Village off Gandy begins to have life

The first residents of Brighton Bay are seeing a neighborhood of homes, townhomes and apartments take shape.

By SHARON L. BOND

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 27, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- The 168 acres of vacant land across Gandy Boulevard from Derby Lane is slowly turning into a residential community.

Renters are in the new apartments, and a few buyers have moved into some of the single-family homes. Townhomes soon will be occupied.

Brighton Bay, at the northern end of St. Petersburg, has a formal entrance off Gandy Boulevard, and if built according to plan, will have about 1,000 residences.

Centex Homes is building 120 single-family homes, 150 townhomes and 382 apartments in the first phase of development. A second phase calls for 394 more apartments.

The apartments are called the Coves at Brighton Bay. About 100 are leased. Residents began moving in the first of July, according to Peter Pascucci, project manager for the multifamily portion.

"About 30 percent of the first phase is done," Pascucci said. Included in that phase are 15 buildings, 14 with apartments and one clubhouse. Four of the buildings are either occupied or ready for occupancy.

The apartments include one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Some have garages. Rents range from $690 to $1,250.

"We have 12 different floor plans. The difference is in the square footage," said Kay Deal, property manager for the apartment complex.

Renters work in Tampa, St. Petersburg or at companies in the area of Brighton Bay, including Raymond James Financial, Jabil Circuit or Home Shopping Network, Deal said. A number of residents are from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

Thirty-five single-family homes have sold, according to Kevin Cross, director of marketing for Centex. Sales prices ran from $160,000 to $280,000, he said.

About 15 of the 150 townhomes have been sold, and the first building is about 70 percent complete, Cross said. Townhomes range from $125,000 to $150,000. Developers were required by the city of St. Petersburg to add single-car garages to the townhomes, making them more expensive than initially planned, Cross said.

Brighton Bay's recreation area is being expanded. It will have a heated pool, tennis courts, basketball court and a sand volleyball area. Kids will have a playground.

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