News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 123

rjroAY. Area, mi 1 r. glimpse of Vantkrbih Beach's past. a -J r2L-- JI 2 Jiii4A Wiggini Pass Staff PorKr of hn Today "perty near 14 years" later the Losters still live la the same Vanderbilt Beach home they built lathe ma. But Vanderbilt Beach tsat the same barren beachslde area to which they moved Vandertom Beach isathrivlngresl--denttal and resort community with a nearly continuous string of towering condominiums either completed or under construction along the gulf and Vanderbilt Lagoon.

Some 200 single-family homes have Joined the Losters'. Located just south of the northern 1 construction By LDA GZNTZLEX VANDSXKLT E2ACH It wu ISM and Oewst tod MtrtM Lotfar were bo mtr ttnt trip to Florida. They were intarattad la buying a piece at Florkta'i waterfront wood-eriaad. The couple ventured down to Sootnweet Florida and atajred at a small motel tnat had Juet opened on VS. 41 la Naplee.

In their learch for aoine property, they stumbled acroM Vanderbilt Beach. "Now dont rt discottraced" at the sparse developnent of the area, the II II -t Aerial picture captures section of Vanderbilt Beach east from the.Gulf ofMexko CoUler County line, the area still Is considered off the beaten track. No major hlchways intersect It It's boun4 on the north by DeuorWIrias Pass State Park and on the south by Pelican Bay, a massive, development that will be preserving Its gulf-elde estuary and three miles of beaches. The area Isalate bloomer. Vander-bllt Beach remataed primarily a single-family home and resort area until about four years ago when sewer eye-vtems were putjnto this small community, since then, Vanderbilt Beach has skyrocketed with the force of a missile being launched from Cape Canaveral.

"It's just gone craty," said Pete Knoblauch of Leo J. DAngek Jr, Realtor, real estate firm located at Vanderbilt Beach since IMS. There was nothing there In 77," said Rob Stephenson, vice president oftheVanderbmCoaleedlngSouth-; westFlortaa devakgment firm that i vnaiA UaO. la tares or four yeym Jrt count up our saSs, CCZhHSvMet CfffilJtfMseeJilglll un)uthlastthraeyears--proba-bty another 100 uumS by other people, rd say its definitely boomed." The Vanderbilt Ca'i Interest in the am started In the late 70s when the company then named Surety Coo-structtoo got wind of a parcel of land available at Vanderbilt Beach. There was a piece of land where we built Eayshore Stephenson sakL "We looked It over and It looked beautiinu ideally situated.

The success of that was tremendous. Thea a piece herame available nest to that for Eayshore and it went from "It seems like this one and a hslf mUe strip Is all under coostructloa," said Harriet Ramseyer, sales manager for Captraa lac's Vanderbilt Beach a. Harbour Club project In January, the Sanlbal haswl ln- Of nor Loslen recalled the real estate atent saylns about Vanderbilt Beach. "Ia later yearslthlnkirstolnt to be quite apiace." ThefactthatataMttineVaiiderbUt Beach cearlrted of one small motel and two houses didn't dlscouraxt the Losters. The blus green water rotllng onto the ff''T end a half long sandy shoreUae from the Gulf of Mwrtfft was too convincing.

They bouchtalot for, "believe it or not," 12,000. Back home in Massachusetts, they purchased two more lots by telephone and decided to have a house built on the property. In 1997, the Loners moved to Vanderbilt U-JI They are not poor, but living on a fixed income they are kary rich. Fowler la the rsTred owner of an insurance Cm in Conn. Ee Is 71 year old.

They are cact la asuatlonfameaoumpsrlods of kJch tatarejt rstos, but erpecialr peiafulwtaaltaaotsDeelderlyoa rail Iim i las 1 broken tie area coarse to tsrm the nartat "fclrtjr strocj" ds Its ttsrcjt rcta, be caireianarUa tiers toslassam cf ji froa sot of state atu to pat ksrjt acaar of each into boucj. "LUry ra rsy cch," aatd Ruth Axa tlL, a btCw with Joe rart-y LrJ ta Lata WeO, 1 One of many towering condominiums completed or under along Vandsrbi.i CjgcH shorcZne tive," said Joyce rAngalo, also of rAngelo's firm and a resident of should have r4 hejt and density. But that should have been atry ir-s." ny kava1 rtetaed the beach," asid Florence Albrecht one of the first guests at the Vanderbilt Beach Motel la the lSSOs and bow a Vanderbilt Beach resident "We just dont like to see all the higurtses." ITAngelo terms Vanderbilt Beach residents as a "good mixture." She said the single-family home owners are year-round residents while the condominiums are primarily occupied by wealthy, winter residents. fCondomtnlum units usually sett from around $169,000 to $400,000 for penthouse unit, she said. Homesttes ranse la price from 182,000 to 130400.

In conjunction with another firm Is getting into the development sector of Vanderbilt Beach, Properly has been acquired; Tara To EZACCZS, Page xa cash vertisediai of the communities owners he moretacnaedtopostaby-oaotice oftheavalUbiofthetrspartaient on a buSettn board. The beat sales-people may be fellow owners. kfurry EUls, a comnumtty of 812 acta a 22 twoHstory bvtti, was: cog-Jeted ia lt71. The builder was Kenneth Hurry. There were flnaa-dal problems la the early years.

