Sarasota - Bradenton Development News

[Jasonhouse]

This pic had to be heavily massaged, just to have some decent clarity, because it was so overcast as to make it almost
dark outside. But anyways, it gives folks a nice concept of what one sees from the barrier islands, looking back toards DT.
This pic is almost two years old now, and is missing a few buildings, and numerous more are obscured from view.

[Jasonhouse]

With regards to the on Perico Island.... What's the point of gobbling up hundreds of acres like that? Please don't tell me they're going to put the buildings all over the place, requiring roads and shit to stretch on all over it. I just don't get it.

[Jasonhouse]

Question for those interested...

How many years before a real highrise is at least proposed for the Bradenton area? I don't remember if there is a hieght limit (surely there is, knowing those NIMBYs down there), but I think it won't be more than 3 years before someone is proposing a structure which is at or over that limit.

Hell, even Gainesville had one proposed, how far off can a growing area with water views and beaches be?

[palmtree]

Here are some construction pics of the mixed-use complex called Courthouse Centre, which takes up nearly the entire block between Main St. and Ringling Blvd. on US 301. The modern building (thank God, it's not Med Rev) wraps around a half block of older traditional Main St. USA-style retail and office space.

Aerial shot looking southwest. Hollywood 20 is in lower right corner.



Looking north on US 301 (Washington Blvd.) The county courthouse complex is on the right side.




A look at the northeastern facade.




Another shot of NE facade at corner of Main and Washington




A rendering of the finished building

[Jasonhouse]

All links are dead.

[palmtree]

I edited the post and hope the links stick this time.

I still can't see any photos.

[Jasonhouse]

I don't think the photohost you are using allows hotlinking.

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/gallery/


5MB for free, so long as it's architecture/skylines/urban related stuff.

[palmtree]

* *
Feature**by*Susan Burns
Sarasota-Manatee Business Magazine

Businesspeople of the Year
A bold bunch of downtown developers transforms the Sarasota skyline.




We only had to look skyward to choose the 2004 Businesspeople of the Year, the men and women who have most affected the region this year. A forest of construction cranes made the choice obvious: Sarasota’s downtown developers. With their vision and willingness to take big risks, they are, virtually overnight, changing our community forever.

A growing downtown with new buildings, new residents and new businesses and services means expanded opportunities for the local economy. Not everyone likes so much change so fast, of course; growth brings serious questions, including whether we can handle the resulting traffic, whether all the new buildings will find tenants and buyers, and whether we’re creating an enclave for the wealthy rather than for the mix of ages, professions and cultures that make a city truly world class. But whatever the answers prove to be, in terms of impact, the major downtown developers you’ll meet on these pages are unquestionably Sarasota/Manatee Business’ Businesspeople of the Year.

Our list is not comprehensive; huge developments such as WCI’s The Tower Residences of the Ritz-Carlton were completed more than 12 months ago, but had tremendous impact—in fact, were a catalyst for further development. Several smaller projects are also under way, as are six Golden Gate Point condominium buildings.

Will these bold visionaries succeed? Only time can tell, but most of our developers say Sarasota’s time-tested attractions and ever-increasing numbers of well-heeled new residents and investors will make their projects work. We salute their eagerness to back up that belief with ambitious and creative development, and to play a role in shaping the city to come.


Gilbert Alvarez and Mark Miller

Mark Miller and Gilbert Alvarez met just as each had changed paths. Alvarez, a Miami international banker, moved to Sarasota after Hurricane Andrew in 1991 to find a better place to raise his children. Miller left college where he was considering medical school to start his luxury home-building business Westwater Construction Inc.; Alvarez was one of his first clients. The pair became friends and eventually partnered with Terry Conti of Westwater and Chad Bratzke, a former defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts, to build the 23 Italian-style villas with a lavish garden courtyard near Burns Court.


Company: Burns Court Development, LLC

Headquarters: Sarasota

Project: Burns Court Villas, 23 two- and three-story townhouses

Cost: $20 million

Price of condos: $780,000 to $927,000

Timeline: July 2004-September 2005


Liz Breuer

Former broadcast journalist and PriceWaterhouseCooper CPA, Liz Breuer, president of P. Wallenberg Co., understands stress. She faced plenty 18 months ago when she lost all her Savoy sales after nearby Burns Court residents sued to block construction. Breuer prevailed, and immediately sold 15 of The Savoy’s 24 units. "I knew Palm Avenue was ready to go," says Breuer, adding that legendary architect and planner Oscar Newman, before his recent death, told her Sarasota is "poised for greatness." Next: urban-style lofts, ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 off East Avenue and First Street.


Company: Floria, LLC, a joint venture between managing partner P. Wallenberg Development Co., Inc. and Placida Properties, Inc.

