Easy Living

On a warm weekend afternoon, locals gather under the paddle fans on the back porch at Linger Lodge, an eccentric old restaurant and RV "resort" (the term is used very loosely here) on a lazy branch of the Braden River. This slice of old Florida is a key to Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County's great appeal. While the county is growing speedily in every direction, its rustic roots still proudly show.

From the white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico to the oak hammocks and pine forests east of I-75, Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County has great natural beauty, an easygoing spirit and a real sense of community.

Explosive growth is taking place everywhere, as evidenced by the big jump in residential building permits: Over 3,800 were issued in the first three quarters of 2004 versus 3,400 in all of 2003. But no matter where you cast your eye you will find friendly neighborhoods and lovely places to discover. So join us for a tour of Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County.

Lakewood Ranch and beyond

Our first stop takes us east to lively Lakewood Ranch, winner of the Southeast Builders Conference's prestigious Grand Aurora Award for best master-planned community.

Situated just east of I-75 between S.R. 70 and the Sarasota County line, Lakewood Ranch emphasizes a "live, work, learn and play" philosophy and backs it up with every imaginable amenity. Within the community are public and private golf courses, an athletic club and tennis center, shops, restaurants, and even a polo club. Nature trails connect a series of neighborhood parks; Lake Uihlein is a haven for water birds. Neighborhood schools are excellent. And a $70-million, 7,400-seat sports and entertainment arena now under construction will house the region's first minor league hockey team, the Sarasota Swords. Fall 2005 is the opening date.

More than 5,000 residences have been built and sold here, out of an eventual 6,500. Clustered in five villages-Edgewater, Greenbrook, River Walk, Summerfield and The Country Club-they comprise an eclectic mix of condominiums, villas and single-family residences. Prices range from the $140,000s for multifamily townhomes to $5 million for the most opulent custom residences in The Country Club.

"There's a tremendous sense of community here," says Dave Minton of Bosshardt Realty Services, himself an early Lakewood Ranch settler. "We've got some 80 clubs and organizations, everything from bird watching to empty nesters to book reading to music to Rotary to whatever you can think of."

Under construction on the shore of Lake Uihlein is the upscale Main Street shopping and entertainment district. The newly opened Lakewood Ranch Medical Center is already bustling; 40 babies were born there in its first month of operation. San Marco Plaza, with a small outdoor amphitheater and branch of Sarasota's venerable Golden Apple Dinner Theatre, is expected to break ground this winter. The Windsor assisted living community will open later this year, and construction started last fall on Primrose School, an early childhood education center.

And the growth keeps coming. Late last fall, Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County government okayed Lakewood Ranch's development of an additional 1,805 acres immediately east of the current community. At press time, no specific plans had been unveiled.

Also out east

Several established country club communities are located on S. R. 70 near Lakewood Ranch: The River Club, Rosedale Golf and Country Club, Peridia Golf and Country Club, and Tara Golf and Country Club. All take full advantage of their peaceful, wooded country settings and include a full range of recreational amenities. Nearby, the long-established single-family neighborhoods of Braden Woods, Braden Pines and Panther Ridge offer estate homes on heavily treed sites of more than one acre (over 10 acres in Panther Ridge). Lennar's River Place, winding along the Braden River, is one of the area's newest developments; single-family homes here start at $280,000. And Neal Communities moved to the neighborhood last fall with The Harborage on Braden River. It will eventually comprise 234 single-family homes, towhomes and condominiums, along with an elevated boardwalk, observation deck and fishing pier.

Two ultra-posh golf communities are joining the mix in this fast-growing eastern part of Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County. A few miles east of Lakewood Ranch and north of University Parkway, The Concession is being carved from 1,232 acres of pristine oak hammocks. Golf greats Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin have designed the course; the community is named for a historic moment in the final round of the 1969 Ryder Cup when Nicklaus conceded a two-foot putt to Jacklin, resulting in the first tie in match history. The golf club joiner's fee is one of the county's steepest at $75,000; 255 one-half-acre to one-acre-plus home sites are priced from $390,000 to $780,000, and Nicklaus and Jacklin have purchased two of them.

