with drug addicts and the homeless at night making it unsafe for parking.

One very shady thing is that the cleaning service for the building, SkyMaid, is run by the HOA president, Israel Diaz.

I would not let these people enter my apartment at all costs because god knows they would find more HOA violations for which they would fine you or require you to attend MORE meetings.

If you leave anything in the hallways for more than 20 minutes, you receive a call from the EXTREMELY anal retentive concierge desk asking you to clear the hallway, citing "neighbor complaints" although after speaking with my neighbors, I suspect they just roll the camera through the floors to check if anything is in the hallway because they don't have anything better to do. The concierge desk is extraordinarily passive aggressive.

The sirens of ambulances and police rolling through downtown echo through the apartments nightly, even on the highest floors.

The only positive I can think of is that it appears nice on the surface and there are televisions in the elevators displaying AP news headlines, but it's a cheap facade. Neighbors are nice as well.

They do not allow you to have Verizon FIOS internet connections or upgrade past a T1, so if your work depends on that, forget about this place.

If you want to buy property that is declining in value, suffer monthly HOA fees and restrictions, and not enjoy your apartment due to the extreme anal retentiveness of staff and ownership, I would recommend SkyPoint apartments for you.

For other high end apartments for rental or purchase, I would suggest Post Harbour or Bayshore. Although with the former you would have to suffer long morning traffic delays, the trade off might be worth it.

Sounds like you must be a leasing agent for Post Harbour.

1. Concierge has never invaded my privacy in 3 years.

2. I would hate to think that everyone in this building could modify at will without any concern for the structural integrity of the building. I would hate to think that my neighbor above could just put down wood flooring with no or improper underlayment. Gee wouldn't that be nice hearing them walk around.

3. My windows are well tinted and they put a dark decal of which can hardly be seen.

4. If you put your larger garbage in the trash chute room they will haul it off.
Always have.

5. Parking area is the same size as when you rented. Not hugh, but this is not Trump Tower. If you see someone speeding, by all means identify the car and they can be fined.

6. "It is extremely difficult to have guests, and the surrounding area is filled with drug addicts and the homeless at night making it unsafe for parking."
NONSENSE

7. The cleaning crew is certainly not entering anyone's unit. If they wish to come in and clean for free, I will take my meth lab elsewhere.

8. What do find necessary to leave in the halls. Maybe you should have contracted for a larger unit. Don't tell anyone, but there are no cameras in the hallways.

9. Sirens at night. We should tell people to get sick during business hours. If I close my doors I can barely hear them when they infrequently come by. Normally late at night they barely turn them on to be courteous and because there is little traffic.

It appears you are a renter, so maybe POST whatever is the place for you. I realize it is fun to complain about things, but let's be realistic. Talk about old curmudgeons complaining about nothing? You sound like you have an agenda here.

If anyone complains about sirens, then they're not someone to live in a city.

^However, Novare is famed for poor soundproofing in their buildings.

Soundproofing is one of those inescapable signs of quality that tends to track pricing.

I live in skypoint and never had much problem the conceriege. I think they are pretty nice. The negatives is that the parking garage is tight and does suck. Also it can get noisy with sirens and helicopters and trains at night but then again I have lived in the city of tampa near rail lines and lived near TGH for many years so i am used to helicopters. The other thing is the elevators get stuck sometimes. But overall its worth living in skypoint. Its the best location with 3 restaurants underneath you and 2 more on the way. A park, museum,and a performing arts hall in walking distance. Last night i walked to see Daniel Tosh 2010 tour and thought how much i love living downtown and skypoint

Lets not have any positive here. Tell us about how you were acosted by homeless and thugs wielding knives and guns on your trip. Yes the parking lot kinda sucks. I know people with million dollar units on Bayshore and their parking sucks also. I have heard references to the elevator getting stuck but I personally have never had a problem in three years. PLEASE, if anyone knows of somewhere I can move where everything is perfect and nothing ever breaks, especially in this price range, let me know.

I've been living there for a little over 6 months. I think its great.

How could you hate on the concierges? They are super nice... One time they went out and put change in the meter for me when I had to utilize street parking. I have nothing but good things to say about them.