Headquarters: Sarasota

Project: The Savoy on Palm Avenue, 11 stories, 24 condo units

Cost: $36 million

Price of condos: $1,045,000 to $3,550,000

Timeline: April 2004-July 2005

Other notable projects: Placida Harbour Club, Inc., Placida; Centre Shops of Longboat Key, Arbor Greene 1,300 master planned community in New Tampa


Chris Brown

Although Chris Brown of Delray Beach has developed a single-family subdivision in Palmer Ranch and custom homes in The Oaks and Laurel Oak Country Club, his specialty for the last 10 years has been downtown building. In three or four years, Brown predicts, Sarasota will be completely different in its building heights, pedestrian traffic and entertainment. "You have a very deep housing market," he says, with many affluent buyers who maintain second homes here or retire here. "Very powerful. Prices aren’t dropping that much from the beach."


Company: Sarasota Main Street LLC

Headquarters: Jacksonville and Boca Raton

Project: 1350 Main, across from Sarasota News & Books, 17-story, 134-unit mixed-use project with 6,200 square feet of retail

Cost: $35 million

Price of condos: $280,000 to $1.2 million

Timeline: fall 2004-spring 2006

Other notable projects: Palmetto Place, a mixed-use project of 25 condo in downtown Boca Raton and Highland Beach Club in Highland Beach, converting apartments into condos


Chris Cobbs

Before Alinari developer Chris Cobbs joined the Wynnton Group in 1998 (the developer of Alinari’s sister project, The Renaissance of Sarasota), he lived in the world of institutional real estate investment—big-fund real estate companies that invest on a global scale. Until a few years ago, Sarasota was not on their radar screen, he says. Since then, our new upscale developments and year-round residents with money have attracted these types of investors to Sarasota. The upshot? Even more national investors with deeper pockets who view Sarasota "as a good spot for real estate development."


Company: Sarasota Renaissance Limited Partnership

Headquarters: Sarasota; Columbus, GA; and Atlanta, GA

Project: Alinari at The Renaissance of Sarasota, 17-story condominium, 205 residences

Cost: $85 million

Price of condos: $350,000 to $1 million-plus

Timeline: summer 2004-January 2006

Other notable projects: Renaissance Condominium I; Bayshore Apartments, Tampa


Casey Cummings, Mitchell and Susie Rice

Broadway Promenade partners Casey Cunningham, president of Ram Development in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and husband-and-wife team Mitchell and Suzie Rice of Tampa’s RMC (one of Florida’s biggest commercial real estate firms) have been friendly competitors for years. The Rices, searching for a new home for Publix on the North Trail, say they found a site at Tenth Street with beautiful views that called for something different from the typical center. Cummings calls Sarasota a rare coastal town with "a Bohemian feel, real streets and neighborhoods that connect to other places—and real jobs and real commerce."


Company: Ram Development and RMC Property Group

Headquarters: Ram is based in Palm Beach Gardens; RMC is based in Tampa

Project: Broadway Promenade, mixed-use project of two buildings, 187 condos, 21,000 square feet of retail, 3,200 square feet of office

Cost: $50 million

Price of condos: high $100,000s to $600,000-plus

Timeline: June 2004-Publix will be completed in April 2005, condominiums in April 2006

Other notable projects: Ram: Martin Down, 2,600-acre master-planned community in Martin County; manages or owns 4,600 apartments and 2.5 million square feet of retail space. RMC: builder of 91 Walgreen stores, currently building seven Publix markets


Ali Ebrahimi

After several years and two failed attempts, the vacant one-acre parcel at Five Points has found a savior in understated Ali Ebrahimi, founder of Houston-based Ersa Grae Corp., developer of offices, shopping centers, homes and master-planned communities. Ebrahimi fled his native Iran in 1979 after Ayatollah Khomeini took power. In 2002, he bought the property at the advice of friend Fred Pezeshkan from Naples-based Kraft Construction. Ebrahimi’s proposed Plaza Verdi behind the Sarasota Opera will surpass The Plaza at Five Points in size.


Company: Ersa Grae Corp.

Headquarters: Houston, Texas

Project: The Plaza at Five Points, 16-story, mixed-use project of 50 condo units, 90,000 square feet of office and 15,000 square feet of retail

Cost: $75 million

Price of condos: $600,000 to $1 million, $1.5 million to $2.5 million for penthouses

Timeline: November 2003 - May 2005

Other notable projects: Parklane Plaza, 34-story condo in Houston; Ocean Park Plaza office park in Santa Monica


Charles Githler

Friendly, well-connected Charles Githler, who moved to Sarasota when he was in middle school, runs InterShow, Inc., which produces investment and trade shows around the world, and does development, too. Creating the sleek, modern condo tower Beau Ciel with brothers Stanley and Daniel Kane, Tom Brown, Jay Tallman and Marianne Siegal was almost a no-brainer, he says; Tessera and Sarabande proved people wanted to live downtown, and then the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota residences sold out in a day. "You won’t recognize Sarasota five years from now," he says. "But I think you’ll like it."


