HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO SEE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK AGAIN!

THE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS IN BOCA kicks off on March 4th by showing Spielberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark with the ageless Harrison Ford.  The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra from the U of Miami Frost School of Music will appear live, playing the score at the Mizner Park Amphitheater.  

• The Festival runs to March 16th and includes 
• Performances of Mozart's Magic Flute and Vivaldi's Four seasons
• Herb Alpert in concert and Lani Hall
• Performance of Cirque de la Symphonie 

For more information go to http://festivaloftheartsboca.org/ .

MIZNER 1928 HISTORIC HOME IN PALM BEACH NOW ON MARKET FOR ALMOST $17MM

This property is a historical gem, destined for a lucky new owner who appreciates the architecture, tile work, fixtures, arches, brick walls and Bermuda roof.   The property includes very special renovations galore in keeping with the Mizner style. 

 

With 5 bedrooms, 8 baths and about 6357 living sq ft, 12 Lagomar Road in Palm Beach won the 2012 Ballinger Award given by the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach. 

Admire the grand living room and terrace, sweeping ICW views from arched-entry terrace, media room, elevator, impact glass, gym, pool and charming outdoor spaces.  A boardwalk leads a short way to the beach and Atlantic Ocean. 

Cielito Lindo, in the estate section of Palm Beach, was subdivided in the 1950’s, and Mizner’s original paneled dining room is preserved and is now the living room.

This is a “historical trophy house” in a lush, luxurious area, surrounded by homes that are also luxurious.

Listing Broker is Christian Angle Real Estate and if you are interested in buying and want your own representation, call Marilyn Jacobs, 561-302-3388 or email marilynfjacobs@gmail.com.

CULTURAL EVENTS, TONS OF SHOPPING FROM EXPENSIVE TO CHEAP, ART & ANTIQUES, HISTORIC HOMES, ELITE RESTAURANTS TO DINERS, WATERFRONT (ICW) VIEWS, MUSEUMS, BIG BOATS GALORE, SYMPHONIES & SHOWS, BEST BROWSING MOST ANYWHERE… NEAR POLO PONY GAMES, NEAR WORTH AVENUE… Something for everyone!

CULTURAL EVENTS, TONS OF SHOPPING FROM EXPENSIVE TO CHEAP, ART & ANTIQUES, HISTORIC HOMES, ELITE RESTAURANTS TO DINERS, WATERFRONT (ICW) VIEWS, MUSEUMS, BIG BOATS GALORE, SYMPHONIES & SHOWS, BEST BROWSING MOST ANYWHERE… NEAR POLO PONY GAMES, NEAR WORTH AVENUE… Something for everyone!

March 5^th… mark your calendar and save the date for the annual Antique Row chic street party with entertainment, food and shopping.  

  

Browse to find that one exquisite 17^th, 18^th, 19th or 20^th C. antique, decorative art piece, vintage or moderne furnishing, lighting and accessory, deco, work of art and much more. 

  

From 6 to 9 pm, head over to Southern Blvd east (I-95 exit 68), left on South Dixie north) and you are there!  Browse and buy from over 40 interesting high quality antique stores, specialty shoppes, antique galleries and dine in award-winning restaurants.

 

Antique Row is heralded by Architectural Digest, The New York Times, Art and Antiques and House Beautiful as one of the east coast’s premier antique shopping districts.  Conde Nast Traveler chose Antique Row as 4^th best shopping in the US.  You will be alongside decorators, avid collectors, antique dealers

 

Look thru the Directory, reserve for a fine dinner, breakfast or lunch.

 

Come and join one of West Palm Beach’s premier evening events.  See you there! 

CONTINUING OUR SERIES ON LOCAL GROWTH, NEW RESIDENTIAL UNITS IN BOCA RATON WILL GROW DOWNTOWN BOCA

Current construction crews are working on:

MARK AT CITYSCAPE, a 12-story building with 208 rental apartments at 11 Plaza Real South near intersection of Palmetto Park Road and Federal Highway – scheduled to be completed in March 2016

VIA MIZNER, also 12-stories with 366 rental apartments, at the corner of Camino Real and Federal Highway; about 1MM sq ft of building reaching 140’ is planned for the rest of the nearly 7 acres.  Designated for open space is about 40% of the area.

MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL (pictured above to the right) next to Via Mizner will have 164 rooms and 100 condominiums and retail space will be built with connecting adjoining towers

PALMETTO PROMENADE, 9-stories with 378 units, from Northeast 3^rd Street and Palmetto Park Road extending east for 900’, it’s façade gives the appearance of multiple buildings but it is just one structure

THE BOCA LOFTS, 7-stories with 229 rental apartments at 33 SE 8^th Street

TOWER 155, 12-stories with 170 condominiums, in the 100 block of East Boca Raton Road

HYATT PLACE HOTEL, 12-stories with 200 rooms, at Palmetto Park Road and Federal Highway, expected to open in the summer of 2016, will include an 8000 sq ft restaurant, 4000 sq ft of meeting space, and retail space

When Town Center opened, it drew business from downtown Boca Raton, and downtown businesses suffered.  In 2008, the temporary guidelines adopted allowed 12-story buildings whereas previously they were limited to 9 or 10 stories.  Mention was made of a more varied, more graceful skyline.  The new heights encouraged developers to do more than build a cheaper, boxier version of a building, and the new guidelines call for buildings to be farther back from the street opening a light corridor without a canyon effect.

Better views command higher rents and condominium prices.  Downtown will become more vibrant after regular work hours with downtown residents heading to restaurants, spas, boutiques and businesses in the area.

561-513-6180 or email marilynfjacobs@gmail.com.

STAY TUNED FOR OUR NEW CONDO CONSTRUCTION POSTS

Everywhere we look in Palm Beach County, from Boca Raton to the county’s northern outer reach areas, there is new development going on bringing new jobs, new businesses, and sooner or later, new residents.  That says a lot about the improvement in our economy when billionaires and millionaires are “putting their monies where their mouth is.”

Minto Communities is planning a big family-oriented development with a 6 square mile footprint that they have named Westlake, which they say will have an economic impact of $1BB (Yes, BILLION) over the next 20 years.  The property is on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road in The Acreage.  To compare, they say it will be slightly larger than the city of Lake Worth.  Plans include 4546 single family and town homes (which may generate $34MM in property tax revenue), 2.1 MM sq ft of commercial development, a 3,000-student university and a 150-unit hotel.  This all will be built on 3800 acres north of Okeechobee Boulevard.

Impact revenue fee income will be generated by Westlake, amounting to $58.7MM, with about $42MM for roads and $7.5MM for schools.  Environmental considerations include natural areas and open spaces that will occupy over 55% of the property with over 240 acres of parks, 600 acres of lakes and 15 miles of walking and biking trails.  A Town Center will be the social hub.

Those in favor say it is orderly planned growth that will provide a needed economic boost to the area.  The nay-sayers describe it as a traffic-choking idea.  Good for you, Minto, to plan to widen about two miles of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road which will cost them $12MM over the next 18 months.  Some residents say that people moved to the area to enjoy a rural lifestyle, but sooner or later this and other projects will make the area busy and overcrowded.  Total build out time is estimated to be a decade.  With ground breaking estimated to start in 90 days, residential sales may begin in early 2017.

There is both concern and happiness about a forthcoming GL homes community, the Indian Trails Grove project, where 4,000 homes are planned be built on a 3,900-acre tract not far from Westlake.

With over 1000 people a day coming to visit Florida, many of whom will want to move to Palm Beach County, it is to respect and accept growth and progress.  Expansion and new homes and businesses must go west and north to find tracts of land to build on.

''BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME," especially to Paradise!

LAKE WORTH’S HISTORIC GULFSTREAM HOTEL PROJECT APPROVED

Hudson Holdings can now proceed with their $60MM restoration plan.

Built in the 1920’s, the revival is expected to bring more tourism to the area.  Located near the west end of the Lake Worth Bridge, with walkable shoppes, art galleries, restaurants and antique shops to browse, it may become a mecca for out of towners.  The intracoastal waterway “is right there,” with benches to relax on while watching the boats go by, and the municipal golf course is along the ICW.  Plans include an 87-room hotel with a downstairs restaurant, and  a 2-story parking garage with at least 145 spaces.  

The restoration will create 300 jobs and is projected to be finished in 15 months.

Note that in Delray Beach and West Palm Beach investors and developers have plans to update and upgrade those areas with new residential complexes, and new residential buildings have gone up in Boca Raton, and some are in mid-construction.  While these plans bring new jobs, they can also bring congestion to these areas, so these objections are being considered too.  About 1000 people a day move to Florida, and perhaps in a few years, with the new construction in Palm Beach county, more will come.

