PHOTO PROVIDED BY MINTO COMMUNITIES
Construction on the first 48 units in the Perico Island development should begin within 30 days, according to Mike Belmont, executive vice president for Minto Communities.
Minto is a subsidiary of the Canadian Minto Group, which purchased the development from St. Joe last fall. Belmont said the company is currently continuing with construction of the infrastructure, both existing and new, and will begin construction of a sales and information center in two or three weeks.
“We plan to open the center Nov. 1 and will launch six floor plans,” Belmont continued. “They will be from 1,600 to 2,500 square feet and a few can add optional features. They will be priced in the low to mid $300,000 range, and we plan to begin sales by early 2011.”
The majority will be two-story, three-unit buildings with the option for a viewing room on a third floor.
All will have a view of the man-made lake or the mangrove preserve. “The theme is a Southern, coastal resort feel,” Belmont explained. “We will build an entry feature – a guard house with a viewing tower and people can cross the lake on a wooden bridge and there will be a gathering area with a recreation center and a pool.”
Originally, the project called for construction of 13 buildings, of varying heights, including some high-rise structures.
However, Belmont said the way the company proceeds with the numbers and heights of the rest of the project's buildings and units will “depend on market demand.”
The company also owns the property that once housed the Perico Harbor Marina, which St. Joe purchased in 2004 and tore down in 2008. The approved plan for the marina includes a wet slip marina, shops, restaurants and offices on the 16.52-acre site.
“We plan to build the 119-slip marina that was approved, but not at this time,” Belmont said. “We will be doing more clearing in that area in the near future.”