Also north of University Parkway, the very private Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club is going up on 315 acres bordering the Braden River. Unlike The Concession, this is strictly golf; no homes will be constructed.

Up the Manatee River

The other major thoroughfare extending east and west from I-75 is S.R. 64, and along it are several significant new residential developments. The largest is Heritage Harbour, a 2,500-acre master-planned community on the banks of the Manatee River where the gated golf subdivision of Stoneybrook is the first of several planned communities. The newest of Stoneybrook's seven neighborhoods are Golden Harbour, with homes ranging from the $300,000s, and exclusive Royal Harbour, with just 19 homes starting in the $500,000s.

The Stoneybrook recreational campus offers a junior Olympic-sized pool, lighted tennis and basketball courts, fitness room, sand volleyball court and in-line skating rink. Under construction now is a clubhouse with restaurant, banquet and wedding facilities, pro shop and aqua driving range.

Lighthouse Cove will be Heritage Harbour's second planned community. Homes here will range from 1,500 to 2,200 square feet and start in the $200,000s. Lighthouse Cove is adjacent to Heritage Harbour's Central Park, with walking and jogging trails around a picturesque 70-acre lake. Future plans for Heritage Harbour include more golf courses, a proposed riverfront marina and marketplace.

Further east on S.R. 64, Greenfield Plantation is a community of neighborhoods build around a public course, The Links at Greenfield Plantation. Nearby GreyHawk Landing, a gated 789-home community, offers custom single-family residences on one-quarter and one-half acre home sites from the mid-$200,000s to $800,000. Residents become members of the GreyHawk Club, which has a fitness center, lighted tennis courts, playgrounds and nature trails. The elegant Waterlefe Golf & River Club, also on S.R. 64, has an 18-hole championship golf course, nature boardwalks, a 59-slip marina on the Manatee River, and choice of carriage, villa, estate, luxury and grand estate homes from the $200,000s to over $1 million. The community is nearly built out.

Rye Wilderness, with 280 home sites on lakes and nature preserves, is under way six miles east of I-75; three builders are offering homes from $300,000. It's located near a bucolic 145-acre county park with river access. The older S.R. 64-area family neighborhoods of Country Creek and Mill Creek offer plenty of wide-open spaces and homes on oversized wooded lots. Mill Creek Phase VII is under development; new homes on wooded lots range from $250,000 to $450,000.

Two miles west of I-75 on S.R. 64, the luxury waterfront developments of Harbour Walk at The Inlets and Hawk Island are drawing boaters, physicians who like the proximity to Manatee Memorial Hospital, and people who want quick access to downtown St. Petersburg, which is only 30 minutes away. Harbour Walk at The Inlets is a gated community with180 riverfront and canalfront homes in a pleasant architectural mix of New England, Key West and Caribbean. Home site packages start in the $700,000s. Nearby Hawk Island, with 29 estate-sized home sites on a canal and on the Manatee River, offers home and home site packages from $1.6 to $5 million.

NORTH OF THE RIVER

Palmetto

When Samuel Sparks Lamb arrived by boat on the north shore of the Manatee River in 1866, he purchased considerable land holdings in what was to become the city of Palmetto, and named the new community after his home state of South Carolina, the Palmetto State. Wide, palm-lined streets and gracious old homes set amid moss-draped oaks still characterize the town, but to stereotype Palmetto as a sleepy Southern village would be a monumental error.

That's because Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County's second largest city, population 13,106, has no fewer than 4,193 new homes in planning or development, according to the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency. In the heart of the small city, not long ago known more for its tomato packing plants, the tiny downtown district is being revitalized with interesting shops, restaurants and even a swanky day spa, Evolve, that's drawing upscale clientele from Sarasota, Tampa and St. Petersburg. There's lots of renovating and upgrading of older homes, many of them from the turn of the last century, especially along scenic Riverside Drive. The private Bradenton Yacht Club and the Regatta Pointe Marina, adjacent to the popular mid-rise Regatta Pointe Condominiums, are boaters' meccas.

