Sandoval popular in Cape Coral

COURTESY PHOTO Sandoval Entry. When it comes to master-planned communities in Southwest Florida, the Bonita Bay Group is consistantly mentioned among the best.

Now the group has expanded its Lee County reach with Sandoval, a 524-acre gated community located on Veterans Parkway in Cape Coral.

Sandoval has benefited from brisk sales of late, according to corporate reports, as 2007 sales surpassed the 2006 total. The community of 1,569 planned homes is being completed in three phases. More than 84 percent of the 579 firstphase releases and 14 percent of the 541 second-phase releases sold as of January, said Meredith Parsons, Bonita Bay Group marketing coordinator.

Parsons said the community's preferred builders - Taylor Morrison and Pulte, Ryland and David Weekley homes - have been a sales feature. "They've got a great price point," she said.

The villas and carriage and single-family homes range from the high $100,000 to more than $500,000. Among the largest single-family homes is Pulte's Davenport model, which has four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. The twostory plan has 2,650 square feet of living space. Another larger plan is Taylor Morrison's Daphene model of four bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms and 2,598 square feet of living.

COURTESY PHOTO Sandoval Esplanade. Each builder has at least one neighborhood, Parsons said. The Bonita Bay Group lists six neighborhoods as available, and Pulte is the builder in three, including the carriage homes of Somerville to the left of the Veterans Parkway entrance. The homes have waterfront views, some to the 22-acre Calypso Lake, the largest of 19 lakes in the first two phases of the community.

In April, Ken and Gayle Darby closed on their Pulte villa in the Belleville neighborhood, which borders a cul-desac near the rear of the community. The retirees, both 65, moved in during November.

They learned of Sandoval from visiting friends who lived there. The couple had been renting in the Cape during short visits in recent years.

"We do have other friends in other areas, but we really preferred a gated community," said Gayle Darby, adding that they maintain a primary residence in Rhode Island and winter here.

COURTESY PHOTO The Chute Waterslide at Sandoval. She said they have 1,725 square feet of living area, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an office/den with sleeping accommodations for guests. They have a two-car garage.

"It just seems to be the perfect size for us," she said. "Very little maintenance."

Parsons said the community is multigenerational because it has a mix of active retired and young families. Many of the year-round residents have relocated from elsewhere in the area, while some from northern states spend the winter here.

"I think it's great for young people who have young children too," Darby said. "I lived in a 55 and older community. I really prefer this type of community because there are still a lot of working families."

She and her husband live not far from Sandoval's 5,319-square foot community center, a hub of activity facilitated by a lifestyle director. Among the amenities is a 7,500-square foot lagoon pool that Darby described as resort-like.

The award-winning free form pool is one of the largest in Lee County, Parsons said. Tennis courts, a fitness room and paths for walking and biking are other features.

The community center offerings cater to all ages and interests. For example, Sandoval has karate and watercolor classes, movie nights and community bingo. Darby said she and her husband went on a boat cruise to Cayo Costa. They went on a wine and dine cruise that departed from behind Rumrunners at Cape Harbour and received an appetizer and small meal from Pignoli, one of the dining establishments at the yachting community.

The 4 1/2 acre Calypso Park by Calypso Lake has a fishing pier and picnic area. Also overlooking the water is Barkley Park, a fenced dog park. Another Bonita Bay project, Verandah in Fort Myers, has a dog park too. "They both seem to be very popular," Parsons said.

Residents also appreciate the Shops at Surfside adjacent to the development.