Developer Bob Nelson’s Royal Palm Pointe 4-unit luxury townhouse project, 21 Royal Harbour, is getting a lot of buzz, with stepped up activity on the construction site, and two of the units approaching completion in the next couple months.
Nelson and his partners purchased the .57-acre property for $1.9 million in late 2015, took down the building that had housed a lighting store and the old Cafe du Soir, and broke ground on the new development the following March.
In addition to the eminently desirable location – 200 front feet along the South Canal, with deep-water access to the Intracoastal – Nelson saw the timing as perfect: The Quail Valley Club was planning to build a small, elegant hotel and restaurant at the end of Royal Palm Pointe, and Nelson knew the luxury residences he envisioned would be an especially great fit for Quail members, with club dining and socializing literally steps from their front doors.
The Quail project, which opened its doors in mid-2016, has proven extremely successful, enhanced further by a custom-built, 26-passenger launch, which ferries Club members and guests between the River Club, just across the lagoon, and the Royal Palm Pointe facility every half hour.
A key aspect of the 21 Royal Harbour endeavor is the top-notch team Nelson has assembled to shepherd the project from start to finish: Nelson himself, a visionary with four decades of experience and hundreds of units to his credit; renowned architect Jeff Ray, A1A, Atelier d’ Architecture; general contractor Joseph Foglia, Foglia Contracting Corp., with numerous multimillion-dollar projects under his belt; interior designer Page Franzel, owner of Page 2 Design, with 30-plus years’ experience in commercial and residential design; and listing agents Kay Brown and Cindy O’Dare, multimillion-dollar, award-winning broker associates with luxury Florida real estate firm Premier Estate Properties.
Having the architect, developer, contractor and interior designer working together, as a team, Foglia has said, “is very unusual in a multi-family project.”
Calling the project “a true team effort,” Nelson emphasizes that including the interior designer from the start helps bring the project to “a whole new level.”
“Using the decorator at the beginning of the project is remarkable,” O’Dare comments.
Says Franzel, “Our clients are sophisticated and savvy. We wanted to set a scene using a neutral, soft pallet geared toward gray/taupe, which seems to be the most popular direction,” enabling buyers to more easily visualize their own tastes and furnishings. Now, and up until all the design elements are locked in, there is a window of opportunity during which a buyer can consult with the interior designer and put their own stamp on a 21 Royal Harbour townhouse.
Unit prices, says Nelson, are based on proximity to the lagoon: Unit A, closest to the water, lists for $1,995,000; Unit C, for $1,945,000; and Unit D, for $1,870,000. Unit B is currently under contract.
Each 2-story unit in the development offers a 2-car garage, two boat slips and a private, covered waterfront terrace with pool. At 3,300 square feet, the homes are far more spacious than they appear from the street.
Anyone interested in owning a 21 Royal Harbour unit should not dally. With the currently hot local luxury market, the remaining three could easily be snapped up before construction is complete, and there’s virtually no comparable waterfront property in the county left to develop.
“The market is great,” says O’Dare. “We’ve had a lot of inquiries. We feel we’ll sell out this season.”
Franzel says she’s also getting a flood of calls about the new homes.
Enjoying a resurgence of activity, Royal Palm Pointe is becoming a very popular local “destination,” as new businesses join established ones. There are now seven restaurants, soon to be eight, three salons and a yoga studio on the Pointe itself, and its location, within a mile of the Miracle Mile shopping complex, about two miles from the ocean and three miles from the hospital, further enhances its appeal.
Says Kay Brown, “For anyone who likes to be on the river, this provides the perfect Vero Beach lifestyle.”
