Tarpon Point brings upscale living to Cape Coral

Bob Hensley It all began with a six-year-old's vacation trip to Sanibel in 1963.

That's when Tarpon Point developer Bob Hensley fell in love with Southwest Florida.

His Grosse Point Development Company's addition to Cape Coral - which includes a marina, luxury single-family homes, coach homes, two 12-story condominium buildings and an under-construction, 184-room resort condominium hotel - has been an impetus for growth and development.

"Tarpon Point came in and it benefited the whole city," said state Rep. Gary Aubuchon, R-Cape Coral. "It made people think of Cape Coral not just as a bedroom community, but as a high-class resort. With the addition of the condominium hotel and shops it really establishes us as a resort in Southwest Florida that compares with Sanibel or Naples. It gave the city the opportunity to attract investors and future residents."

Originally from Michigan, where his parents worked for the Uniroyal tire company, Hensley named his company after one of the swankiest towns in that state.

"Grosse Point, Michigan was very well planned and well respected and has the finest qualities, homes and materials," Hensley said. "It represents the very best way to do things."

COURTESY PHOTO Tarpon Point in Southeast Cape Coral includes MarinaVillage, a $150-million project with a condominium hotel, restaurants, offices and shopping. Hensley moved to Fort Myers in 1980 and began his career buying and selling commercial real estate.

Eventually, the time became ripe for Hensley to start his own company. His objective was to capture the luxury lifestyle he sought by building communities that reflected his vision.

By 1997, Grosse Point was building the high-rise Palmas del Sol in the Gulf Harbour Yacht & Country Club, overlooking the Caloosahatchee River.

That development won the Aurora Award for Best Community in the Southeastern United States.

Hensley's company estimated it's brought more than $1 billion into the communities it has built in, which include ones in Orlando, Fort Myers and Cape Coral.

Probably the newest project to excite Hensley is the construction of MarinaVillage at Tarpon Point Marina.

"I'm best at looking at a piece of land and having the vision to see what can be built there," Hensley said. "I then go to my architect and development team to make it real. I deal primarily with sales and marketing, not so much construction."

Hensley's vision for Tarpon Point included MarinaVillage, a $150-million project including a condominium hotel, restaurant, office and shopping complex within the already thriving resort development.

That the housing market staggers through a downturn doesn't bother Hensley. He's seen it before.

"This business is cyclical; we're about at the bottom," Hensley said. "In a couple years when the baby boomers get here en mass, we'll be ready. They'll stay at the hotel and then they'll decide to buy at the resort."

Owners of condos in the hotel will enjoy concierge services, room service and all the other amenities typical of a fine hotel. The restaurant's spa services and retail shopping will be open to all.

Tarpon Point Marina officially broke ground in October. The 19-story condo hotel will anchor Marina Village at the resort in the Cape's Southwest along the Caloosahatchee.

The complex, scheduled for completion in 2009, will join Grosse Point's 175-slip, deep water marina already in use, 120 completed park and lake view coach homes in Tarpon Gardens, a three mid-rise Tarpon Landings village with 210 homes already occupied and Tarpon Estates with single-home sites.

Tarpon Estates offers lots ranging from one-quarter acre to an acre with custom home and lot packages priced from $1.9 million.

Preferred builders at Tarpon Estates remain Aubuchon Homes, Boran Craig Barber Homes and Harborside Custom Homes. The classic Mediterranean style is the featured architectural style.

In about 10 years, build out plans call for there to be 976 single homes and condominiums in the community.

"MarinaVillage is at the very heart of our development," said Nick Cross, director of sales and marketing for Grosse Point. "We are hoping for a grand opening in November, 2009. We are very confident the real estate market will be back to a normal market by then and we will be well positioned for it."

The hotel's 184 condominiums sitting right on the water are priced from the high $600,000s to more than $1 million.

As a destination resort, the complex will have easily accessible boating, a swimming pool, a deck, wine bar, coffee bar and two, 200-seat restaurants with river views. Boat shuttles to Fort Myers Beach, fishing and sightseeing guides and boat rentals are all available.

SunStream Hotels & Resorts, a Fort Myers company, will take care of management chores. SunStream currently manages Diamond Head Beach Resort, Gullwing Beach Resort and others in Fort Myers Beach. It also manages the Bellasera Hotel and two other properties in Naples.

"The idea for the hotel is excellent," said Joe Palazzolo, a resident who divides his time between homes in Michigan and Tarpon Point. "I won't have to go far for a good meal and to enjoy the company of other boaters."

After docking, boaters can walk along a promenade past a day spa, upscale ice cream store, a specialty food market and other retail outlets.

Carrying the theme of building a community where people can live, work and play, plans call for 45,000 square feet of retail and office space for professionals such as attorneys, insurance agents and others in the village.

The possibility that 300 jobs will be created when the project is completed is a plus for the community, Cross said.

There are also plans for banquet facilities for everything from weddings to board meetings. All can be planned by a full-time special events manager.

Tarpon Point plans to contain what sociologist Ray Oldenburg called in his book by the same name, "The Great Good Place."

Oldenburg looked around and thought many places lacked a sense of community. He said that there were three places in life: work, home and the third place.

The third place is the heart of a community where people can meet, talk and make new friends. It can be a café, bar, restaurant, hair salon, spa or any other hangout where people are comfortable, Oldenburg said.

It can also be a swimming pool such as the one where five friends were doing their aqua aerobics last month.

"When the hotel and the stores get built they will have a huge potential to attract people here," said Darla Lloyd, a year-long resident of Tarpon Point. "The more people that come here the more friends we can have."