Company: Githler & Associates

Headquarters: Sarasota

Project: Beau Ciel, 18 stories, 44 units

Cost: $62 million

Price of condos: $778,000 - $4,900,000

Timeline: completed September 2003

Other notable projects: Hyatt Sarasota renovations: $13 million, Half Moon Beach Club Resort, The Palm Towers and 1543 Second Street office building – 1987, other retail buildings on lower Main Street, Epicure/"Jolly" building


Sam Hamad

In 1988, Sam Hamad retired to Sarasota after a globetrotting career running the international division of Bristol-Myers Squibb. He jumped into development with Marquee en Ville, upscale townhomes going up at Fruitville and Cocoanut. Now he’s planning a 15-unit condo tower at Main Street and Gulf Stream Avenue with partner Gary Hoyt. Hamad, who says development is cyclical and downtown won’t stay hot forever, is betting he’s timed the market correctly. And he’s having fun. "It beats waking up every day and wondering which golf course I’m going to play."


Company: Enterprise Associates of Sarasota LLC

Headquarters: Sarasota

Project: Marquee en Ville, 4-story gated enclave of 29 townhomes with rooftop terraces

Cost: $20 to 25 million

Price of condos: high $700,000s to $815,000

Timeline: May 2004-May 2005

Other notable projects: State Street office building


Brett Hutchens

Ten years ago, at 44, Brett Hutchens sold his South Carolina commercial development company and moved to Sarasota. His plan? "I didn’t have one." Today he is president of Casto Lifestyle Properties, developing Whole Foods and One Hundred Central, which sold its last unit in April. Hutchens bought one, too—his big Landings home and yard aren’t as appealing since his kids moved out. The new Ringling Bridge and the Duany plan convinced Whole Foods the timing was right, and it didn’t hurt that the city approved a $6.65-million subsidy.


Company: Casto Lifestyle Properties

Headquarters: Sarasota

Project: One Hundred Central and Whole Foods, 11-story, mixed-use project of 95 condo units with retail, and a national-brand organic supermarket

Cost: $55 million

Price of condos: $278,000 to $1.65 million (average: $500,000)

Timeline: Fall 2003-Whole Foods will be completed Nov. 1, 2004; retail completed December 2004; and condominiums completed spring/summer 2005

Other notable projects: Winter Park Village, Orlando, Fla.; Deerfield Town Center, Cincinnati, Ohio; projects in Charlottesville and Raleigh, N.C., and San Juan, Puerto Rico


Harvey Kaltsas

After decades of herbs and acupuncture needles, alternative medicine pioneer Dr. Harvey Kaltsas is building a 14-story, eco-friendly condo tower with non-toxic materials and meditative labyrinths in quaint Laurel Park, just south of Main Street. More than half the units have sold before breaking ground—most to year-round residents. "I’d love to talk to the other developers about our healthy technologies," he says. "It’s not more expensive." But if local developers aren’t listening, others are: Kaltsas is discussing the development of Kanaya-like communities with a national spa developer.


Company: Kanaya LLC

Headquarters: Sarasota

Project: Kanaya, 14-story, 35-unit condominium

Cost: $38 million

Price of condos: $575,000-$1.5 million

Timeline: June 2004-November to December 2005

Other notable projects: Kanaya is his first


Dr. Mark Kauffman

Retired orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Kauffman seems to have the Midas touch. His latest project is the modernistic, mixed-use Cityscape at Courthouse Centre across from his Hollywood 20. Many skeptics wondered when he announced plans for upscale condo lofts on the top two floors along busy U.S. 301 across from the courthouse. But he’s already sold out and given the formerly ho-hum block a jolt of urban energy. Next: a redo of the Glauser building on Osprey Avenue just north of Mound Street, and a strip center on University Boulevard near Honore Avenue.


Company: Courthouse Associates

Headquarters: Sarasota

Project: Cityscape at Courthouse Centre, 10 stories, 19 condo lofts, 80,000 square feet of office/retail space, five levels of parking

Cost: undisclosed

Price of condos: $375,000 to $750,000 (sold out)

Tenants: Mediterraneo, Jolly’s, Melting Pot, law firm of Dunlap and Moran, CPA firm Kerkering Barberio, high-end audio company Synergy,

Timeline: July 2003-December to February 2005

Other notable projects: Hollywood 20, Links Plaza


Patrick Kelly

Affable Irishman Patrick "Paddy" Kelly blasted onto the scene big-time when he bought the Quay for $60 million in January 2004 and announced plans for a $1-billion mega development at the site of the moribund pink commercial complex between the Hyatt Sarasota and the Ritz. While some exclaim it’s too large—Kelly initially proposed five towers, each 27 stories and filled with hotel rooms, condo residences, office and retail—his grand vision has forced us to look at downtown Sarasota through new—and bigger—eyes.


Company: Irish American Management Services, Ltd. and Redquartz Development Ltd.

Headquarters: Dublin, Ireland

Project: Sarasota Harbor Place, hotel, condos, stores, offices, parking, maybe conference space on 10.5 acres.

