West Bay offers plenty of options for residents

COURTESY PHOTO West Bay Club is an 850-acre country club resort that's large enough to offer an array of amenities and small enough to navigate on foot, or golf cart. Residents of the West Bay Club don't have far to go to find paradise.

The Estero gated community of luxury residences is a bells and whistles destination for the active at heart. The development's advertising pitch is "Wake Up and Play," according to Audrey Ruden, managing director of the project.

"We are a sport and nature paradise," Ruden said. "It is small enough to navigate on foot, and it has every first-class amenity."

A Lehman Brothers project west of U.S. 41, the 850-acre tract boasts 500 acres of nature preserves and plenty of sporting avenues. Amenities allow residents to indulge in activities such as golf, swimming and tennis and to use a fitness center equipped with state-ofthe art equipment.

River Park offers fly-fishing, kayaking, canoeing and basketball, even a greenhouse where organic herb and vegetables can grow, Ruden said. West Bay has a Beach Club on Little Hickory Island.

COURTESY PHOTOS The Towers at West Bay Club are comprised of spacious residences with panoramic views of Estero Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. "It's a very peaceful, relaxed atmosphere," said Marilyn Wexler, West Bay's director of marketing.

"Our neighborhood is unique because you don't have the road noise," said Michael Hawkins, vice president of development. "Everybody always says our community is so quiet. It's really a hidden secret."

Ruden said the community has attracted people ages 45 to 65, especially Midwesterners and Northeasterners, who are traditionally Southwest Florida homebuyers. Their West Bay purchases are mostly second residences, she said.

"It is a luxurious development but more relaxed and casual in its feeling," she said. "We're not a traditional community. We're a little more contemporary. These people are very active."

Two high-rises of luxury resort condominiums capture the beauty and scope of development. Units cost from the $600,000s to $2 million, Wexler said.

The Jasmine Bay towers have views overlooking picturesque, lush landscape. They have 22 floors with the penthouse, said John Buehler, director of sales. The South tower has 109 units and the North 108. The South tower has two models on the 18th floor and one on the ground floor, he said.

Thirteen units in the North tower and 17, including two models, in the South tower were available as of last week, according to West Bay, though Buehler said they are not the final releases in the towers. The units range from 1,765 square feet for two bedrooms, three bathrooms and den to 2,350 square feet for three bedrooms and three and one-half bathrooms. Each unit has balcony views to the east and west, Buehler said.

Ruden said two additional high-rises are planned for the immediate future.

The condos are alongside the 18-hole golf course designed by Pete and P.B. Dye and near the eight Har-Tru courts at the Cliff Drysdale Tennis center, fitness center and junior Olympic swimming pool.

Single-family homes, villas and carriage houses are other residential options for community members. Eight neighborhoods occupy the other side of the tennis courts, fitness center and pool, the site plan shows. The homes, which Buehler said range from the $600,000s to the millions, have water, golf course and preserve views. Models are in place in the neighborhoods.

COURTESY PHOTO The Audubon Signature golf course was designed and built with respect to the abundant wildlife in the surrounding 500-acre nature preserve. Twelve of the course's 18 holes have water features. Preferred builders Arthur Rutenberg Homes/Lyons Housing Corp., Sovereign Homes, Breakwater Custom Homes Inc., Zuckerman Homes and The Hine Group have two or more models displayed on the online site.

Homes have all the comforts of luxury. Some builders include interior extras such as gyms and exterior additions such as privacy gardens. For example, Sovereign's two-story St. Regis Grand has 5,265 square feet of living space. The plan has four bedrooms, four and onehalf bathrooms plus his and her master baths, media room and study. Breakwater's Sansuci model offers 3,458 square feet of living area. With three bedrooms and three and one-half bathrooms, the design allows for a parlor and study.

In addition, the spacious designs afford flexibility to adapt. Zuckerman's Tuscany model - 3,273 square feet - has three bedrooms and four bathrooms with an option for a fourth bedroom or den. Hine Group's Peruzzi design is 3,469 square feet, with three bedrooms, three and one-half bathrooms and an option for a fourth bedroom.

West Bay will have 1,016 front doors when the community is complete, Buehler said.