People often ask me about the ‘next great’ area of Sarasota—and I point out the up-and-coming Rosemary District, the possibilities of Gillespie Park…but in the back of my mind I can’t help but think of one of the best ideas of all that is right under our noses.
Central Park II is that condo complex you’ve driven by a hundred times. It’s on Tamiami Trail, near Sarasota Ford, across from the two-story Publix and at the fork of 41/301.
I don’t think the view from the street does it justice. It looks from the road like a hodge-podge of apartments with a lot of railings. But when you drive in, you quickly find out a) they are actually condos, b) it is reasonably-priced for such a central location and c) it backs up to the Hudson Bayou—so it’s a split-personality: You access the place from a busy street but it quickly becomes peaceful as you sit in one of the Adirondack chairs on the back dock and watch the manatees float by.
Prices: I sold a condo here for $500,000 a few years ago. Now that same-size condo might sell in the mid-$200’s. What’s changed? Everything. The post-Covid spike is over, interest rates are higher, hurricanes have caused insurance and monthly fees to increase and, in some cases, that tragedy across the state on Miami Beach where the condo building collapsed caused a domino effect that impacts places like Central Park II. (For the record, CP II has a healthy reserve fund and passed the newly required Milestone inspection.)
Location: If you were to cross the street in any direction, prices immediately go up. Yet—thanks in part to a little-known side gate—you can get into downtown Sarasota in a matter of minutes. It’s half a mile from: the bayfront to the west, Main Street to the north, the Legacy Trail to the east and Sarasota Memorial Hospital to the south. Publix is across the street and Payne Park is next to it…