Boat houses: Luxury condos have private elevators to slips below

BY DON MANLEY  News Press

Even a recession can be the right time to build if a project is sufficiently unique and has location on its side.

It’s that mindset that’s resulted in Ravenna, the newest neighborhood in the upscale Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club community in Miromar Lakes, near Estero.

Developer and builder Gulfshore Homes will complete construction this month on Ravenna’s first building. Long-range plans call for 10 of the three-story, Venetian-styled buildings on a roughly 12-acre parcel bounded on three sides by Miromar’s lakes Como and Maggiore.

Each floor will have two residences and at each building’s base will be boat houses for each home capable of accommodating vessels up to 23 feet long. Each unit will have a private elevator.

Realtors, the developer and a Miromar official say boat houses are rare for inland developments.

Steve Watt, owner of Bonita Springs-based Gulfshore Homes, which is building Ravenna, believes that design feature should attract buyers, despite the soft economy.

“It would be unusual to be involved in a condo project in an otherwise down market,” he said. “It’s not something I would have done, were the project not so unusual and Miromar being such a good place to do it…. This is a project that is unique in the market. I don’t think it can be repeated anywhere. I don’t think there’s another piece of land that would permit it. I think this is a one-time opportunity and I don’t see it being repeated and you hope the market recognizes that and responds to it.”

Watt said the Miromar Lakes community and its extensive amenities are also a major plus.

The development has more than 700 acres of lakes for swimming, fishing and boating. There are also three miles of private beaches, a championship golf course and the Beach Clubhouse – a 39,000-square-foot, three-building, waterfront complex with restaurants, a lounge, library, billiards, a theater, boat docks, a spa and more.

Ravenna’s first-floor homes are 2,842-square-feet of living area, while the second and third floors offer 3,630 and 3,975 square feet “under air,” respectively. Prices begin at $1.49 million and top out at about $2 million.

“It’s a spectacular product that’s very well executed and with spectacular views along Lake Maggiore and Lake Como,” said Jerry Schmoyer, executive vice president of Miromar Development.

Kathie Soller of Coldwell Banker on Fifth Avenue in Naples handles listings in Miromar Lakes. She said she’s seen communities like Ravenna in California and the south of France, but nowhere else. “I think it’s going to be a huge success because of its uniqueness,” she added.

Schmoyer agreed with Watt’s prediction that many Ravenna buyers will be people who currently reside in Miromar Lakes and are seduced by the boat houses, the water views, the size of the units and the fact they won’t require the upkeep of a single-family home.

Schmoyer said “around 15 percent or more” of Miromar Lakes’ sales have been generated by residents moving within the development.

Mike McNamara of Re/Max Estates in Estero lives in Miromar Lakes as well as handling listings there.

“Just to have the boat slips, it’s so unique,” he said of Ravenna. “It’s really a protected environment for the boats. And you can get into your elevator and go up to your condo. What makes Ravenna so attractive is the lifestyle here at Miromar Lakes. My slant on it is, it’s like being on vacation every day of the week with the aesthetics of the community, the type of lifestyle our owner (Margaret Antonier) has offered to the public.”

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