The entrance to Granada Park, off Bay Road west of Osprey Avenue in Sarasota. Staff photo / Harold Bubil
The resurgence happened when two of the original homeowners, Adlai Schrock and J. Daniel LaBriola, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, bought the land from the bank. Schrock, a successful developer and homebuilder in the Midwest, brought his experience to bear in figuring out how to best revitalize the project.
When they interviewed builders and contractors, Michael Saunders & Co., which had been involved with Granada Park from the beginning, suggested MGB Homes, a luxury home builder. Its co-owners, Stephen Ellis and Grant Castilow, have constructed about 50
A colorful house in Granada Park. Staff photo / Harold Bubil
residences along the Sarasota waterfront.
“We don’t typically build in communities,” says Ellis. “But as exclusive builders here, we can control the quality, so we felt it was a good fit for us.”
Over the past two years, MGB, also known as My Green Buildings, has improved the landscaping, put in a pool and cabana, and just finished a model home. “The reason it took so long is that we had to track down all the individual property owners and banks and get them to sign off. Then we could close out, replat, and begin construction,” Ellis explains.
Originally, Granada Park had been planned as a multi-use development with some houses, a clubhouse, and three-story condo and apartment buildings. Only nine houses were built, leaving 16 lots to be filled. The permitting now is for family
A sale is pending on this bank-owned Granada Park house that is listed at $514,900 by Joleen Roskamp of Allison James Estates & Homes. It has four bedrooms and three baths in 2,365 square feet. Staff photo / Harold Bubil
residential, cluster housing, requiring houses 10 feet apart. “They’re small lots, which allows us to build better homes and give people a lot more in the construction and finished features,” says Ellis.
“We stayed with the original styling — coastal craftsman, two-story homes you would see up north,” he continues.
In contrast with other local buildings, where the second story is made of plywood, the construction is concrete block throughout. Inside, all cabinets are custom made with solid wood — no particle board. Doors are solid, too, not hollow core. “Smart home” controls let owners control lights, music and air conditioning throughout the house from an iPad.
Above the two-car garage is a covered porch with ceiling fans, open on three sides, with a TV above a free-standing fireplace and an outdoor kitchen. The tile floor has a slight pitch so rainwater drains off. “We took a risk putting three porches on this model, so we didn’t get maximum square footage,” says Ellis. “But we think it’s worth it to build a slightly smaller house that’s really well laid-out and well put-together.”
The many eco-friendly features include impact-resistant windows and hurricane-hardened roof and wall sheathing. The insulated attic is a pleasant 80 degrees, even when the summer sun beats down on the roof. Each home will come with Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) certification that indicates lower operating costs and maintenance expenses, enhanced indoor air quality, greater durability and improved resale value.
Models have three or four bedrooms with a home office or bonus room, and range in size from 2,200 to 4,200-plus square feet under air. Prices start at $829,000 and top $1 million, depending on size and upgrades.
A quarterly HOA fee of $1,194 covers water, sewer, landscaping and road maintenance, street lights and the two gates into the subdivision, from Bay Road and Almeria Street. “Through the replatting process, we disbanded the condos and reinstated a homeowners’ association, so everybody got a $100,000 value bump,” says Ellis.
Granada Park has a convenient location. Siesta Key’s beaches and downtown Sarasota are a 10-minute drive. Publix, the Westfield Southgate Mall, and Barnes and Noble are within walking distance; Southside Village, Trader Joe’s and the abundance of restaurants on the Tamiami Trail are not much farther away.
Most of the existing residents are second homeowners, newly retired and soon to be retired. A local concierge doctor recently bought into the neighborhood, and MGB just registered its first sale to a single buyer from up north. According to Ellis, there have been inquiries from the medical community because of Granada Park’s proximity to Sarasota Memorial hospital.
“With permitting and build time, it will take around nine months from the time someone signs the contract to moving in,” he says. “We expect to be built out the next year and half.”