Cost: $750 million to $1 billion

Price of condos: $500,000 to $1 million

Timeline: TBD

Other notable projects: Smithfield, Gallery Quay Condos, 278 waterfront condos; National College of Ireland—all in Dublin


Gilbert Alvarez and Mark Miller

Mark Miller and Gilbert Alvarez met just as each had changed paths. Alvarez, a Miami international banker, moved to Sarasota after Hurricane Andrew in 1991 to find a better place to raise his children. Miller left college where he was considering medical school to start his luxury home-building business Westwater Construction Inc.; Alvarez was one of his first clients. The pair became friends and eventually partnered with Terry Conti of Westwater and Chad Bratzke, a former defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts, to build the 23 Italian-style villas with a lavish garden courtyard near Burns Court.


Company: Burns Court Development, LLC

Headquarters: Sarasota

Project: Burns Court Villas, 23 two- and three-story townhouses

Cost: $20 million

Price of condos: $780,000 to $927,000

Timeline: July 2004-September 2005


Wayne Morehead

For decades, courtly Atlantan Wayne Morehead ran assisted living facilities in 11 states. He visited Sarasota in the late ’90s with thoughts of managing one more. The facility wasn’t right, but "Sarasota was stunning," he says. Morehead found property at Boulevard of the Arts and Cocoanut Avenue to develop The Boulevard, another mixed-use project pushing development north of the city. "I’m hoping I’ll get to do another mixed-use project in the area where The Boulevard is," he says.


Company: Khason Development

Headquarters: Atlanta

Project: The Boulevard, 8-story, mixed-use development with 35 condominium units and 4,000 square feet of retail

Cost: $20 million

Price of condos: $490,000 to $1.1 million

Timeline: summer 2004-fall 2005

Other notable projects: The Boulevard is Khason Development’s first


Jim Moynihan

A former New Jersey developer, boyish-looking Jim Moynihan fell in love with Sarasota three years ago on vacation and decided he could develop large projects in both states. But soon he sold his New Jersey holdings and moved here. He’s also developed the land for the residential Enclave at Ashton, is looking at South Trail motels for another mixed-use project and is on the board of Sarasota Home Builders Association. "This is home," he says. "It’s a great place to live, work and raise your children."


Company: JM Communities, LLC

Headquarters: Sarasota

Project: San Marco, 6 stories, 23 units, 5,000 square feet of first-floor retail, 2,300 square feet of executive office suites with a community conference room

Cost: $17 million

Price of condos: $400,000s to $1.1 million

Timeline: May 2004 - July 2005

Other notable projects: 85 single-family and condo residences at Shannon Estates in Burlington County, N.J.; Trellis Green, 121-unit condominium in Burlington


New York Times Company

Newspapers belong in the heart of a city, says Sarasota Herald-Tribune publisher Diane McFarlin, who convinced the brass at The New York Times Co. to buy a Main Street location instead of building its new headquarters—designed by Miami’s trend-setting Arquitectonica—on 30 acres it owned on Fruitville Road near the interstate. It helped when Sarasota provided $768,131 in TIF financing. "I vacillate between excitement and trepidation," she says about Sarasota’s growth. "I hope we can experience healthy, productive growth without trampling on the very characteristics that have made this such an appealing place to live."


Company: Sarasota Herald-Tribune, a New York Times Company

Headquarters: New York

Downtown project: Sarasota Herald-Tribune headquarters, three-story, 71,250-square-foot building for newspaper and SNN

Cost: $30.6 million

Timeline: May 2004-Sept. 2005


Piero Rivolta

Italian-born Piero Rivolta manufactures cars and boats, loves music, writes poetry and—what else would you expect in Sarasota—develops residential real estate, including his new Rivo at Ringling, a 15-story condo tower at the corner of Ringling Boulevard and Osprey Avenue that Rivolta will surround with retail, a bank and office space. This world traveler says Sarasota is becoming more cosmopolitan, but, so far, not too big. Warning about following Duany’s plan too rigorously, he says, "a city has to grow with the mentality and life of the people."


Company: Rivolta Group

Headquarters: Sarasota

Project: Rivo At Ringling, 15-story condominium, 106 units

Cost: $63 million for the condo; $12 million for the commercial parcels

Price of condos: $380,000s to $1.4 million

Timeline: September 2004-March 2005

Other notable projects: The Oaks, Longwood Run


Richard Zipes

Richard Zipes is an optimist. The 64-year-old developer of The Metropolitan became a father for the fifth time last February and is developing downtown’s priciest condo project, a $150-million, 18-story high rise at the corner of Gulf Stream Avenue and U.S. 41. Though some question whether the luxury condo market is flooded, "Sarasota is undersupplied," asserts Zipes, who reviews marketing analyses and says, "I go by the seat of my pants." Florida’s population will exceed New York’s by 2020, he says. Plus, "We have a good balance sheet and patience."


Company: Metropolitan Sarasota, LTD

Headquarters: Fort Lauderdale

Project: The Metropolitan, 18-story condominium with 124 residences

Cost: $150-plus million

Price of condos: $1.8 to $5.5 million

Timeline: December 2004 at the earliest-December 2006

Other notable projects: four hotels in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando; largest is the $200 million, 42-story Las Olas River House in Fort Lauderdale

[smiley]

I suggest someone go to the beginning of this thread and take the pictures and match them up with the blurbs.