Literal LOL at knife wielding crackheads and throngs of homeless. I go running (at night *gasp*) three times a week for over 4 miles each outing and have never ever run into danger. My gf parks on the street everyday and she has never had a problem... and shes a girl!

I went through the approval process of getting work done to my unit. It was slow because I was ready to break ground NOW, but I learned it was worth it. I wanted to knock down a wall and the engineer told me he had to see if there were any underlying supporting structures. If I would have taken a sledge to it like I had wanted to at first, I could have jacked the place up.

I love living there. Things are starting to happen lately. The Friday morning market is going great. Since the opening of the children's museum, it seems like there have been events every Saturday morning. I dunno about you, but I like getting up on a Saturday, walking outside and seeing tents set up, people walking around and music going. Audi unveiled the new R8 convertible in the museum. I was just walking randomly and ran into that whole ordeal. I met cool people, and even got free food and wine!!!

Yeah I got the sticker decal, the garage is annoying, and the elevators can get slow during peak hours.... but overall its acceptable compared to what you get in return.

I used to live down the street from the Cass st Projects, and I would walk around downtown late at night. I was only bothered ONE TIME by a lone crack addict around the churches near Florida Ave or Morgan can't remember, but even then that was over 3 years ago; he only wanted a couple of quarters.

The only time I've ever been robbed was out in the suburbs, NOTHING happened to my car which was always parked on Brevard st & Kennedy next to a vacant lot, nothing ever happened to me when I lived down there.

Vagrants are everywhere, if you can't deal with that then move somewhere like St. Pete where they hassle and beat up the homeless. Or start donating money to build a homeless shelter

I used to live down the street from the Cass st Projects, and I would walk around downtown late at night. I was only bothered ONE TIME by a lone crack addict around the churches near Florida Ave or Morgan can't remember, but even then that was over 3 years ago; he only wanted a couple of quarters.

The only time I've ever been robbed was out in the suburbs, NOTHING happened to my car which was always parked on Brevard st & Kennedy next to a vacant lot, nothing ever happened to me when I lived down there.

Vagrants are everywhere, if you can't deal with that then move somewhere like St. Pete where they hassle and beat up the homeless. Or start donating money to build a homeless shelter

St.Pete is a lot better without homeless/bums looking for money on every corner. Tampa should follow suit.

St.Pete is a lot better without homeless/bums looking for money on every corner. Tampa should follow suit.

I percieve St. Pete as being worse than Tampa, its got nothing to do with the homeless.

I think cops should be devoted to doing REAL police work. not hassling people for making others feel awkward... Where do you want these people to go?

I'm still pissed that St. Pete turned their backs on their own kind and kicked their homeless out. Everyone knows that Williams park in downtown St. Pete is where they like to be. To make it illegal to panhandle was just wiping their hands clean and not solving anything.

To St Petersburg--Your homeless population is not your dust and Tampa is not your rug to sweep them under.

^^
I'm getting sick of the homeless being on every streetcorner. Very depressing.

I think Sarasota is much worse in terms of accomodation (or lack thereof) of the homeless

They just started building that new organic pizza place on the bottom of skypoint this week

Pizza Fusion will be opening next month, along with their other joint in Westchase.

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2010/12/07/pizza-fusion-to-open-two-restaurants.html?ed=2010-12-07&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

Pizza Fusion will be opening next month, along with their other joint in Westchase.

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2010/12/07/pizza-fusion-to-open-two-restaurants.html?ed=2010-12-07&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub


Which side of Skypoint will it be on? The Tampa St side?

^^yep its on Tampa st, in the southern corner.

Skypoint is all filled up now, the North East corner has opened up as Kurdis Grill (http://www.kurdisgrill.com). Pizza Fusion has proven popular and is definitely worth a stop if you haven't been yet. It's a chain, but I'm impressed at their beer selection (lots of local brews).

I wonder when Element will follow suit?

I'd imagine soon. They weren't signing any deals for a while before the building got sold to Starwood.

Skypoint is all filled up now, the North East corner has opened up as Kurdis Grill (http://www.kurdisgrill.com). Pizza Fusion has proven popular and is definitely worth a stop if you haven't been yet. It's a chain, but I'm impressed at their beer selection (lots of local brews).

