Affordable condos in Bradenton planned

Affordable condos planned

MELISSA FOLLOWELL
Herald Staff Writer

BRADENTON - A local rental community will soon be providing the opportunity of home ownership in a price range that has been virtually nonexistent in Manatee County.

Cedar Tree Village Apartments will soon be called City Walk Condominiums, offering two-bedroom, two-bath units starting at just $124,900. The complex is at 2019 Fifth St. W. in Bradenton.

You can read the rest of the article here: http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/business/13460821.htm

Article about me in the Sarasota Herald Tribune

Here is the article written about me:

http://www.sarasotaherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051219/BUSINESS/512190328

Lakewood Ranch takes first walk on Main Street

Event gives shoppers a sneak peek of what lies ahead


NICHOLAS AZZARA
Herald Staff Writer

LAKEWOOD RANCH - It was 72 degrees with starry skies outside, and "snow" dusted the upscale shops and a curious crowd of 1,000 at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch Thursday evening.

Only three of the retail center's three dozen-plus stores were open for a VIP walk-through, but no one's spirits or enthusiasm were dampened.

Guests poured in hoping to be among the first to glimpse Lakewood Ranch's future shopping and entertainment center near Town Center and Lake Uihlein. Merchants still waiting for occupancy permits passed out information at kiosks in front of their storefronts.

Read more here:

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/13418778.htm

Will high-end buyers line up in cooler housing market?

By TOM ARTHUR and RYAN BOYD
tom.arthur@heraldtribune.com
ryan.boyd@heraldtribune.com

MANATEE COUNTY -- The region's next big gated community is about to start construction on its first homes, and they won't be cheap.

Starting at $500,000 and in some cases topping $1 million, homes at River Strand will be situated around a scenic golf course that hugs the southern shoreline of the Manatee River.

It's the second phase of the huge Heritage Harbour housing development that currently has 650 homes along State Road 64 east of Interstate 75.

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http://www.sarasotaherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051217/NEWS/512170400

Builder acquires land for $47M

Condo conversions adding to dwindling apartment units
MELISSA FOLLOWELL
Herald Staff Writer

MANATEE - A Chicago-based condominium developer recently paid $47 million for 18 acres of property north of University Parkway, making it one of the county's largest land deals in recent years.

MCZ/Centrum purchased the property from Douglas Manatee Partners.

Douglas Manatee Partners was developing Douglas Grand Apartments on the site when MCZ/Centrum took an interest in the property, said Denise Wilson, executive assistant for Douglas Manatee Partners.

Though the deal has been in the works for several months, it officially closed once construction was completed.

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/13401838.htm

Downtown Bradenton Condo development approved

Bradenton council approves commercial, condo towers beside Wares Creek

Tim W. McCann
Herald Staff Writer

BRADENTON - The city council this afternoon approved a high-rise development downtown.

The commercial and condo project, called Downtown City Central, won a 5-0 vote of council members in regular session of Bradenton City Council.

City Central will be built on property that formerly was occupied by city hall at the intersection of Manatee Avenue West and 15th Street West. It is across the street from the Bradenton Financial Center. Investor Dottie McCarthy bought the property from the city, and then sold it to developer Ron Allen.

Allen told The Herald today he expects groundbreaking on City Central to be sometime in the summer.

Plans call for a four-story building with commercial and office space, and two condo towers on top with 106 high-end units.

Ward 3 councilwoman Michelle Weaver moved for approval, probably her last motion as a council person. (She chose not to run for re-election this year.)

"I'm glad to have this in Ward 3," she said.

Movement afoot on Trail - More downtown Bradenton developments

City's development authority OKs deals along 14th Street West.

By JULIA GLICK
julia.glick@heraldtribune.com

BRADENTON -- Plans to transform Bradenton's rundown main drag into a showpiece are moving forward in fits and starts, with several deals recently OK'd and one large redevelopment plan scuttled.

The recent burst of activity on 14th Street West, also known as Tamiami Trail, comes after decades of decline and years of plodding revitalization.

The city's Downtown Development Authority, charged with remaking the street, accepted a developer's bid Tuesday to buy the city's downtown shuffleboard courts and build 30 town houses there. If approved by the City Council, it would be the first redevelopment project in years undertaken on the Trail, long beset by crime, shabby motels and scores of homeless people.

Last week, the authority purchased the Manatee Inns a few blocks away, and plans to tear it down and sell the land for development. A private developer also bought the Classic Inn nearby and plans to eventually develop it.

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.sarasotaherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051214/NEWS/512140519/1003/NEWS0102

Cornerstone project - Downtown Bradenton Real Estate

Plan for city hall site is key to downtown revitalization
Bradenton officials had high hopes six years ago when they sold the former city hall building at the corner of Manatee Avenue and 15th Street West. The buyer, a local investor, vowed to transform the property on Wares Creek into a showpiece for a struggling downtown.

After quite a few twists and turns -- and a lot of thumb-twiddling -- the vow and the property are under new ownership. This morning, the City Council will finally review a viable development plan for the site.

Read the rest of the article here Sarasota Herald Tribune

Realtors say tide turning in homes market

It's becoming a buyers' market
MELISSA FOLLOWELL
Herald Staff Writer

MANATEE - The number of homes on the market in Sarasota and Manatee counties more than doubled from October 2004 to October 2005, while sales have fallen slightly.

This may be the reprieve that discouraged buyers have been anticipating.

"We've had such a red-hot market, nobody expected it to last indefinitely," said Rod Rawlings, owner/broker of Action Team Real Estate of Bradenton.


Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/13345604.htm