[palmtree]

Metropolitan reacts to soft market
By KEVIN McQUAID
kevin.mcquaid@heraldtribune.com

SARASOTA — In a concession to downtown’s softening luxury condo market, the developer of the planned 18-story Metropolitan wants to add units and trim prices.
Developer Richard Zipes intends to seek city permission next month to add as many as 21 smaller condominiums to his 124-unit luxury project set for U.S. 41 and Gulf Stream Avenue.
Zipes said the move will give him greater flexibility in marketing the Metropolitan’s upscale units, which were slated to sell for a minimum $1.8 million. The new minimum would be $1 million.
“This is not going to change the character of the project at all,” he said. “Really all that it does is it opens the door, and broadens the base of potential buyers.”
Zipes began considering adding units following the city’s adoption of a new downtown zoning code in late May. The new code, which will implement the city’s Downtown Master Plan 2020, allows greater residential density in some projects.
The decision to seek permission for more units also comes less than a month after Zipes said in response to some speculation that he wasn’t abandoning or altering the $100 million Metropolitan’s makeup.
At the time, while acknowledging that sales were slow, he added there were no plans to drastically lower unit prices.
“We have a plan for the project, and we’re not going to abandon it,” Zipes said in late June.
A leading Sarasota real estate agent praised Zipes’ move as a proper reaction to the luxury condo market.
“It shows a sensitivity to market conditions, and it shows the developer is creative in looking to explore opportunities,” said Michael Saunders, president of Michael Saunders & Co., the region’s top residential real estate brokerage firm.
Earlier this year, Zipes rejected Saunders’ efforts to become the project’s exclusive sales agent. Zipes’ own marketing team is handling sales.
Saunders added that despite a white-hot real estate environment with record jumps in prices and sales, current buyers are largely avoiding condos priced at $2.5 million and above.
“It’s where the market is right now,” she said, “which is not to say that by next season, with a slate of new buyers, that the market won’t be there. But right now, beyond a price point of $2.5 million, it’s slow.”
Zipes’ current Metropolitan design includes units with a minimum 3,200 square feet and increasing to 5,000 square feet.
And at $1.8 million, the Metropolitan’s starting sales prices are among the highest in Sarasota.
When the project was unveiled in April 2003 and again during a lavish kickoff party three months ago, Zipes pledged the Metropolitan would set a new standard for condominium living in Southwest Florida.
“It’ll blow the doors off,” he said.
If approved by the city, Zipes’ new units would contain roughly 2,000 square feet and sell for about $1 million.
Unlike the majority of Metropolitan condominiums, though, the smaller units would have either a south view toward Sarasota Bay or a north vista facing the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and condominiums.
The developer added that while initial market research indicated buyers were willing to spend upper seven-figures for large units downtown, foot traffic into the Metropolitan’s sales center convinced him to offer a less costly alternative.
By contrast, six Metropolitan penthouses will contain between 4,500 square feet and 6,500 square feet. They are expected to sell for $5 million each.
Zipes said he is planning a required neighborhood meeting to receive comments on the unit proposal on Aug. 3. A formal application to the city for the increased density is expected in mid-August.
Zipes said the addition of units, if approved, will not have any affect on the Metropolitan’s parking, site plan, height or amenities.
Each unit will continue to be sold fully-finished, complete with French doors, built-in wine coolers, marble flooring and counter tops, 78-inch baths, walk-in closets, recessed lighting and outdoor kitchens.
“Our square footage prices are not changing,” Zipes said. “One million (dollars) is still a lot of money.”
Zipes said he and partner Tarragon Realty Corp., of New York, expect to start construction on the Metropolitan in mid-2005 and complete the building two years later.
Meanwhile, Zipes traveled to England this week on a trip aimed at drumming up international sales. The developer hopes European buyers will take advantage of favorable exchange rates and be amenable to purchasing vacation or second homes in the United States.
The English pound is worth considerably more than the U.S. dollar, and the European Union currency, the euro, trades at roughly 20 percent higher than the dollar.
Zipes said he is planning similar sales trips to Spain and France later this year.
“This is not a panic,” Zipes said of the design changes. “This is just something I want to have in my pocket. Nothing’s changed; it’s still a marathon, not a sprint.”

[Dale]

Is Zipes losing his touch ? Seems that he's cancelled his second phase of Las Olas Riverhouse in FTL.

[smiley]

The url for that article, which you should always post with the article, is
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...407210505/1200

And, I think this project was a bit too much in apretty competitve market. It is not really urban but it is really expensive. Why live there when there are so many other places that are a bit cooler to live.

[smiley]

Posted on Wed, Jul. 21, 2004



I M A G E S

GRANT JEFFERIES-The Herald
Crews with Gulf Foundation of Tampa drive one of 810 pilings into the soil Tuesday at the Sandpile to test the strength needed for the latest project on the site.





