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Sarasota Herald Tribune
July 4, 2004

Six builders vie at Concession
By DOROTHY STOCKBRIDGE-PRATT

"Even I'm watching the Golf Channel," said non-golfer Michael Saunders, as she opened her sales gallery for The Concession and introduced its six custom builders.

The $600 million, 1,232-acre golf-course community of luxury estates will feature a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, designed with Tony Jacklin. The Concession is named for Jack Nicklaus' famous concession of a 2-foot putt to Tony Jacklin that resulted in a tied match between the European and American teams in the 1969 Ryder Cup competition in Southport, England.

Nicklaus and Bradenton resident Jacklin are on the same team now, designing the course at The Concession. It's located on pristine land on the north side of the Sarasota-Manatee county line. University Parkway is being extended to The Concession's gate, 5.5 miles east of Interstate 75.

"It will be on a par with some of the best golf courses in the country," promised Kevin Daves of Core Development Inc., co-developer with Property Markets Group and Richard Lam. Daves pointed out a Robb Report stating that homes on a signature course appreciate in value at a much higher rate than homes in other developments. The best returns came on courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Pete Dye, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Tom Weiskopf, the report added.

A Robert Trent Jones Jr. course is under way at The Founders Club, off Fruitville Road in Sarasota, developed by U.S. Assets Group. The Concession course will be on 520 acres, more than three times the land of a typical golf course. Homes will be well away from the course and visible from only a couple of holes. The never-farmed property features 200-year-old oak trees and pines.

Daves said the course will open in fall/winter of 2005, the main clubhouse that winter and the first models in fall 2005.

Saunders describes the builders selected as "the best of the best custom builders on this coast."

Anchor Builders, Gibraltar Homes, John Cannon Homes and Pruett Builders have been building at the Country Club in Lakewood Ranch and elsewhere. ML Collingwood and Westwater Construction have built almost exclusively on the Sarasota waterfront.

"The signature course intrigued me. This community will put Sarasota on the international map," said Brian Pruett of Pruett Builders.

Pruett is planning his most expensive model ever: the $5 million Villa Del Mar IV with 9,000 square feet of Italian-inspired elegance. It will have a two-story grande salon with stone colonnade, gourmet kitchen, game and entertainment areas, including a theater, billiard room and wrap-around balconies. The master suite will have his and hers Romanesque baths with stone columns. The expansive outdoor area will include a summer kitchen and dining area overlooking the tropical swimming lagoon.

John Cannon will build the two-story Royal Melbourne with almost 10,000 square feet. The design features an angled grand front entrance accentuating several loggias. The use of rich wood tones will compliment coral, stone and glass mosaics.

"The Concession, with its exciting new golf course, will bring more upper-end, sophisticated buyers looking for the Naples quality," Cannon said.

Both Cannon and Pruett Builders also are building models in The Founders Club.

Roy Dupuis' Anchor Builders also will be building its largest model ever at The Concession. The Villa Tuscany will have more than 7,000 square feet of living area and a separate guest house on two lots that comprise a 250 by 175 home site. The home will have a home theater and an expansive outdoor living area.

"It's an opportunity to be in an upscale community with pure golf, said Dupuis, who hopes to build 10 to 15 homes at The Concession. "We (builders) were involved in setting standards for the homes."

"We only did waterfront developments, but we were comfortable with their vision and track record," said Mark S. Miller, founder of Westwater Construction Inc. He expects to sell homes, including site, for $3.5 to $10 million. Westwater's Villa Encantada will be about $4 million for 8,000 square feet of living area. It will feature imported hand-carved stone, mahogany entry doors, custom wood moldings, granite counters, elevator, home theater and full home automation.

ML Collingwood is the other company that was geared to waterfront construction of the quality owners Phil Chmieleski and Margo Bohaty admired in Naples. Their Sandcastles of Sarasota development firm acquired the Collingwood construction company after Mike Collingwood's death.

"This is the first golf-course community (here) that rivals Naples," Chmieleski said.

"We'd never thought of going off the water until we saw the beautiful Florida setting," added Bohaty. They'll use the Romanza design team used on their record-selling home on Lido Shores. The Castello sul Verde model will have 8,300 square feet, guest cabana, theater, library and two outdoor sitting areas with fireplaces.

Gibraltar Homes will fill a niche for highly customized homes in a slightly smaller size, which has been their specialty at Lakewood Ranch and Palmer Ranch. Owners Jerry Blumberg and Albert Sanchez say their market will be in the $1.5 to $2 million range. Their two-story Wentworth model will have a British Colonial flavor, wood-beam ceilings, Venetian plaster walls and 5,648 square feet.

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