On quiet Snead Island, outdoor lovers flock to 195-acre Emerson Point Park, with nature trails, canoe and kayak launches and panoramic views of Tampa Bay and the Sunshine Skyway. Estate-sized waterfront home sites can be found in Amberwynd of Snead Island, where some of the area's best homebuilders are at work. Two townhome developments are going up: River Bay, with 140 maintenance-free units overlooking both Terra Ceia Bay and the Manatee River; and the 45-unit Villas at Oak Bend. Also in the western portion of the city, a flurry of small residential developments is under construction: Fairway Estates (eight lots), Bocagga (22 lots), Palm Lake Estates (36 lots), and Palmetto Plantation (12 lots). And a few miles north, Terra Ceia Country Club has an 18-hole golf course, 500-foot fishing pier and boardwalk that meander along beautiful Terra Ceia Bay. The newest development in this gated community is Bay Pointe, with 36 waterfront condominiums priced from the mid-$300,000s to the high $600,000s.

Perhaps the catalyst for Palmetto's building boom is the success of Riviera Dunes Resort & Yacht Club, a 288-acre riverfront development just over the DeSoto Bridge, two minutes from downtown Bradenton. Active retirees are being drawn to its 220-slip deepwater marina and the Tony Jacklin Golf Academy and Aqua Range. Custom single-family homes are priced from the $500,000s, and club homes are priced from the $200,000s. Shops, a hotel and other commercial development are on the drawing board; the chic Mangrove Grill restaurant opened here last winter to throngs of admirers. Two multifamily projects are rising: the five 12-story buildings that comprise Laguna at Riviera Dunes are going up on the shore of the Manatee River; when completed, Laguna will contain 210 condominiums priced from $500,000 to over $2 million. And a sales gallery opened last spring for Bel Mare, whose three 15-story buildings housing 189 luxury condominiums will overlook the marina. Bel Mare is priced from the mid-$400,000s to over $1.5 million. Sometime in 2005, a third project will get under way: The Palms at Riviera Dunes, with two 12-story buildings consisting of 116 units priced from the $400,000s.

Palmetto keeps booming. On the books are a 1,200-home development called Palmetto II on 211 riverfront acres off U.S. 301, and an approximately 1,500-home development on 322 acres on Terra Ceia Bay near Eighth Avenue West and 21st Street, as you enter Palmetto from the north. At press time, developers had yet to be selected for both big projects.

Ellenton and Parrish

Less than a decade ago, orange groves, cattle ranches and tomato fields dominated the landscape north of the Manatee River toward the Tampa" target="_blank">Hillsborough County line. With a recent torrent of residential development, the peaceful old rural towns of Ellenton and Parrish are "busting at the seams," says Pat McClary, of North River Builders & Realty.

In the past four years, 7,000 homes have been built in more than two dozen new developments. They include Ancient Oaks, Forest Creek, Covered Bridge Estates, Whitney Meadows, Lexington, Foxbrook, Meadow Brook Estates, Fox Chase, Twin Rivers I and II and the golf course community of Imperial Lakewoods. And that's just for starters; McClary estimates another 20,000 new home starts in the next two years. "It's unbridled," former Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County commissioner Ed Chance told the local newspaper last spring. "It's just happening boom, boom, boom."

A year ago, new single-family homes in this countrified part of Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County could be found for $140,000. This year, the average starting price is $200,000.Who's buying? "A lot of first-time homebuyers and a number of commuters from Pinellas and Hillsborough counties because of the proximity of the Sunshine Skyway," McClary says. "They can live here and commute to work." Even Sarasotans are making the move, she adds. "They can get something for under $300,000 here that would cost $500,000 in Sarasota County."

River Wilderness, which, when developed in the early 1980s, was north Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County's first country club community, continues to attract buyers to its woodsy 1,400-acre setting, excellent golf course and mile-and-a-half of river frontage, which provides direct boating access to the Gulf of Mexico. The Hammocks is the newest subdivision here, with single-family homes from the mid-$200,000s.

