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Hernando Today

Living Isle Style

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By JANIS D. FROELICH

Media General News Service

Published: July 19, 2008

The urban community is built out except for two parcels next to the latest condominium tower, The Plaza Harbour Island.

Gluckman said there's lots of talk about using HICSA to set up social functions so residents can interact more directly with one another.

"We as a community need to figure out what we expect," he said. "We may not now expect our social life to be centered in the neighborhood. But as gas prices go up, people aren't so likely to jump in their vehicle for parties in Carrollwood and Lutz."

One thing residents share is the peace and quiet that goes with the decades-long building boom finally coming to an end.

In 1986, Seddon Cove, a brick condo complex, opened. It was slow growth after that. A decade ago, the island's population reached 2,000. Even that low number was considered remarkable given the history of the slice-of-pie-shaped island.

A Sense Of Independence

The island once served as a rusty rail yard and phosphate loading dock, and until the 1980s, the only access to it was via railroad bridge. In 1983, the Tampa Port Authority gave the OK for two road bridges connecting the island to downtown.

Today, the problems that crop up are common in island communities: erosion and keeping sea walls stable. Islanders also hear cruise ship horns heralding their arrival in the Channel District.

Gluckman said access to the island merits "a great deal of concern." He tries to post potential traffic problems on the community's Web site and said residents know they will need extra travel time when the St. Pete Times Forum holds a concert or the Tampa Convention Center hosts a meeting.

With a guardhouse and 24-hour private security for office and residential complexes, Harbour Island doesn't attract commotion.

On a recent sunny morning, birds chirped as the sounds of gurgling water from a fountain provided a soothing background. Across the Garrison Channel, downtown's skyscrapers seemed almost touchable.

Is Harbour Island part of downtown? Convenience-wise, yes, said Gluckman, who bicycles sometimes to his law office in the Tampa Theatre building on North Franklin Street.

Yet islanders remain independent, with a sense of being in a little world of their own, he said.

In addition to about 12 ponds, some as large as small lakes, there's a landscaped jogging trail and a brightly colored playground.

City services include water, sewer and trash pickup, but the community associations aren't part of the city's network of neighborhood groups.

Weathering The Slump

When Beneficial Corp. bought then-Seddon Island for $3 million in 1971, the company predicted 14,000 people would live there, mostly in high-rises.

But that layout didn't prevail.

Homes range from neotraditional brick to Mediterranean villas. Two buildings stand out, even by deluxe Harbour Island standards: The 12-story Garrison condo tower near the Channel District has only 12 units, so residents have their own floor; and Ron and Beverly Bailey's home at the tip of the island in a gated section called The Pointe features a lighthouse and a 100,000-gallon, lagoon-style swimming pool.

Across Garrison Channel, the housing market slump has taken its toll on the Channel District. Some condominium developers have sought bankruptcy protection; others have converted condos to rentals.

As for Harbour Island's latest huge condo project, The Plaza, sales director Dora McNulty said she remembers the heady days of buyers rushing to apply for one of the 114 tower units along with the 24 town houses and casitas in an attached building.

But from the September 2004 pre-sale to the first occupancy in September 2007, the market tanked.

McNulty said the developers, Patrinely Group LLC, were cautious about allowing too many investors to buy units. They required a 20 percent deposit and a contract prohibiting the transfer of ownership.

She considers The Plaza, where homes average $1 million, a success with 77 closings and 15 pending.

"These are retainable," she said. "We don't have too many buyers back out."

There are other options on Harbour Island.

The Post Properties complex known as Harbour Place offered 578 apartments from 1998 to 2006, when Harbour Place City Homes was spun off to offer 206 condominiums. Post's monthly rents range from $910 to $2,300. Prices for the condos, which range from 700 square feet to 1,600 square feet, are $190,000 to $430,000.

The apartments border Harbour Post Drive, known as Harbour Island's Main Street and home to a few restaurants and services.

Andrew and Ferrell Bonnemort opened Cafe Dufrain there five years ago and recently received a liquor license. They say residents have been supportive as the cafe has evolved from a bagel place to a 90-seat restaurant.

"I really think it does make a difference when you can walk home from a restaurant," Andrew Bonnemort said.

The Bonnemorts should know. They live on Harbour Island in a Post apartment and both own 6-year-old vehicles with about 40,000 miles on the odometer.

Reporter Janis D. Froelich can be reached at (813) 259-7657 or jfroelich@tampatrib.com.

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