$3 Million Set for LBK Bayfront Park Upgrade


 

Work on the redevelopment and expansion of Bayfront Park in Longboat Key could start by yearend of 2015 or early 2016 as the Sarasota County Commission approved a $2 million counterpart funding for the project in June 2015. The town of Longboat Key has already allocated $1 million for this park’s upgrade.

The proposed improvements for the 8.6-acre park include the construction of a kayak launch and separate parks for small and large dogs. Basketball and pickleball courts, a native rain garden and a mangrove interpretive walk are also on the project’s drawing board, the implementation of which should help further sharpen market interest in Longboat Key homes for sale.

Open to all residents of Longboat Key, Bayfront Park already has a number of existing recreation facilities including a 1,350-square-foot activity room, shuffleboard courts, playgrounds, soccer/softball field, tennis courts and picnic tables overlooking the athletic field. With these amenities, the public park as a recreation center has become a popular hub not only for organized sports activities. Bayfront Park’s building is also a local venue for lectures, cultural classes and seminars, educational programs, social functions, and special events for all interests and ages.

Nearby nature preserves

$3 Million Set for LBK Bayfront Park Upgrade

Three other parks contribute much to the quality of life in the barrier island which molds Longboat Key homes for sale as among the most desirable properties in the Manatee-Sarasota real estate market. A short distance north of Bayfront Park is the 32-acre Joan M. Durante Park adjacent to Sarasota Bay. This park is a wetland and hammock forest showcase with trails and boardwalks for a close appreciation of the natural environment.

South of Bayfront Park, there’s the one-acre Bicentennial Park, smaller but definitely attractive for walkers and cyclists. Also at the southern end of Longboat Key is the Overlook Park which provides a vantage point for watching boats traversing New Pass. Maintained by the town, this property owned by the Florida Department of Transportation has facilities for picnics and fishing. It also provides parking and access, via a wooden walkway under the New Pass Bridge, to the Quick Point Nature Preserve.

Reference point for home buyers

For prospective buyers of Longboat Key homes for sale, the immediate vicinity of Bayfront Park should be a great starting point in searching for available properties. Just beside the park, for instance, is 45-home community of Longboat Key Estates. Only June 2015, a three-bedroom residence here built in 1958 with a floor area of 1,578 square feet was sales-listed at an asking price just a shade under the $600s.

One prime listing in this community is a 4,446-square-foot canal-front home built in 1955 with five bedrooms and offered at just a shade under $2 million. The amenities in this classy and elegant neighborhood include a gated 400-foot private beach, a bayside dock, and a community well.

Several condos are also near Bayfront Park, one of which is the exclusive, 10-unit La Firenza built in 2007. The condos here are housed in two separate buildings and are typically priced in the $2 million-$4 million range, featuring three bedrooms within floor areas from 3,520 up to 4,810 square feet.