Manatee Heats Up

MANATEE COUNTY AT A GLANCE
LAND AREA: 741 square miles
PERSONS PER SQUARE MILE (2005 estimate): 409
POPULATION (2005 estimate): 303,116
POPULATION INCREASE (2001 to 2005): 11.9%
COLLEGE GRADUATES: 20.8%
MEAN TRAVEL TIME TO WORK: 23.3 minutes
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME (2003): $44,926
MEDIAN HOME PRICE (First quarter 2005): $275,100

"We're No. 1" is a cry usually reserved for high school football teams, not for counties. But that's what realtors, civic boosters and longtime locals were shouting when the National Association of Realtors announced last spring that the median price of existing single-family homes in Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County jumped 45.6 percent in the first quarter of 2005 over the same period a year ago-earning it the No. 1 spot in the nation for price appreciation.

Growth is exploding everywhere in Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County, from the white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico to the oak hammocks and pine forests east of I-75. In 2004, residential building permits were issued for 6,590 single-family and multifamily residences, versus 3,576 in 2003; already in first quarter 2005, 1,804 new residences were permitted.

"I've worked in real estate here for 28 years and I've never seen anything like it, not this fast and furious," says Joan Oliszewski of Wagner Realty, the current president of the Manatee Association of Realtors. Oliszewski credits the incoming tide of baby boomers seeking to relocate to warmer climes, and Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County's ideal geographic positioning. "We have the best of both worlds," she says, "close proximity to our beaches and conveniently located between Sarasota to the south and St. Petersburg and Tampa to the north. We're right between the hub of everything, yet we're tucked away."

Home on Lakewood Ranch

New development continues apace at Lakewood Ranch, just east of I-75 between S.R. 70 and the Sarasota County line. This award-winning master-planned community continues to back up its "live, play, learn, work and shop" philosophy with every imaginable amenity-stores, restaurants, excellent neighborhood schools, public and private golf courses, an athletic club and tennis center, and even a polo club, where nationally ranked teams compete each Sunday from December to mid-April. Lakewood Ranch is a "green" community that encourages its builders to employ environmentally sensitive construction methods and materials; Lake Uihlein is a haven for water birds, and all around the ranch nature trails connect a series of neighborhood parks.

More than 5,000 residences have been built and sold here, out of an eventual 6,800. 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 mid-$200,000s to $5 million-plus 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."

This fall the upscale Main Street shopping and entertainment district opens on the shore of Lake Uihlein. The year-old Lakewood Ranch Medical Center is already bustling; 40 babies were born there in its first month of operation. San Marco Plaza, with shops, restaurants, offices and a branch of Sarasota's venerable Golden Apple Dinner Theatre, is under construction. The Windsor assisted living community is nearing completion, and Primrose School, an early childhood education center, shattered its parent company's enrollment records when it opened last summer.

The growth keeps coming. Last winter, the developers of Lakewood Ranch announced their sixth and newest village, The Lake Club, with 768 single-family homes and 322 coach homes and condominiums behind its gated walls. The first model homes will be open in late 2006. And south of University Parkway, just over the Sarasota County line, plans are being formulated for an eventual 5,000 more homes, including multifamily and workforce housing; a Lakewood Ranch spokesperson says development there is several years away.

More Eastward Expansion

Several established country club communities are located on S.R. 70 near Lakewood Ranch: The River Club, Peridia Golf and Country Club, Tara Golf and Country Club and Rosedale Golf and Country Club, which recently announced plans to add 300 new homes and nine additional holes of golf. Nearby, the long-established single-family neighborhoods of Braden Woods, Braden Pines, Panther Ridge and the Preserve at Panther Ridge offer estate homes on heavily treed sites of more than one acre (over 10 acres in Panther Ridge). Lennar's River Place, near the scenic Braden River, is one of the area's newest developments; single-family homes here start in the $400,000s. And Neal Communities moved to the neighborhood last year with The Harborage on Braden River. It will eventually comprise 234 single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums, along with an elevated boardwalk, observation deck and fishing pier.

Two mega-posh golf communities have entered 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 255-home 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 initiation fee is one of the county's steepest at $75,000 for homeowners and $100,000 for non-homeowners. The Concession's latest neighborhood is Nicklaus Manor, 33 golf villas on half-acre lots priced from $2 million to $3 million.

Also north of University Parkway, the exclusive 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 residential developments. The newest and 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 $350,000s, and exclusive Royal Harbour, with just 19 homes starting in the $700,000s. Stone Harbour now features carriage and coach homes starting in the $200,000s and single-family homes from the $350,000s.

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. The Stoneybrook clubhouse opened in early 2005 with a restaurant, banquet and wedding facilities, pro shop and aqua driving range.

Lighthouse Cove, Heritage Harbour's second planned community, offers homes ranging from 1,300 to 2,250 square feet with prices starting in the $200,000s. Lighthouse Cove is adjacent to Heritage Harbour's Central Park, with walking and jogging trails around a 70-acre lake. Future plans for Heritage Harbour include a marketplace.

Further east on S.R. 64, Greenfield Plantation is a community built around a public golf course, The Links at Greenfield Plantation. Nearby, the gated 789-home community of GreyHawk Landing offers custom single-family residences 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 off S.R. 64, has an 18-hole championship golf course, nature boardwalks, a 59-slip marina on the Manatee River, and carriage, villa and estate single-family homes.