Downtown Bradenton

Big residential changes are also afoot in downtown Bradenton, where the Promenade at Riverwalk broke ground last summer near the Rossi Riverfront Park. The $200 million development will eventually include 350 luxury condominiums in three eight-story Mediterranean-style buildings. Condos with Manatee River views are priced from the upper $200,000s to the upper $500,000s. Offices, retail shops and a hotel will be part of the mix; longtime civic observers are pinning hopes on the Promenade revitalizing downtown's retail sector.

The mile-wide Manatee River is just one of many charms about the older, established neighborhoods surrounding downtown Bradenton. Mature trees, neighborhood parks, the South Florida Museum, Manatee Players Riverfront Theatre, a picturesque marina, weekend farmers' market and big public library are attracting homebuyers who have begun buying up older properties and investing in the future of their community by renovating them. Property values "have just soared," says Debbie Wynkoop of Re/Max Properties, herself a resident of the area. In the river district, north of Manatee Avenue from 20th Street West to 30th Street West, "Things have changed drastically," she says. "I don't think there's anything under $200,000." Wynkoop says buyers are primarily "young professionals who want to be close to downtown but like the charm of an older neighborhood, with sidewalks so they go biking and can walk down to the river."

Also downtown, working artists have spent the last few years transforming five formerly run-down blocks south of Manatee Avenue into the Village of the Arts. The City of Bradenton pitched in with brick-edged sidewalks and street lighting to help make the Village a destination. Now, in an area that five years ago was decidedly edgy, people are flocking to Friday evening art walks. While the initial flurry of activity has slowed, say area realtors, in Village of the Arts, the days of the $70,000 bargain bungalow are gone.

Northwest Bradenton

From the historic estates of Riverview Boulevard to the charming older neighborhoods around the Bradenton Country Club and in Palma Sola Park, northwest Bradenton is comfortable and family- oriented, with leafy neighborhoods and homes dating from the 1920s to the present day. Buyers value the area's good schools and houses of worship, mature landscaping, and easy access to the beaches.

Riverview Boulevard, Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County's most prestigious address, curves languidly along the Manatee River, flanked by elegant, sprawling homes on oversized, tree-filled properties. The Riverview Boulevard area experienced some teardowns in the past decade, with even bigger mansions replacing them, but the neighborhood's historic character is still strong. A recent Michael Saunders & Company listing of a five-bedroom home on 1.6 riverfront acres, priced at $3.2 million, demonstrates the exclusivity of this sought-after boulevard.

Nearby is the DeSoto National Memorial, with its museum, living history demonstrations and nature trail along the Manatee River; executive neighborhoods around the riverfront park include Shaw's Point, The Loop and Riverview Landings. A 10-year-old Mediterranean Revival home on the river here sold last year for $2.3 million. To the west, closer to Palma Sola Bay, Neal Communities is building 141 custom and maintenance-free single-family homes in Wisteria Park.

At 75th Street and 34th Avenue West, Coastal Construction SW will break ground this spring on Palma Sola Bay Club, a 207-unit luxury condominium development with views of Palma Sola Bay. Prices will range from $350,000 to $500,000.

And on the northwest corner of Perico Island overlooking Anna Maria Sound, St. Joe Towns & Resorts last fall got the go-ahead to build a community of 686 condominiums in 13 six-, seven-, 10- and 12-story buildings. No timetable has been announced for groundbreaking.

Southern Exposure

In southwest Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County near the mammoth IMG Academies sports training complex, El Conquistador offers a broad mix of residential styles: condominiums, maintenance-free villas and patio homes with golf course views, mid-rise condos with bay views looking out toward Longboat Key, and single-family homes on the golf course and on Sarasota Bay. Social life swirls around El Conquistador Country Club, which spent $3 million last year renovating its championship golf course.

Real estate demand in this waterfront community is so high, and inventory is so low, says Bettie B. Cochran, of Wagner Realty, that "I have an enormous waiting list for all products. People are almost begging to buy." Prices here have skyrocketed 25 percent or more since a year ago, she says.

People from Bradenton and Sarasota are rediscovering Whitfield Estates, which comprises several wonderful old neighborhoods straddling both sides of Tamiami Trail near the county line. Near Sarasota Bay are lovingly restored classical and Spanish-style residences built in the 1920s through 1940s. That's where you'll find the Powel Crosley Estate, a grand winter residence built in 1929 by the former owner of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. Now owned by Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County, it's a popular wedding site.