Clients clamor for water view

Developer reworking design to capitalize on river

KURT D. SCHULTHEIS

Herald Staff Writer


BRADENTON - A demand for waterfront views has Promenade at Riverwalk partners rethinking the placement of residential buildings along the river.

Construction began last week on River Dance, the first Promenade condo complex, consisting of 115 units that range from 1,277 to 2,111 square feet.

But even as pilings were being driven into the ground for River Dance on Tuesday, the president of Promenade at Riverwalk commissioned his architect to look for a way to add a fourth building and create more waterfront views.

"We have learned a lot by selling condos for River Dance," said President Robert Hatfield. "And what we've learned is that people want a view of the Manatee River."

River Dance is 83 percent reserved, and 90 percent of those reservations have been converted into sales contracts, Hatfield said.

Condos for the residential buildings are selling at prices between $286,000 and $575,000.

"The most expensive units with the views are snatched up," Hatfield said. "And I think once people see the building rise, the rest will fill up quickly."

He expects completion of the first building in August 2005.

Carolyn Skene, a realtor associate with Wagner Realty, said the demand for waterfront views is stronger than ever.

"This is Florida and everyone wants to be on the water," Skene said.

Skene said buyers not only want to be on the water, but they want those views for higher property values as well.

"Customers today know what sells," Skene said. "They know that a condo unit on the river will be worth a lot more than one down the hall that's overlooking a parking lot."

Watching the expensive units fill up first gave Hatfield and his partners an idea.

"We thought it would be great if we could re-position the buildings so they all are on the river, which would create more views," Hatfield said. Right now, the design has one residential building placed behind the others.

The current multimillion-dollar project calls for a mixed-use development featuring 350 condos in three eight-story buildings with parking decks. There are also plans for five commercial buildings on the property.

But Hatfield is looking at the possibility of a redesign that calls for four total residential buildings that are a bit smaller in size.

Hatfield would make the remaining three "with less units per floor and less units per building."

"But the end result would be more three-bedroom units with more views," Hatfield said.

Hatfield won't know if the redesign plan will work until later in the summer. "It's in the early stages now, and my architect is busy with River Dance right now," Hatfield said.

He expects the building to be sold out by this winter.

Once River Dance is complete, reservations will begin on the second building.

Kurt D. Schultheis, Herald business reporter, can be reached at kschultheis@bradentonherald.com or at 748-0411, ext. 2120.

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradent...ss/9202346.htm

[smiley]

This is what happens when you are spending other peoples' money:

Posted on Wed, Jul. 21, 2004





Perico legal fees cost $200,000

Continuing legal showdown will add to taxpayers' bill

TIM W. McCANN

Herald Staff Writer


BRADENTON - The first time the city approved a site plan to develop north Perico Island, the county sued and the two governments heaped up more than $200,000 in legal fees.

That was four years ago, and the scenario is threatening to repeat itself.

This year the city approved new plans presented by developer Arvida, a St. Joe Co. The county and environmental group ManaSota-88 sued.

Taxpayers, especially those in Bradenton, face paying for another round of legal fees. And because city taxpayers also pay county taxes, Bradenton taxpayers are essentially paying to sue and defend themselves.

That is a statistic not lost with Bradenton Councilman Gene Gallo, who called the lawsuits a shame and waste of taxpayer money. He said he feels the city and Arvida have met all legal requirements and he is a bit surprised by the second round of lawsuits.

But Gallo said he believes opponents want the plan scrapped mainly because it calls for 10-story buildings, not so much environmental and public safety reasons.

"I don't care what anyone says about evacuation and highways, it all boils down to height of buildings," Gallo said. "That development presented to us was environmentally sound. They're hurting nothing by going up in the air."

According to public records, Manatee County reimbursed attorney Dan Lobeck $38,920 between May and July 2001 for expenses related to the Perico administrative hearing. County attorneys and paralegals spent almost 960 hours on the Perico lawsuits, which translates to $68,243.

But to say the county's involvement in the Perico lawsuits cost taxpayers $68,243 and 960 hours of staff time is not entirely true, according to Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash. The county annually budgets about $1.2 million for its attorney's office.

"That's money that would have been spent anyway," McClash said. "The suit did not increase the cost of the county attorney's office. The county's internal cost for the attorneys were budgeted expenses and not additional costs that came from additional taxes that need to be spent."

McClash added that ManaSota-88 filed the lawsuits in 2000, so the city would have spent defense money anyway - regardless of the county's decision to join the lawsuits.

Public records obtained from Bradenton show that the city paid the law firm Dye, Dietrich and Prather, City Attorney Bill Lisch, and a mediator about $86,000 between 2000 and 2003 to defend the city council's May 2000 approval of the original Arvida plan.

Mayor Wayne Poston came under fire four years ago when he asked Arvida to help out with the city's defense. Arvida declined to reveal what it spent.

But Poston hopes Arvida pitches in again.

Arvida hired the high-profile Tallahassee land-use firm of Hopping, Green, Sams and Smith. The firm represented the city during a grueling two-week administrative hearing in Bradenton in 2001 that put dozens of witnesses on the stand, including Poston, several city planners, mayors from the barrier island cities and representatives from the Florida Department of Community Affairs.

