Downtown St Petersburg, Florida
A few years ago I added a new niche to my business - luxury downtown condos in St. Petersburg, Florida. St Pete has transformed from a sleepy town of retired folks to a vibrant lifestyle that's in demand. Within the last decade five luxury condominium projects have been built along* the waterfront and others have been built within a few blocks of there.
From a location and planning perspective, what makes downtown St Pete unique is that these waterfront* condos aren't lined up along the water, blocking the views from everyone going by - along the waterfront is a sidewalk, then a street, then a series of parks, then another street and THEN the condos! So everyone can enjoy the parks and the many concerts and art shows that take place in the parts, can walk along the waterfront, and all can enjoy. Traffic? not a problem, except for during a big even, such as First Night (New Year's Eve) or the Grand Prix races.
What also makes it nice is that these condo buildings along Beach Dr NE are required to have retail on the street level. That makes for interesting walking. There is a further requirement that the buildings can only go up 2 or 3 stories there along the sidewalk - then the tower has to step back toward the rear of the property. That keeps a comfortable feel for those walking along - you don't sense a wall of high buildings.
Add to this lots of restaurants, sidewalk cafes, museums, shops, a multi-theater movie complex, historic buildings, trees and benches - it's fabulous. Old and young are moving downtown, and many of them are selling their cars, or keeping one just for times they head over to the beach (though you can take the trolley from downtown to the beach).
These "front line" condos are generally priced from $750,000 to over $5,000,000. Choose one a block or two away, or find a smaller unit without a water view in one of these "front" buildings and you may be able to buy one for $250,000 less.
What's even nicer is that I can show these condos without a car - we can just walk from my office to the various buildings. I find that walking to a property gives a better sense of what it would be like to live downtown.
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