Tampa Developers Building Luxury Condo Tower With One Unit Per Floor
Luxury is heading out west. Well, out west to Tampa. While uber pricey pads are nothing new to Miami—see Renzo Piano’s decked-out condos or the swanky Ritz-Carlton Residences—two Tampa-area developers are gearing up to build a first-of-its-kind condo tower at 2619 Bayshore Blvd., according to the Tampa Bay Times.
So, what makes The Sanctuary at Alexandria Place so special? Per the Times, the tower will feature just 15 residences. That’s one per floor for the first 14 floors and one penthouse that will take up two floors. Each unit will feature 360-degree views of the Tampa area, says husband-and-wife developers Brian and Debbie Taub. It’s also as pricey as it is exclusive: Units range from $2.3 million to more than $4.8 million.
The Taubs moved forward with The Sanctuary after recent success with Bliss, a 29-residence luxury condo property they built in downtown St. Petersburg. Even more of an impetus, though, was seeing a flurry of sales at Virage Bayshore, a nearby tower at 3401 Bayshore Blvd. that’s currently under construction. In particular, a penthouse listed at Virage for about $5 million went under contract. “We decided to do something that was just as high-end,” Brian Taub told the Times.
They also plan to go above and beyond: While the 23-story Virage has a look not unlike many condo towers in Downtown Miami, The Sanctuary will feature a curved facade designed to replicate the curve of Bayshore Boulevard itself. It’s designed by a local architect too—St. Petersburg-based Tim Clemmons. All-glass frontage on the Bayshore-facing side will be designed with no frames that could obstruct the view. Each unit will feature 80 feet of glass frontage.
In addition to an avant-garde look, The Sanctuary also features a new way to sell. Unlike other luxury condo properties in places like Miami and Fort Lauderdale, you won’t find any reservations here. Interested buyers will be required to go straight to contract. It’s a way to prove “that people are serious,” Taub says.
The Sanctuary is the third condo tower to go up on Bayshore, an area that hadn’t seen any new luxury construction in about a decade. In addition to the aforementioned Virage Bayshore property, buyers can also look at Aquatica at 3001 Bayshore Blvd. Aquatica, a 15-story tower built in 2017, was the first new high rise built on Bayshore since 2007.
With its proximity to shopping, dining, greenspaces, and its scenic balustrade, Bayshore Boulevard is one of the most premiere addresses in Tampa Bay. Still, nearly $5 million for a luxury spot is high for the area. According to figures from the Times, median home prices for Hillsborough County (where Tampa is located) were $234,945. That’s just about $100,000 less than the median home price in Miami.