The heuUitookovertlM prefect and Installed Its own maaassr. Fowler became chairman of the board. ttisoneof taefewdevelopmsatsia the area oa noTtg toad, It borders oa the windtttg road arouad Lake On- i a ear- Tara TellARXZT, Pass 7a stocks. terval owneiihlp development core-1 panyopeoedaselesofflceatVander- sacttoat; 'jmnc ofitiproectsgIsqnit three story Ceito gvvA i-ejryT'x5U eeeond phase wia be butt en the galf aide. Both bulWlncs wlU be elevated, with parking anrterneafti Captrsn's purchase of the property ror oevesopineni was recoraea last week si the CoUler County courthouse from Royce Mlnler for 11.18 According to Ramseyer, the marketing of the units Is going "very welt" The area sells itself, she said.

"Vs a beautiful, beautiful area. Irs like looking at a picture postcard." But the picture postcard Isn't as scenic as It once was, many residents say. Compared to other beach areas, msiiy feel Vanorbltt Beach has been developed "extremely well," with oneexceptioo somesaythecoodo-mlnlumsaretootalL "If one of the last beachfront communities available that's attrac RossettLloaadivtsioamaaaserofthe First Federal Savlnga Loan of Forth Worth. Bvea to move new housing builders are obltsed to to the that gives buyon a discount to ofisot Accerttrar. it is poasMe to find ffTBtnTilfrfllHTl frff ff ffWfmlTll- ffflHiiiunlilHi aura as sfwrrj to Lake Worth.

Cnaewood Town VU-las la North Psa Tearh and the Colo-atal dsh In Ccynton Beech, to wen as la hoastgg devetopaaents the midst of coaversSoas from rental to coa4omiatum atatua. In the latter category, for ersirrto, Is the Regea-cyOub in WeetPsin teach. Sometimes the apartments are ad- specific brokers are worths soft tviaeacr between qi byyeir's mmoirlev if you have, Experienced brokers in the area continue to term the marktt YdHy strong' dstpite the interest rates, because in Florida there is stZI a stream of buyers from out of state ebh to put large amounts of cash into housing Xtj ALAN S.CT21 y-y-yemnaei inm f- LATZ WCXra In retrocpsct Art-r t. Fowler says, he should have Ll. .1 better.

EsasJorJssotcstaaomelaa tn ie f--" before they ecu Cir at a lfikc't EZs la r-nis Barot cemanuCy south of Wet rcataachalocgtae SfofscsFlorkU. Their cos Ijatium was put oaCa wrartot in NovoEer whan letjrgt rata were in the mtist of a drec sward march. Tie kxsslaotscllTXrytrertrtef tte loan on tie tmirr'-s t-zr Uvizg koOt Cs tcs tor Ear voice tetrad oft taiaiwssZowBowbayors toeaimsslow-i-s3ta)ort each," rJA drf. Far Cat btyor, asensexhtsrsw'r areola pre- pared to ThelnmitegofavUstUaoasiat At t-ya ttUsrx. the i raneat Is nowhere near the ate it was la the overbuilding splurge ef 1174-79, bro- hers and real estate consaltaatsssy.

Efowaatsacoarjiemthelavea- tory of resale housug are not avail- able. Ua4encoaflmthalacltoaedde- maad for loans at current rates. "It si bean very stow arouad here ever since Christmas," aaid Charles sales First, that It Is breed bui iored by sslbr, not buyer more a human can a toi pratlesa, asi Cat even If warned, ktyerswJI toacoacarattosttaattoa.towkichUtoyaietora the need for mcoma aad the dadreto tlrsciistoc: rrrX'ttry bettor o3pavlagtt toCafcestbrCar." eeerr-aeIeeatgartiasaoectlhe far Caaa, rather Can, as Is ihrjerswKhi itsscyi wholst-ylcjCSm. kc3 etr raw eta a trcT protcSa ce aaar ccaectseototsvL rdcrssofk TSa sX ts ar-a, bat Co Jadseon ef-nrei Is Cat eeeaaloBS may save a atie fromtiCreerX A aoase5at sttar attaatUm exists la the HI iiCn tz lC3tcta-j olic tyou; -itytttt t-crrs in rich rmXt i it Uteipar I i --r leftist -1 i srer'-j to Ca tr-xt -k tj i vj. trt c-a a brsxar KTarYCC TrcJebicTtrared Tl eoce was reesared, and oa tie rry ktrae tzy msai stoat gsed fart.

Tiry has a aam worttrj Jaot for Cam. V.3i It its alee to tLty had XX l17 1 Ca krcra. They ercT-jr dm fcrclar kecaara, Crr e-scsvtl, wr trxe frtcsf over Ca lot Case i r-y rt a rA Xrzt c3t rii eri 1 "it'll Inform fen Til bis 1 1 aasainsj ulii el ie jc torn chan of ttaj nail mi ctsrn role la Cot were ruled by the short torm expaCentof sa: PlOltlSS CVaMOwnMtsV These caotomers. It Is aoed, wocU trX away once they found Csnetvee ta PwriMrwlkallytodrtaaweyls Dekasoupreatorsrrrxas saanlaaiaiaanLla.V si'af are, bat Csra t2t aqra wtat ksXa tXJt kff8ema(e sChswSB mas JsSm corn ni or Ca price of the house ierjctocutoklsowa CcirefCatsrtkadtattMsaark-cxe for rlc3 Cite are repass err irti i crt jc i a. Cr errr as a rt r-tl advicsr.

That rt mtf csrxsatlt katatwcTsso. TekwteBrctfcieoacw on kts axj scs to kts ctrxs. Ca eares acr tor y2 atce. ka Is act evtoaeitoeC3rrJsseea iMiasatwa;.