That's great to hear. Now if there could be some new retail opening in the older buildings, like Franklin Exchange that would be awesome too. I guess the newer buildings are easier to work with.

SkyPoint Advice needed

Hi All,

I am considering buying a unit in SkyPoint Tampa and was just wondering if anyone had information for me.

Is this a good place to live?

I like going to the pool, it is always busy with a lot of people or are there normally a few chairs open?

Grills, always in use on the weekends or not too bad?

How about the people who live there? Are they normally friendly or has there been problems there?

Crime, any problem with people who don’t live there getting into the building?

Children, I have a child and was just wondering if there were many children there or any kind of children’s club for the people who live there?

I am asking all this because I have a place now in a community where a lot of people who don’t live there come and use the pool and gym and the security does not really enforce any rules. Also, the maintenance of the place I am in now is not so great. It was good when they were trying to sell units, but over the past two years the care of the property has gone way down. Just thought I would ask if anyone wanted to share their experience in SkyPoint and any recommendations.

Thanks,

Hey expat,

I've been living in SkyPoint for a year and a half now, and I love it.

The pool area: It can get busy on Saturday, but there is always at least a chair available. During the week it is usually pretty empty. The whole pool area was recently renovated with new tile everywhere, really nice grills, and new shaded areas. The HOA is pretty strict concerning the pool, to keep out people that dont live there. They have a security guard posted up on the weekends to make sure you are a resident. The policy on weekends is 4 guests per resident I believe. Also, no glass containers on the pool deck. Some of the rules are a bummer, but it keeps the place from becoming a frat house, which I like.

The people: Most are friendly and social. I make a point of at least saying "hello" and "have a good day" in the elevator. A lot of people will hold the elevator if they see you coming. There is a skyclub happy hour every once in awhile, but I haven't attended any due to my work schedule.

Crime: I have neither personally seen nor heard of crime in my time here, short of someone's bike getting stolen. The building seems very secure, it takes an RFID chip to access the doors and elevator, and each resident only has access to their floor and the common areas. The garage is has two gates each way, and require a barcode sticker for access.

Children: There are not a lot of kids in the building, as the units can be on the smaller side for families, but there are several here. I cannot comment on any clubs for them, as I haven't looked into that. I can imagine SkyPoint being pretty good for kids, as Curtis Hixon park is just across the street, complete with a very nice playground, fountains, and the children's museum. I wish I could have had a place like that when I was a kid!

In conclusion, I wouldn't worry about people that don't live here coming in. The building requires special access and the concierges are very good at their jobs (I love them, by the way). This immediate area is just getting better and better with stores popping up and things to do. Just last night was another "rock in the park" event, with a good band playing for free. One downside I can think of is that the parking garage can be cramped depending on what you are used to. If you own a large SUV or truck, it will be a pain. Also, a one bedroom unit gets only one assigned parking spot, and two bedroom units get two. Additional spaces are available, but for a price. I don't live alone, and one of us parks on the street everyday, as its free after 6 pm weekdays and all day on weekends. We have been doing this for close to two years and we haven't had any theft/break in issues. There are several homeless in downtown, but they are not belligerent, but I swear one has tourettes.

I recommend moving in, as units are going for a steal compared to what they were just a couple years ago.

Wow, if all the people there are as nice and friendly as you then I think I would be lucky. Thanks a lot for all the information, it sounds like a good place. I think we will be looking at a few 2/2 there this weekend. I will let you know how it works out.
Thanks again,

Hi Expat,

I've lived in SkyPoint for three and half years now. Jamesk is correct in the information he has provided to you. However, I would recommend against moving into this building since you have a child. This building was not designed for families nor does it have any kid friendly amenities. There are less then a handful of kids that currently live in the building, and we mainly have singles and couples predominantly aged from early 20s to 50s. I hope that helps with your decision.

Yeah, but the need for in-house amenities is mitigated a bit by the kid friendly amenities available around downtown these days.

