PHOTO GALLERY: Cypress Creek Estates
Some neighborhoods are so well hidden that, unless you have a knowledgeable friend or Realtor, you’re won’t even know they are there.
One such place is Cypress Creek Estates in Bradenton, a community of 90 home sites on the Manatee River. It may only be a couple of minutes’ drive from Interstate 75, but you would never know it.
Take State Road 64 west from the Interstate to the Walmart and turn right on Cypress Creek Road. Head north for about a mile, crossing over I-75, until you reach the automatic gates. Behind them is a charming, quiet, well-kept neighborhood with a magic all its own.
There is attractive landscaping, with tall palm trees throughout and a feeling of being surrounded by water. A sense of openness prevails, yet the way the houses are situated on the lots, owners enjoy a good deal of privacy, as well.
The high-end, custom-built homes all occupy at least an acre. Most are three- and four-bedroom homes, ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 square feet.
“As of a year ago, I did not know the community,” says Stephanie Shaw, a broker-associate with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty. “When we discovered it, we were impressed and realized that it is a wonderful place.”
She and her business partner, Glo Reber, have two listings and a pending sale there, and love the spacious atmosphere.
“It’s rare to find lots that large in a suburban development so close to everything,” says Shaw.
The estate-sized homes date from the early 1980s to the late 1990s and come in a variety of architectural styles — mostly Mediterranean and contemporary Florida. Columned entries, circular driveways and corbeled roofs in red, white and gray tiles abound. The community is beautifully landscaped, and all of the utilities are underground.
Homeowners’ association fees of $900 a year cover the maintenance of common areas, roads, front gates, streetlights, fountains and landscaping, as well as a newsletter and community website.
Created by Bradenton real estate developer Robert Bennett, Cypress Creek Estates is for people who like to be on the water. More than three-fourths of the home sites are riverfront or lakefront properties. Twenty-five lie directly on the Manatee River. The rest back onto Cypress Creek, the neighborhood’s southern border, or are located on Ninth Avenue Circle, which loops around the large lake in the middle of the community and has small cul de sacs that branch off to either side of the street.
The 5,000 feet of riverfront offer beautiful views and provide plenty of opportunities for boating, fishing and watersports. Several of the homes on the Manatee River have long piers with fishing docks and boat lifts at the end. From there, residents can visit restaurants, marinas and other boating communities along the way to the Intracoastal Waterway, Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
Residents are a mix of retirees and working professionals. According to Shaw, “About 25 physicians and their families live in the neighborhood.”
The school buses that take neighborhood children to the district schools — Freedom Elementary, Carlos E. Haile Middle and Braden River High — pick up inside the gates.
“That’s very appealing to families with younger children,” she explains.
They also appreciate the proximity of Tom Bennett Park, just to the south, with conservation areas, lakes and nature trails. The 200-acre recreational facility also offers beach volleyball courts, a soccer field, fishing pier, playground with a rope challenge course, and a pavilion with picnic tables.
While Cypress Creek Estates is off the beaten track, it is also conveniently located. Major grocery stores, banks, fast-food chains and restaurants are within easy driving distance along State Road 64. The Ellenton Outlet Mall is only one exit up the Interstate. Lakewood Ranch’s Main Street and the new Mall at University Town Center are not much farther to the south. Tampa is just 45 minutes by car; St. Petersburg less than 30 minutes. Downtown Bradenton is 10 minutes away.
“There is a sense of privacy and seclusion, but people also look out for one another,” says Shaw. “It is a beautiful place.”
Currently, the neighborhood has seven homes on the market, priced from $279,000 to $995,000, and one pending sale. There are also some buildable home sites available.
