Seaside spawns other New Urbanism communities

Click on image of Rosemary Beach for larger view

Seaside is recognized as the first neotraditional town, based on the principles of new urbanism developed by Duany Plater-Zyberk (DPZ). In response to its success, similar developments took form along Highway 30A in the panhandle of Florida and in other parts of the country.

The second such development in the area was Rosemary Beach, incorporated in 1995 and so named because of the wild rosemary in the area. Rosemary Beach, also designed by DPZ, integrated many of the design elements found at Seaside as well as new elements:

• front doors that open onto boardwalks instead of streets
• garages located off alleys at the rear of the property
• density more like that of an urban village
• architectural style that is heavily influenced by the West Indies

A check of current real estate listings showed 90 homes on the market with asking prices ranging from $280 to more than $1600 per square foot. To give you an idea of the other costs of ownership in these communities, the Rosemary Beach association fees run $950 per quarter and annual property taxes on a home valued at $1M would be approximately $9K.

Surrounding Seaside is the new community of WaterColor, developed by the St. Joe Company. St. Joe is the largest landowner in the state and has several communities in development. WaterColor, designed by Jaquelin Robertson, covers 499 acres and does a reasonably good job of adjoining Seaside though it lacks the charm of the original. Density seems comparable to Seaside. Homes reflect various architectural styles including shotgun, craftsman, and classic southern with wraparound screened porches and metal roofs.

Values in WaterColor range from $350 to $650 per square foot. According to a local realtor, the development added too much inventory too fast, causing the relatively lower values seen today. WaterColor brought more commercial space to the area, including a Publix grocery store, providing competition to the small local markets and eliminating the need to drive 25 miles each way to find groceries and necessities.

WaterSound is the other St. Joe development in Walton County. Covering 256 acres, WaterSound is unique in that it is the only gated community of the group. Designed by Robert A.M. Stern, it is the most affordable of the communities. Lots are offered at $150K - $200K; homes are listed for $250 to $400 per square foot or $500K to $700K. The architectural style is fairly unappealing and regionally disconnected. I would describe it as evolutionary beach - you will find in the mix shake and shingle homes that would be more at home in the northeast.

These new urbanism communities are all beach towns located on one of the most beautiful stretches of shoreline in the country. They are not conventional towns in which residents live and work year-round and they are not affordable for most. They are connected by the beach and by the scenic drive that is highway 30-A but there is no public transportation connecting the communities to each other or to the world outside south Walton County. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. In Post 3, I'll look beyond Walton County at the now widespread influence of Seaside and new urbanism.