Thanks a lot for the information. I was thinking the same about the building regarding my son. However, we have looked at a number of units there and while doing so it seems everyone is very friendly and it does not seem to be the "party place" I thought it was. Maybe we were there on off days but the place seemed calm. At this point I was thinking to buy something in Skypoint and keep it as our U.S. home, I am normally stationed overseas so we are not in the U.S. much, therefore, I think we may go ahead with buying a unit. We just made an offer on a place so we're just waiting now to see if it all works out.
The does seem to be a lot going on downtown on the weekends in the park area. I sure hope this stays the same in the years to come.
Thanks for all the info and please stay in touch, I will let you guy know if the deal goes through and I will be the new guy in there. ))

Yes there are lots of things in downtown for your son to enjoy in downtown.

Hi everyone, I just thought I would let you know that we are closing on a unit in SkyPoint this week. So I will be there soon. if anyone has some advice for me on how to set up Internet or what to do about getting the parking passes for my cars or setting up the monitors to show what I want them to show with my key fob just let me know.
See you in SkyPoint soon....

Awesome news! I can't personally help you with move-in issues, but I'm very glad to hear that downtown continues to add new residents.

Welcome!

I'm out of town for a long time now due to work, but welcome and it's good to have you!!!

Hi everyone, I just thought I would let you know that we are closing on a unit in SkyPoint this week. So I will be there soon. if anyone has some advice for me on how to set up Internet or what to do about getting the parking passes for my cars or setting up the monitors to show what I want them to show with my key fob just let me know.
See you in SkyPoint soon....
You can get your parking sticker and fob stuff taken care of by the concierge. There are two options for internet and TV service in the building. The concierge can give you the phone numbers to both companies and even schedule activation appointments for you at your unit. You can even arrange a key release for the techs should you not be able to be physically present when you have these services activated. Dianna and Chris are really great and helpful. There are three other front desk people whom I do not know very well.

DirecPath provides internet access and DirecTV access. The internet service is bulk discounted and is part of everyone's HOA dues (because the developer Novare and DirecPath are in bed together). You will need to pay a one time 50 dollar fee to get the internet activated in your unit. There are CAT5 ethernet outlets in all the units which is part of the DirecPath infrastructure.

The internet speeds with DirecPath are a joke and that is being nice. Their customer service is abysmal. Why should they care when the developer, Novare, and them contract together on all of their condo buildings and are guaranteed their money whether you use the internet service or not. They cut major corners on the Element building by not provided that building with it's own dedicated pipe to the web and instead setup the Skypoint pipe to be shared with Element. The result is terrible speeds that at times make it barely possible to use things like streaming movies or use online gaming.

The other option is Verizon FiOS, which is superior to the DirecPath service. It takes about an hour for the techs to get everything setup and activated in your unit but it is well worth it. Unfortunately it is not bulk discounted and is not part of the HOA dues so you pay the normal rates for FiOS service. A lot of residents have moved over to FiOS after putting up with DirecPath's BS for a few years. FiOS became available in our building in the beginning of 2011.

I hope that helps out a little for you.

BTW, as a new resident you should be getting a welcome packet and tour of the building. If you do not then contact Donna or Robert the building property manager and assistant manager respectively.

Hey I live in 2811 and welcome. I recommend the Verizon Fios instead of direct path and 7lives pretty much told ya all you need to know.

Thanks so much for all the help and information guys, it's really nice of you. We close today, so I will start getting things set up, I think Verizon is a good idea, I have heard their system works well. I can't wait to get moved in, I think we will have the unit painted and cleaned first so it may take a week before we're living there. But I'll keep everyone informed and when we all get back to Tampa maybe we can have a meet and greet. Thanks again for all the help, talk to you later.

Agreed Expat, this forum really needs a meet and greet. We haven't had one in a couple years I believe and I never made it to the last one. So, maybe we can start a discussion soon and see when the best time to have one is and what everyone wants to do.

Hey guys I was doing a search for high rise apartments in downtown Tampa and stumbled across Skypoint and Element.

