Construction begins on The Sanctuary in South Tampa
Imagine living in one of 15 approximately 4,000-square-foot homes stacked on top of each other with no shared walls and unobstructed views of Bayshore Boulevard and Hillsborough Bay. Add in private elevators, valet parking to your own enclosed garage on site, and a swimming pool with your own poolside cabana and shared kitchen space. And just a 10-minute drive to downtown.
Residents of bigger cities might think they’d landed in paradise and wouldn’t want to go back.
At least that’s the luxury vision being touted by Smith & Associates Real Estate agents charged with selling homes in The Sanctuary at Alexandra Place, the newest high-rise condominium building on the Bayshore in South Tampa.
“The start of construction and early sales success shows that buyers truly want intimate condominium living with high-end finishes,” says VP Dave Traynor of Smith & Associates.
Developed by Taub Entities of Tampa, designed by St. Petersburg architect Tim Clemmons of Place Architects, and built by Plaza Construction out of New York, The Sanctuary at Alexandra Place now under construction has an expected completion date in 2020.
The $40 million construction project is situated at 2619 Bayshore Boulevard, between Bay to Bay Boulevard and Howard Avenue, next to Fred Ball Park and the Bayshore Diplomat condo building. Units are listed for pre-construction sale starting at $2.3 million. A 3-story penthouse unit spanning 7,900-square-feet is expected to sell for more than $5 million.
Brian and Debbie Taub of Taub Entities in Tampa say they were inspired to undertake the project after seeing how quickly units were selling in two other high-rise condo projects under construction on the Bayshore: the Virage, situated where the Colonade Restaurant once stood between El Prado Boulevard and Julia Street, and Aquatica, best recognized for its floor-to-ceiling glass walls at the corner of Bay to Bay and Bayshore.
The Taubs also developed a luxury condo tower in St. Petersburg called Bliss. That 18-story, 29-unit building just off Beach Drive was completed last year.
Plaza Construction is also building 357 on 5th, a new luxury condominium tower under development in Downtown St. Petersburg.
Managing Director Todd Fultz in Plaza’s Tampa office says the New York-based firm chose to open an office in downtown Tampa last year because the Tampa Bay Area is seen as a rapidly growing market with huge potential for investors and construction.
Other design projects by Clemmons and Place Architects include Armature Works in Tampa, and The Salvador condos and the Morean Arts Center in St. Pete.
“We are on the verge of being the city we have aspired to be,” Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said in his welcoming remarks at an official ground-breaking ceremony on March 14 attended by local dignitaries and neighbors. Buckhorn leaves office in May after serving two terms. The next 10 years, Buckhorn predicts, will firmly establish West Central Florida’s largest city as the place everyone wants to be.
See a virtual reality video of The Sanctuary.