This historic property, with its new look, will be a mecca for those looking to buy in the area, a great stopping-off place.

LOOKING FOR WHAT TO DO ON A RAINY - OR SUNNY - DAY?

Have you considered a new hobby?  Ever stood at an easel, brush and palette in hand, and thought about what to put on the canvas?  Taken photos everyone admires?  Been inspired by an artist’s lecture?

The ARMORY ART CENTER, located in West Palm Beach and Lake Worth, offers classes for all ages, exhibitions, art salons, lectures, special events. 

·       Learn more about painting, an endless subject to study from different periods to different methods.

·       Be inspired to make beautiful ceramics and pottery that you will love too much to gift to someone else. 

·       Bring your camera, learn about taking photos, and there are many sites that may be willing to sell your photos.  Have you tried jewelry making - you could sell your designs.

·       Have you been to Murano and admired the glass fusing?  You can do it here as well as welding and using blow torches.

 

·       Sculpture – remember that Michaelangelo may have said to an admirer of a sculpture he was carving out of rock: “The man was in there all the time; I just let him out!”  You may be surprised at what YOU let out if you start carving, or use clay.

·       Learn more about an artistic method at lectures, you may want to try it!  And, bring the children and let them freely paint, sculpt, use a pottery wheel.

·       Bring  your art pieces that you created to an evening critique to get a new perspective from others.

·       Attend an art salon or party get-together, make new friends with similar interests

·       Attend the fascinating Visiting Master Artist Workshop Series - when you see what others have done and how they did it, you could be inspired to try.  See their catalog at www.armoryart.org/‎.

A whole new world will open up to you, where you can express yourself creatively, and ONLY YOU should judge the results.  You may focus intently while working, to the exclusion of all other thoughts and ideas.  

YES?  NO?  MAYBE?

Grand Opening in Delray Beach at Seven Bridges this weekend - $700's to $2MM - 250 sold! 2450-7500+ sq ft!

Come and see the newest GL Homes Luxury Community with prices ranging from the $700,000s to more than $2 million.  Two hundred fifty homes have already been sold!  Tour 13 different models, gorgeously appointed with luxurious furnishings and way updated kitchens.  Properties range from 2,450 to more than 7,500 square feet, the residences offer three to six bedrooms, three to 8½ baths and, depending on the floor plan, lavish wet bars, in-home fitness and other specialty rooms.

 

 

Part of the Pacific Collection, the magnificent Sydney offers four bedrooms, five baths, a media room, library,

second-floor computer/sitting area retreat, two-car garage, and a total of 3,839 square feet under air.

Seven Bridges offers 27 innovative floor plans designed with flexible spaces including club rooms, media centers, libraries and summer kitchens. The homes are designed with unprecedented standard features, with most featuring spectacular water views. Ranging in size from 2,450 to more than 7,500 square feet, the residences offer three to six bedrooms, three to 8½ baths and, depending on the floor plan, lavish wet bars, in-home fitness and other specialty rooms.  Impact-resistant windows and doors are included.  Coastal Collection features Sub-Zero and Wolf stainless steel appliances, you can choose granite or quartz countertops and splashbacks.  Atlantic and Pacific collections feature KitchenAid stainless steel appliances, granite or quartz countertops and upgraded cabinets.  All main areas have porcelain flooring and there is MORE… so come and see these beautiful model homes.

The “Platinum Package” includes a swimming pool, outdoor summer kitchen and grill, Sub-Zero and Wolf stainless-steel appliances, natural marble flooring, designer wood cabinetry, granite or quartz countertops with specialty tile backsplash, crown molding and master bath upgrades such as a Jacuzzi drop-in tub and beautiful marble flooring.

The Tennis Center is under construction and will open this spring with 12 Har-Tru tennis courts and one hard, lighted tennis court, shade pavilions and stadium seating, pro shop, locker rooms and showers.  The 30,000 sq ft Clubhouse is also under construction and will feature a lounge, indoor sport court, group fitness studio, multi-purpose room, fitness center, locker rooms, facial/massage rooms, a card room, poker room, catering kitchen, full-service restaurant featuring indoor and poolside service, kid-centric room and game room.  Other features include a lap pool and children’s aqua lot and wading pool. Full-court basketball, a fenced playground, an open playing field and a party pavilion

There is something for everyone and much to enjoy in this upscale Florida lifestyle community.  Located in the heart of Delray Beach, Seven Bridges is surrounded by some of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Palm Beach County.