The plaintiffs received outside financial help, too. Perico Isles residents and the group Concerned Citizens of Manatee County raised more than $100,000 to help out ManaSota-88.

Earlier this month, Manatee County filed documents in court seeking a review of the Bradenton City Council's June 9 decision to allow Arvida to build 686 luxury condominium units in 13 high-rises on 416 acres of Perico Island. Five of the buildings are proposed to reach 10 stories.

The county's lawsuit contends the project violates the city's comprehensive plan because it is incompatible with the surrounding land uses, it ignores sworn testimony about traffic congestion on Manatee Avenue, and the council's decision to approve the project was based on revenue growth while not taking into account comprehensive plan and land use issues.

ManaSota-88 filed a separate lawsuit against the city, along with the three barrier island cities and Holmes Beach resident Joan Perry. The lawsuit claims the development will severely burden Manatee Avenue, one of the two evacuation routes off Anna Maria Island.

"The county has tried to send that message over and over again, but the city ignores the concerns of the community," McClash said.


http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradent...al/9202387.htm

[smiley]

Article published Jul 22, 2004
Condos pitched for Pino's property

By KEVIN McQUAID

SARASOTA -- Hoping to capitalize on downtown's frenetic condo scene, a local developer is pushing a plan for a 15-story, luxury tower at Main Street and Gulf Stream Avenue.

Developer Sam Hamad's proposed $30 million building marks the latest in a series of residential projects to hit downtown, including Plaza at Five Points, Plaza Verdi, 1350 Main St., 100 Central, the Metropolitan and several condo towers on Golden Gate Point.

Hamad expects his 15-unit project, set for the corner occupied by the restaurant Pino's Primi Piatti, to stand out from most competitors because it will have both waterfront views and be connected to Main Street.

"It's going to be drop-dead gorgeous," Hamad said. "It'll have to be, to compete with Golden Gate Point and some of the other projects. But it's a great location, and it'll have the benefit of being right on Main, looking at the water."

Hamad said the project, slated to contain units of roughly 4,000 square feet, will also include a pool, spa, fitness center and concierge service.

The building's parking structure will be different too. Instead of traditional deck parking, Hamad's garage will contain electric lifts to allow vehicles to be stacked atop one another within the building. Vehicles would be retrieved by a 24-hour valet.

"It's a system that's used in other countries, and in places like San Francisco," said Gary Hoyt, president of Hoyt Architects and Hamad's partner in the project.

"It's being done, and in some ways it's easier than a ramp system for accessing cars," Hoyt added. "It seems to be a natural fit for this project."

But the project's unorthodox parking system may not be the only hurdle it faces.

Hamad's proposal comes at a time when the local real estate market for seven-figure condos is softening, and agents are struggling to find buyers for numerous luxury units at the Ritz-Carlton, Beau Ciel and the Metropolitan.

Hamad said the Main Street condos will likely sell for between $2.4 million and $2.8 million.

He hopes to begin construction next summer and complete the project in mid- to late-2006.

The fate of Pino's, a 12-table Italian eatery that opened in fall of 2000, could not be determined. Owners Guiseppe "Pino" and Kim Luongo could not be reached for comment.

The Main Street projects marks Hamad's second new residential development downtown. He also is building Marquee en Ville, a 29-unit townhome project on Fruitville Road.

There, Hamad is developing a series of four-story residences with private garages and elevators, summer kitchens, fireplaces and optional hot tubs.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...407220324/1200

[smiley]

Unfortunately, tehy put this out byt he interstate instead of in town, though I understand why

Posted on Fri, Jul. 23, 2004


Decision on seats delays ticketing

MATT GRISWOLD

Herald Staff Writer


LAKEWOOD RANCH - Anxious hockey fans waiting to sign season-ticket contracts with DVA Sports are being asked to wait a little longer as the arena developers decide which manufacturer they will hire to provide an estimated 7,400 seats to fill out the facility's bowl.

Industry leaders Hussey Seating Co. and Irwin Seating Co. are vying to win the bid, said Larry Kish, senior vice president of DVA Sports. The variations between the two company's seat designs are enough to prevent Kish from promising people where they will be able to sit, he said.

"The season-ticket requests keep piling in every day," Kish said Thursday. "I got requests today for another nine tickets."

DVA Sports opened a third office in the Executive Suites at Lakewood Ranch - a room that will serve as the company's sales office as it gears up to sign season-ticket agreements and advertising contracts with both local and out-of-town businesses.

There have been about 600 requests for season tickets. All 38 luxury suites appear spoken for.

At about $30,000 annually, commitments to the suites alone translate to more than $1 million in guaranteed, first-year revenue.

Moreover, at least a dozen unsolicited companies have inquired about display advertising within the 220,000-square-foot East Manatee facility, he said, in addition to businesses with which DVA Sports officials are trying to cultivate relationships.