East of the Trail, the focal point is the historic Mediterranean Revival clubhouse of Sara Bay Golf and Country Club. Well-kept ranch golf course homes are listing for $350,000 to $500,000, says Cindy Warren, of Wagner Realty-when you can find one. "Like everywhere else," she says, "there's just not much on the market." The area saw its second teardown in 2004, and Magellan Drive homeowners along Bowles Creek are building second stories on their '60s-era ranch homes for better waterfront views. At the high end, a bayfront home on Westmoreland Drive sold in March for almost $2.1 million and there were several recent sales in the $900,000s, but Wagner says ranch homes in need of updating are still available in the low to mid $200,000s.

Bustling Southeast

Lots of construction activity is under way in southeast Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County along the University Parkway border with Sarasota County, where families and active retirees are drawn to the convenient location, treed subdivisions, ample shopping, excellent golf and proximity to both Sarasota Bradenton International Airport and I-75.

Between Lockwood Ridge and Prospect roads south of S.R. 70, Levitt and Sons is building Riomar, a development of 154 single-family homes priced from the mid $200,000s. A recreation center and community pool are the focus of social life.

Nearby, the same developer is building Cascades at Sarasota, an active adult gated community of 460 single-family homes where life revolves around an 18,800-square-foot, amenity-packed Grand Clubhouse with indoor-outdoor heated pool. Prices range from the high $200,000s to the high $300,000s.

Also on Lockwood Ridge Road south of S.R. 70, Ryland Homes, another one of the nation's largest homebuilders, is making its first foray into the region with Mandalay, a gated community of 162 homes. Nine floor plans are being offered for $324,999 to $392,999.

At University Parkway and Honore Avenue, Neal Communities' University Place, a gated, master-planned community of 400 Southern-style residences, is nearing build-out. Neal is also developer of neighboring University Park Country Club, where a beautiful, heavily wooded winding main drive leads to an immaculately maintained 27-hole, four-star rated championship golf course, private tennis center and Braden River nature and fitness trail. A few single-family home sites are still available.

Long-established Palm-Aire Country Club, off University Parkway, remains a popular option for people who love the golfing lifestyle. And neighboring Mote Ranch, along the Braden River, offers executive custom homes, a community pool, recreation pavilion, nature trail and fishing pier.

West to the Islands

Follow the sunset to the historic fishing village of Cortez, whose picturesque old wood cottages (more than 90 of which are on the National Register of Historic Places) are a quick hop from the Cortez Bridge that leads to Bradenton Beach; and north to the more upscale communities of Tidy Island and Perico Bay Club just east of the Anna Maria Causeway. Then hit the beach.

Like the rest of Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County, its island communities of Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach-all on Anna Maria Island-are in transition. There's still a "sand in your shoes" sensibility, but they're no longer quite so laid-back, thanks to the current rise of multimillion-dollar beachfront condominiums.

The city of Anna Maria, on the island's north end, is home to lively waterfront seafood restaurants, beguiling boutiques and a popular municipal fishing pier with a breathtaking view of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. New construction is now restricted to single-family residences. On North Shore Drive, stunning multimillion-dollar homes line the Gulf of Mexico, many of them weekend retreats for people from Tampa, Lakeland and other parts of Florida.

On Holmes Beach, simple 1960s-era concrete block beach cottages still predominate; they're the kind with terrazzo floors that make fast work of sweeping out sand. Here, you'll also find Key Royale, a canal-front community of executive homes where a lot of updating is going on. Boaters especially are drawn to Key Royale's easy access to Tampa Bay and the Gulf.

Even Bradenton Beach, perhaps the area's funkiest beach community, is growing up. The days of the beach bungalow are over, realtors say.

"The scarcity of inventory of condominiums close to the beach is a real issue. Anything that goes on the market doesn't stay there long," says Jo Warren of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate. Warren sold a lot for $365,000 in late November that had been on the market 14 days. It had sold two months earlier for $200,000. "And the new owners could easily turn around right now and sell it again," she says.