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 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. An expansion of Mill Creek is planned for 2007.

Two miles west of I-75 on S.R. 64, the gated 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 has 180 riverfront and canalfront homes, with home-site packages starting at $750,000. 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 million to $5 million.

NORTH OF THE RIVER

Palmetto Booms

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 13,580, 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, 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 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 home builders are at work. Two townhome developments are going up: River Bay, with 104 maintenance-free units overlooking Terra Ceia Bay and the Manatee River, and the sold-out 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), Boccage (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 meanders along beautiful Terra Ceia Bay. The newest development in this gated community is Bay Club, with 40 waterfront condominiums priced from the $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 drawn to its 220-slip deep-water marina and the Tony Jacklin Golf Academy and Aqua Range. New custom single-family homes priced from $1 million are going up in The Sanctuary at Riviera Dunes. Shops, a hotel and other commercial development are on the drawing board; the chic new Mangrove Grill restaurant welcomes throngs of hungry admirers. Two multifamily luxury projects are rising: Laguna at Riviera Dunes, priced from $500,000 to over $2 million, is going up on the Manatee River; when completed, Laguna will contain 210 condominiums in five 12-story buildings. Bel Mare eventually will have three 15-story buildings housing 189 condominiums overlooking the marina. Bel Mare is priced from the mid-$400,000s to over $1.5 million. A third project has been announced: 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 is Sanctuary Cove, a 916-home development on 211 riverfront acres off U.S. 301. Single-family and multifamily models are expected to open by late 2006. And an approximately 1,500-home development is being planned for 322 acres on Terra Ceia Bay near Eighth Avenue West and 21st Street, as you enter Palmetto from the north; no details were available at press time.

Ellenton and Parrish: Country No More

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 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. Among the new developments are Chelsea Oaks, Crystal Lakes, Oakleaf Hammock and River Plantation. "It's unbridled," former Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County Commissioner Ed Chance told the local newspaper. "It's just happening, boom, boom, boom."

In 2003, 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 in the $200,000s. 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, developed in the early 1980s as 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. County commissioners late last spring approved the developer's plans to build an additional 178 single-family homes and docks for 156 boats.

In Ellenton, Bougainvillea Place, with 160 townhomes and villas from the low $300,000s, will break ground in late 2005. And near the bustling Ellenton Prime Outlets mall, The Montecito is on the drawing boards; 42 luxury riverfront condominiums will be offered from the $400,000s to the $900,000s.

Dynamic Downtown Bradenton

Big residential changes are also afoot in downtown Bradenton, where the Promenade at Riverwalk broke ground last year near Rossi Riverfront Park. The $200 million development will include 350 luxury condominiums in three eight-story Mediterranean-style buildings. Condos with Manatee River views are priced from the low $300,000s to $1.5 million. The Riverwalk Professional Park office condominium complex is under way, and retail shops and a hotel will be part of the mix; longtime civic observers are pinning hopes on the Promenade to revitalize 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 can go biking and 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. Now, in an area that five years ago was decidedly edgy, people are flocking to art classes and 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.

And look for big changes at the old City Hall site along Wares Creek. New owners razed the building last winter; a condo/office/parking garage complex is expected to take its place.

Friendly 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 in evidence. The recent $5.5 million sale of an 8,500-square-foot waterfront residence-a Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County record-demonstrates the exclusivity of this sought-after boulevard.

Nearby is the De Soto 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 fall on Palma Sola Bay Club, a 207-unit luxury condominium development with views of Palma Sola Bay. Prices will start in the $400,000s.

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- to 12-story buildings. At press time, no timetable had been announced for groundbreaking.

Late last spring, Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County commissioners voted to purchase a nearby 119-acre Perico Sound parcel to create a conservation park.

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."

People from Bradenton and Sarasota have rediscovered 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, whose golf course is lined with well-kept ranch golf course homes. "Like everywhere else," says Cindy Warren, of Wagner Realty, "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, 10 waterfront homes in Hawks Harbor, off Florida Boulevard, were listed last summer all over $1 million, and a contemporary design on Long Bay Boulevard was offered at $6.25 million. Off the water last summer, active listings ranged from $239,000 to $600,000.

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 Rio Mar, a development of 154 single-family homes priced from the mid-$300,000s. 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 466 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 $300,000s to $400,000.

Also on Lockwood Ridge Road south of S.R. 70, Ryland Homes, another one of the nation's largest home builders, is making its first foray into the region with Mandalay, a gated community of 162 homes. Nine floor plans are being offered from the $300,000s.

Off University Parkway are several established communities: University Place, with 400 Southern-style residences; University Park, where a beautiful, heavily wooded winding main drive leads to a four-star championship golf course, private tennis center and Braden River nature and fitness trail; Palm-Aire Country Club, which remains a popular option for people who love the golfing lifestyle; and Mote Ranch, with executive custom homes, a community pool, recreation pavilion, nature trail and fishing pier on the Braden River.

Island Style

Follow the sunset to the historic fishing village of Cortez, where picturesque old wooden 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, the 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. Beach bungalows are being replaced by new luxury condominiums, such as South Beach Village, whose three-bedroom townhomes start at $1.25 million.

"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.