Now it seems like everyone here loves Skypoint but I do have a couple questions:

- I currently live in Palm Harbor but want to move because I am 23 and need more people my age. What is the average age of people who live there, if you had to guess?
- Also I am looking to rent. If anyone is renting or knows any advice about the best way to go about finding a rental at Skypoint please let me know. (even though I might not be moving for about 6 months). Also anyone know the price range for a one bedroom if I were to rent?

Everyone is saying security is strong and is in a good area so I am not to worried about that.

Last thing, how does Skypoint relate to Element? Price? Age? Which is nicer?

I appreciate any help! Thanks guys!!

Hi,

The skypoint is a condo tower and element is apartments. There are units at skypoint that pop up for rent from time to time. If I recall correctly, skypoint was completed around 2007 and the element was done around 2009.

I checked out a couple units at the element when it first opened and it was very nice. The only gripe I had was that the north view was just the highway/trees and the south view was staring at skypoint. I think the most coveted view is in the skypoint facing south, but that's just my opinion.

You would fit right in at either Skypoint or Element. I am 43 and would say I'm around the average age at Skypoint give or take 5. Possibly Element is slightly younger because it is an all rental building. skypoint was sold off to individual owners as I purchased one if the last developer units.

Be prepared to pay around $2/ft2/mo as an average. you will love the area. I lived up north and would never go back.

I am a SkyPoint resident and owner. I have lived in SkyPoint for 4 years now and I'd like to share some observations and concerns about our property and our property management company. I know there are people on this forum who are also residents of the building so I would be very interested in what your opinions, observations, and general feelings are regarding how the building has been mismanaged and the overall appearance of SkyPoint.
First, I'd like to point out that this building was marketed and sold to people as luxury downtown living, and to a degree it is just that. However, over the last 4 years of living here I've watched as many things in the building have been neglected. This is very sad to see because we paid a great deal of money to live here and Homeowners Advantage (HOA) has simply sat of their asses collecting money from us an doing next to nothing in the upkeep of our community. Of course that begs the question, "well why wouldn't they want to work to keep the building looking great?". The answer is that the developer Novare built SkyPoint and placed their property management company, HOA, in the building under a very cozy contract which would have ended at the beginning of 2012 if it weren't for the underhanded actions of a former board member that signed a new contract for 2012. So this new contract is structured to keep HOA in with no way for them to be fired until the contract expires in November 2012. This means HOA can spend very little money, time, and resources and their is nothing the residents or the board can do until the contract is up.
Now this type of bad business is why the physical building has started to look older and more worn out then it should after only four and half years of being open. The elevators in our building rattle like their going to fly off their guide rails at times, and very little has been done to rectify this. The corridor AC systems on multiple floors are not operating correctly and the vents are rattling and rusting from moisture. The carpeting on most floors are in desperate need of deep shampooing. Many overhead lights are making loud buzzing electrical noises and the indirect ceiling lights are different shades of white and many are only partially activated. In addition, there is peeling wallpaper in the corridors and damaged trash shoots that need attention. These things are up to property management to handle and they have doing a piss poor job.
Now on to the DirecPath issues in our building. For those of you who don't know DirecPath is also in bed with Novare and HOA and they have a renewed 5 year contract in place here to 2016 or 17. This company has exclusivity in our building per their contract and because they were the ones that wired the building for internet, phone, and satellite TV access. Up until a week or two ago they did not have a locally based technician to service our building, which is baffling to me. Their bundled internet service that we all pay for in our monthly dues is terrible most of the time because they cut corners on SkyPoint's pipe out to the internet which has resulted in slow speeds. Additionally they have public WiFi for our clubroom, pool deck and garden which averages about a .01Mbps connections speed, which is abysmal and unusable. There are TVs and elevator info screens that go out for days, weeks, and even months before they are fixed. Verizon installed their fiber infrastructure about a year ago and nearly 20%, maybe more at this point, of the residents are using FiOS instead of DirecPath for better services. It has also been discovered that there are wiring errors in many units which has prevented some residents from getting TV services in additional bedrooms and reliable phone service in their homes as well.
What do you guys think about this? Have any f you experienced these problems? Are you noticing the issues I've mentioned here as well? Finally, what do you think we as residents should do to hold property management and their vendors responsible for their actions and inaction in our community?

Thank you.