The minnpost.com has a story about a recent speech given by housing researcher John Mcllwain titled, “The Suburban Century is Over.” Mcllwain predicts a shift in American housing and lifestyle preference away from the white picket fence suburbia towards a more urban lifestyle.
In TV terms the wonderful suburban neighborhoods of Leave It To Beaver, The Brady Bunch and Bewitched are fading and the urban lifestyles of the Odd Couple, Mary Tyler Moore and Frazier are coming of age.
What does this mean for the Southwest Florida and the greater Fort Myers area? While no one is ever going to confuse Southwest Florida with the Upper West Side, we do have some really dynamic urban areas like 5th Avenue in Naples. In recent years, a handful of urban-oriented projects have been developed or renovated that address this shifting lifestyle demographic.
Developments in the Fort Myers area offering an urban lifestyle experience include:
High Point Place – Riverfront high-rise in downtown Fort Myers walk to restaurants, Publix, Starbucks, offices, parks, theatres and museums.
Residences at Coconut Point – Condos located on the upper-levels of the Coconut Point Mall which has emerged as the destination in South Lee County.
Rapallo – Gated condos and villas adjacent and very walkable to the dynamic Coconut Point Mall
Cape Harbour – Waterfront boating community with vibrant boardwalk featuring restaurants, retail and community events.
Patio De Leon – Downtown Fort Myers renovated historic condos located above commercial space.
Earnhardt Condominiums – Downtown Fort Myers renovated historic condos located above commercial space
When the market turns and development starts up again, it would sure be wonderful to see more project like these completed rather than starter homes on random 1/4 acre plated lots in the hinterlands.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal titled, “A Walker’s Guide to Home Buying.”