Three different ownership groups from the af2 arena football league have expressed interest in playing in the new arena, but DVA officials won't begin formal discussions with potential football tenants until after Labor Day, Kish said. At least four discussions have taken place with the NBA's developmental league about placing a basketball team in this market, he added.

"We've got a lot of decisions to make," he said.

Tampa's Walbridge Aldinger Co., the general contractor on the $70 million project, is in the midst of wetland-protection efforts as crews prepare to lay the arena's foundation, said Chuck Madden, a development partner with DVA Sports.

Vertical construction won't likely begin before October, Madden said.

"I think we're probably still looking at a formal groundbreaking of sorts in mid-September, once school starts and people get back from vacation and can have something to look at," he said. "This is what you have to do. You can't go vertical until you have a good foundation."

Another major revenue stream for the arena will come from a naming-rights deal that's not likely to be announced before the public groundbreaking ceremony. Kish said a naming-rights deal has not been closed.


http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradent...ss/9221344.htm

[Jasonhouse]

Man, this proprety mentioned in the above article is precisely one of the blocks where I think that Sarasota would have been better off to buy the land itself, and then basically seeks bid for dsevelopers who would build a larger, taller true 'landmark' highrise for the city. Preferably something with a good deal of office space, to lure some employment DT, and perhaps a hotel. And surely retail on the first floor.

A nice 280-350ft tower with distinctive architecture would have been a real blessing IMO.

(btw, I think that the city should be doing this to about 6-10 blocks over time)

[smiley]

Posted on Tue, Jul. 27, 2004





Riviera developer selling lots, shifting focus to St. Petersburg

DUANE MARSTELLER

Herald Staff Writer


PALMETTO - The company that has built all of Riviera Dunes' single-family homes plans to pull out of the waterfront development to concentrate on another one in St. Petersburg.

First Dartmouth Homes said Monday it plans to sell its remaining 23 undeveloped waterfront lots and marina slips, as well as a vacant 2½-acre outparcel, to Corvus International LLC. Terms of the pending sale, which is expected to close in September, were not disclosed.

First Dartmouth is leaving Riviera Dunes to focus on a $250 million residential and commercial redevelopment project at St. Petersburg's Huber Marina Yacht Basin, chief executive Frank Maggio said. The St. Petersburg-based builder plans to shift its focus from single-family home construction to marina redevelopment, land development and multi-family housing projects.

"We're going in a different direction," he said. "It's a capacity issue for us."

First Dartmouth has built about 170 homes in Riviera Dunes and has another 17 under contract for construction, he said. The company will honor those contracts.

The pending sale does not affect Laguna at Riviera Dunes, a $110 million, five-building condominium complex that Maggio has a 40 percent ownership stake in. The first 42-unit building is now under construction, with all but two units already sold, and construction on the second building is expected to start in October, he said.

The deal will make Corvus, a real-estate development firm based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., the largest single landholder in Riviera Dunes.

Corvus also is developing Bel Mare at Riviera Dunes, a proposed four-building condominium complex. The firm hopes to break ground on the first 12-story building later this year.

Corvus officials did not return telephone messages Monday.


http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradent...ss/9250280.htm

[smiley]

I don't buy it, but . . .
Posted on Tue, Jul. 27, 2004




LAKEWOOD RANCH


Main Street permits finalized

MATT GRISWOLD

Herald Staff Writer


LAKEWOOD RANCH - It's hard to have a town without a Main Street. And there can't be a Main Street without someone to build it.

Permitting delays and lengthy negotiations with potential general contractors have held up development and construction of Lakewood Ranch's planned entertainment district, said John Swart, president of Lakewood Ranch Realty Co. Inc.

But that's about to change. Permitting was finalized June 21, and developers are days away from securing a general contractor to build the $25 million Main Street project.

Despite the delays, the project is still likely to open around the projected third quarter of 2005.

"Instead of July, probably September or October," Swart said. "But it looks like everything's coming together fine."

Main Street is being developed in a joint partnership between Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc. and Casto Southeast, a subsidiary of the Don M. Casto Organization, a Columbus, Ohio-based real estate firm. Developers have spent the past few months fine-tuning some of the project's details and signing more tenants.

Swart declined to disclose some of Main Street's newest tenants, electing to announce them publicly in the months ahead. He did say that Main Street's 108,000 square feet of retail is more than 60 percent pre-leased.

Main Street is a 24-acre, upscale retail and office project that will feature between 40 and 60 stores, five or six restaurants, 45,000 square feet of office space, a park, a new lakefront condo complex and a $3 million, eight-screen movie theater complex.

Morton's Market, Fred's Restaurant & Bar, Annabelle's Home & Kitchen and a new banquet hall facility will fill more than 17,000 square feet of street-level space at Main Street's primary entrance.

A nightclub will provide live entertainment and facilitate business meetings and ceremonies, said Brett Hutchens, Casto Southeast president, in a previous Herald report.

Main Street will be similar to Winter Park Village - a 40-acre, 524,000-square-foot village-style center near Orlando.

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradent...ss/9250276.htm