|
Article Courtesy of The Herald-Tribune
By Chris Wille
Published February 24, 2019
Some ideas sound so
ludicrous they should spark laughter. This
comes right out of the “if you build it,
they will come” playbook.
|
Imagine a high-rise condo
where residences occupy the entire floor and there are only
six units in the nine floors, and the penthouse — fully
customizable — takes up the top two floors with an initial
floor plan offering 6,945 total square feet.
But that’s not very unique.
This is. Each condo sports its own pool. Never seen that.
While the water feature isn’t Olympic size, it is private.
And the penthouse comes with a separate spa option.
I’m all in on that.
The place is called The Beacon.
“There has been tremendous buzz about owning a residence
with this private pool feature. Following two years of
planning this exclusive opportunity, we look forward to
breaking ground this summer,” Cor Donovan and Lauren Holt of
Premier Sotheby’s International Realty stated in the
announcement of the project this week. They are the
exclusive agents for the property. |
|
Prices for the downtown Sarasota tower The Beacon
start at $2.3 million.
|
Except prices start at
$2.3 million. One’s already under reservation.
The asking price for the penthouse is yet to be set. Guess that means
linoleum or vinyl flooring will cut the cost.
The “regular” condos are 4,529 square feet total, with 3,670 under air and
two balconies — the large one with pool access. Adding up the dimensions of
the living and dining rooms, open to one another, and you get 31.5 by 49
feet.
At about 1,540 square feet, that’s larger than my entire condo.
Walls of windows take full advantage of the views. South balconies face
Little Sarasota Bay and Marina Jack. The north-facing ones face Sarasota Bay
and the Van Wezel, if it’s still around when The Beacon opens.
The location’s pretty sweet for a downtown lifestyle, just behind the
Embassy Suites at 1243 Second Street. The Florida Studio Theatre complex and
the Sarasota Opera House sit only a couple blocks away.
It’s not move-in ready. Groundbreaking is anticipated sometime late summer
this year.
The marketing material says these “exquisite units” will offer “impeccable
attention to detail” with “privacy and elegance unmatched in Sarasota.”
I think I’ve read that description before.
Just what downtown needs, more pricey condos. Doggone if they don’t sell,
though. Developers can’t throw them up fast enough. Coming soon: The Mark,
BLVD, EPOCH, The DeMarcay, Ritz-Carlton Residences Sarasota and Auteur, the
latter two on the Quay, all touting luxury lifestyles.
Most major projects require around 40 percent to 50 percent of the condos
reserved before securing financing and breaking ground. “There has not been
a project in Naples and Sarasota that didn’t sell,” Budge Huskey, president
of Naples-based Premier Sotheby’s, said in an interview Wednesday.
Beacon pre-construction sales are by private appointment only, of course,
through Premier Sotheby’s International Realty. You can collect materials
and information in the office on the first floor of The Plaza at Five
Points.
Donovan and Holt represent the developers, Noble Equity, Justin Prosser and
Michael Holt, should you want an appointment.
“We are delivering an asset not contemplated in the history of Sarasota and
are proud to have the opportunity to do so,” said Justin Prosser of Noble
Equity. “Simply, who doesn’t want a private pool in the sky?”
I have to wonder what’s next in the competition for an even more
amenity-rich condo tower. Helipads? |