Located near the newer Delray Marketplace, not far to downtown Boca or the beach at the end of Atlantic Avenue, museums, tropical gardens, houses of worship, public golf courses, and the turnpike entrance is just a bit north.  L-95 is to the east.  You can get anywhere from here, including PBI or FLL.

Keep in mind that somebody gets a commission.  If you want to use your own agent, you must go with them the first time you go to a GL Community.  Your agent is the best one to look out for your interests.  [Realtor Marilyn Jacobs will be happy to go there with you.  Call or text 561-302-3388].  GL  has a top reputation as a Palm Beach County Builder!

 

AN AMERICAN PALACE, ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE US HOMES FOR SALE

Right down the highway in coastal Hillsboro Beach there stands Le Palais Royal, a 60,500 sq ft estate on four acres of waterfront land – ocean to intracoastal – on the market for $159,000,000 – so, will the entity who has that much petty cash to purchase please step up? 

Planned to resemble France’s Palace of Versailles, a must-stop-by for your next trip to Paris, features include a huge $2MM marble staircase, more than $3MM of gold leaf, 11 bedrooms, 30-car underground garage, IMAX theatre, 3,000-bottle wine cellar, waterfalls  and a 1300 gallon fish tank.  Two guest houses, each about 3,000 sq ft, will be included on an extra lot.  Under construction are a go-kart track, ice-skating rink, bowling alley and night club, all to be ready in 2 years.

Right on: you never have to leave home.  It may take months to explore the complete house.

Wouldn’t this make a spectacular Winter White House?  But, can the US government afford it?  They would need to build an airstrip, perhaps a hospital and make mainland access readily available for cars and walkers.  It would definitely raise area home values.  A good move.

READY FOR THE BEST OF THE BEST?

Main Streets Across the World 2014-2015 tracked over 500 of the top retail streets, and two in our area came up HIGH on the list.

Lincoln Road in Miami Beach ranked as the 10^th most expensive retail street in the United States and Worth Avenue in Palm Beach ranked 14th, tied with Boston and Georgetown.  You, no doubt, won’t be surprised to learn that Manhattan’s Upper Fifth Avenue was at the very top of the list, 46% more expensive than #2, Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay. 

For our World Traveler readership, other streets on the list were England’s Bond Street, Paris’ Champs-Élysées, Milan’s Via Montenapoleone and Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall.  Rents rose impressively on the number one street, Manhattan’s Upper East Side, to $3500 per sq ft.  Between Madison Avenue’s East 72nd and 75th street, this usually thriving stretch is reported to be a “micro-pocket of retail that is really starting to flourish, thanks to the new Apple Store, the forthcoming Metropolitan Museum of Art building and new residential product.” Retail asking rents north of 72nd are increasingly exceeding $1,000 per square foot.

Lincoln Road rents, at $325 per sq ft, which sounds reasonable in comparison, have held steady for the past year.  National and international investors have sent Lincoln Road’s rents and property values way high.  Tenants include H&M, Anthropologie, Intermix, Forever 21, Apple, Gap, Urban Outfitters and lululemon and the same shops, as well as those on Worth Avenue listed below, can be found in local malls in other Florida cities.

Rents on Palm Beach’s Worth Avenue jumped up 20% to $150 per sq ft, resulting in one of the largest global growth rates.  Worth Avenue has attracted global luxury retailers, such as Cartier, Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Graff, Gucci, Hermès and Louis Vuitton.  Luxury real estate firm, Cushman & Wakefield, reports that part-time residents and international visitors have led to the growth.

An overhaul is planned for Lincoln Road with sidewalk enlargements, extensive landscaping and new pedestrian walkways on some side streets and in back alleys where new retail and restaurant venues will be found.  A Business Improvement District will be created by assessing area business and property owners to create a 10-year long maintenance and management program.

With rising consumer sentiment and increased tourism (100 MILLION tourists visited Florida in 2014 and more are expected this year) it might not be a bad idea to get on line on Worth Avenue and Lincoln Road and elsewhere on the Friday after Thanksgiving and going forward a few weeks after.  Online purchases are expected to be about 10% of retail sales, the other 10% visiting brick-and-mortar stores.

Sounds like our economy has severely improved, don’t-cha think?