About Casa Del Mar of St George Island Florida
Situated on 16
ac(6.47ha) of pristine blue waters of Florida's North central Gulf coast,
Casa del Mar is considered one of the premier remaining waterfront locations in
Florida today. With 930 lf
of white sand beaches, the property was appraised in 2006 in excess of 30
million dollars. The raw land value alone will likely go much higher than that
when the housing industry finally turns upward
in Florida as it always has.
I was briefed in 2007 to
assist the owners (Mahr Development Corporation) in evolving several concepts re
how the site could be maximized for resort style living. The developer
determined that, from
his market analysis, the best mix for the site would have the following
components:
·
30-33 single family residences capable
of operating off grid and withstanding category 5 hurricanes. A tall order but
doable with evolving green tech with all of its sustainable energy solutions now
available
·
a community clubhouse with a heated,
zero entry pool with spa, set in a south sea atmosphere. The facility would also
have a meeting room, small gym, creative, light food service, 24/7 atm
and credit card vending for basic needs.
· extensive on site passive and active recreation that includes beach activities, tennis, golf, bocce, jogging , biking, rock climbing and playgrounds.
· an on site lake for both aesthetic and practical needs that include storm water filtering, irrigation and recreation activities.
· a maintenance center that would house the small waste treatment plant, maintenance equipment, resident storage lockers and car and boat storage..
· develop the small 2 acre existing on site "golden pond" into a major asset for the community.
Three designs were created that proved very popular with the developer and the home owners association, who was very interested in the project as well. A summary of these three strategies are:
The Butterfly design
So named from the shape of the lot configuration that enabled maximum
resident enjoyment of oceanfront living. Some 32 lots were positioned to allow
uninterrupted access to the beach while
assuring views of the gulf for every house. Another big plus of this design was
it allowed maximum movement of seasonal trade winds throughout the site.
The
Par 3
This design includes six state of the art golf fairways with typical par 3
configurations that would satisfy both amateur and professional level golfers
with its creative green and trap layout and variable
tee starts and multiple green designs.
The No Roads or Golf Cart scheme.
Both developers and land planners have long felt that as valuable as
personal automobiles are to people they definitely detract from the quality of
life for residential living. It's largely agreed that autos are
noisy, dangerous and messy affairs that should somehow be left out of the
everyday living equation if possible. The rapid rise in affordability and access
to the SEV (small electric vehicle) makes a scheme
like the one I created possible.
An ample community
parking area for both autos and SEV's would service the 32 house scheme on a day
to day basis. Only SEV's would be allowed beyond the parking area. Residents
could quietly
and comfortably traverse the entire site in their private "golf carts" for beach
access, visits to the clubhouse and beyond the area to the islands beaches,
shops and restaurants.
Casa del Mar Phase Two is heavily involved in utilization of green technology
with the following commitments:
· all
single family residences will have state of the art solar power generating
capacity and rain harvesting features. Roofs will have solar technology built
into them and both attic and below ground
cisterns will supply most of the water needs of the residents.
the
maintenance center will be a sustainable design with over 5000 sf of roof area
committed to solar arrays and water harvesting cisterns. Solar power will run
pump systems for sewer treatment
and irrigation, as well as all site lighting and surveillance cameras.
A 2009 aerial view of Casa Del Mar. At 29 degrees of latitude, the site
enjoys brilliant white sand beaches, crystal clear waters and a balmy climate
with short mild winters and endless sunshine.
Located in the upscale ,gated community of The Plantation and surrounded by
national -- state parks and water, Casa Del Mar is a very private affair which has its
own air strip about a mile away. Another
major positive for the location is St. George Island can never be built out
because surrounding Franklin county is largely owned by either the National
or State Park systems. These huge assets that
the site offers has not been lost on major resort developers who know unusual
potential when they see it.
▼▼
The Par 3
A community with golf as a major focus for the residents. This one of two Par 3
schemes has 6
regulation par 3 irrigated fairways and two practice greens near the clubhouse
The lot pattern concentrated on minimum distance to the beach for all residents
with custom designed passageways for second tier houses. The
clubhouse location demonstrated how a center close to the beach would relate to
the rest of the community.
▼▼
The Butterfly layout
Named for the shape of the lot pattern shown .The Butterfly would allow all
residents maximum visual association with the Gulf re views and enhanced
beach
access via an imaginative open landscaped passage. The clubhouse location shown tests a
point of entry possibility in lieu of a near beach location
and creates a
waterfront
theme by designing a town plaza, bandstand and park around the existing small
pond that would feature dancing fountains and
custom lighting. A heliport, practice greens, adventure park and tennis center would be part of the amenities
package. One option shown in this scheme
is a shared use of lake mahr by the
local scouting organizations (boy and girl scouts, sea scouts and others)
▼▼
The
Butterfly's clubhouse enlarged plaza plan
Would use the existing small pond as a focal point and create a waterfront
atmosphere including a 3600 sf town mini plaza, a community bandstand, giant
chess board, dancing fountains and custom lighting as theme material.
▼▼
Below is an enlarged top or 2nd level plan and
elevation of the proposed hi-level clubhouse. It's a very efficient use of 1800
sf of heated space with a
lot of activity accommodated on 2 levels. The structure is designed for high
wind loads and possible tidal surges from hurricanes. The indoor or hvac
part of the structure is on the 2nd level would offer the following
services:
-----a snack bar with a walk in10x14' cooler that would double as a catering
center cold storage for the community
-----a small 10 x16' meeting room for the various clubs
(photography--painting--ecology study--etc)
-----a 14x18' lounge, a 6x14 "store" for newspapers, sun tan oil, towels, etc.
and a recycled book-magazine and movie cd center
-----a 12x20 gym with sauna, a vend center for atm use, maps, postal needs, etc,
men and women rest rooms, utility area and 4 x6 elevator
The second level outdoor area would have a wrap around 9'
veranda with seating areas, an outdoor grill area for use by guests to cook
fresh seafood
and showers as well as counter access to the snack bar . The ground level would
have a play area and wading pool for small children and a fenced larger
pool for adults and older children.
▼▼
Clubhouse elevation-part section. The structure is
Mediterranean in character and its main level is 10 above ground with elevator
and stair access.
▼▼
Optional 3 level larger clubhouse for a wider guest
base from other Mahr Development projects in the region. This scheme would offer
a pool and
seafood buffet on the top or third level with sweeping views of the gulf and bay, a full
service gym with sauna and massage service and ground level
playground and beach
gear
storage.
Enlarged detail of the 3 level clubhouse
study showing how the cast brass turtles would be fitted to the wall separating
the adult and children's pools
▼▼
View southward over the Gulf of Mexico from the 3rd
level pool deck. A gourmet seafood buffet with an open bar would also be a
feature of this
fabulous spot.
▼▼
kent mccoy landscape architect
po box 976 eastpoint fl 32328
ph or fax 850 927 4897 email
kentmccoy40@gmail.com