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Developer feels special pride in condo project

Mainly a hotel builder, the developer says a new condo complex off Boca Ciega Bay is "building somebody's dreams."

By RITA FARLOW
Published January 29, 2006

A luxury condo project under way at Isla del Sol will offer residents views of Boca Ciega Bay and the Isla del Sol Country Club golf course.

Construction on the 6-story building is expected to finish in April, and residents should be able to move in mid May, said Punit Shah, vice president of developer Liberty Group of Companies. All sales come with a membership to the Isla del Sol Country Club. "All of the units are very high-end. They're luxury units. They all have open water views of Boca Ciega Bay, as well as golf course views," Shah said.

The building includes 16 units, ranging in price from $1.1-million to $2-million: 12 units of 2,200-square-feet and four corner penthouses of 3,300-square-feet. Each unit contains three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms. Penthouses include a two-car garage; other units each have one covered and one exterior parking spot.

The condos have imported European fixtures, 10- to 11-foot ceilings, stainless steel kitchen appliances, marble flooring, granite countertops, and impact glass doors and windows, Shah said.

Shah, who develops and own hotels throughout the Southeast and Midwest, said Liberty Group currently has five condo projects in the works in Pinellas County. In addition to Paradiso, construction has already begun on nine luxury waterfront units at Pasadena Pointe, expected to be completed in July. The company is currently taking preconstruction contracts on three other properties: Mirabel Pointe in Clearwater, the Grande Murano in Madeira Beach and Romanzo in Dunedin.

Developing condos has given Shah a different perspective on the business, he said.

"It's different because in a hotel customers come and go every night. But when I'm building condos, I'm building somebody's dreams, and I feel special being a part of that," Shah said.

New owner Bill Capehart said he and his wife, Jane, were happy to find a condo that offered so many amenities for a price within their budget. "I don't think you can find a place that offers a golf course, the water view, and a country club, all in one, that the average American can afford. They usually start at $1.7-million and go to $5.9-million and those are certainly out of reach for me," Capehart said.

The Capeharts currently divide their time between a home in Atlanta and a penthouse condo at the Sterling on Tierra Verde.

Capehart said the new condo has given them a chance to customize some light fixtures and doorway arches, but all-in-all, the design and materials suited them perfectly. "Basically, it's a designer's dream. They didn't cut the corners on anything, and this is one reason we thought we wanted to be a part of this," Capehart said.

Capehart said they liked living at the Sterling, but the Paradiso suited their needs perfectly. "We had a great view of the water where we were, but this - when you drive in there, you know you're home. We're comfortable being there. Everything we want to do, it's offered to us," he said.

For information on Paradiso, visit the Web site at www.libertyg.com/paradiso/ or call Liberty Group of Companies at 866-7999.

[Last modified January 29, 2006, 01:27:17]