Castaway Cove

Castaway Cove is on the barrier island in Vero Beach. Castaway has a total of six waves. Waves Six and Three are newer communities, located east of A1A. Wave Six has one the best beaches in Vero with a large dune. There are two accesses to the beach, and a 24 hour security guard.

Waves Four and Five are on the west side of A1A and also have a 24 hour security guard. They have many beautiful homes on the river and have beach access but no parking. Fabulous ocean breezes can be felt in Castaway Cove enhancing to your beach lifestyle.

The oldest Waves are One and Two and are gated communities with lower fees. Wave Two is west of A1A and have wonderfully wide river views. Wave 1 is east of A1A, has beautiful beaches and oceanfront homes. Castaway Cove has some of the nicest riverfront homes and some of the best oceanfront homes.

There are over 440 homes in all the Waves combined. Castaway is a kid friendly neighborhood. Children leave their bicycles at the guard house and get on the bus for school and then ride home.

Castaway Cove is located just south of the 17th Street Bridge, conveniently located to shopping just over the bridge like Publix and other stores.

Houses start in the $200,000 to $300,000 range. Riverfront homes in Castaway Cove start over a million. Oceanfront homes start at over $2 million. Castaway Cove is a great choice for your Oceanfront Home.

See all homes in Castaway Cove. See all Oceanfront Homes.

Call me today at (772) 473-7255 for more information on Castaway Cove or visit my website at www.verobeachislandrealestate.com

The following article was originally published in Vero Beach Newsweekly on December 29, 2011. This is a wonderful article that discusses the history of parks in Vero Beach. As a Vero Beach Realtor who tries to educate my clients to the local market, I understand the importance of parks in a community especially when considering purchasing a Vero Beach Home.

Parks Tell the Story of Growth of Vero Beach
by Lisa Rymer / Vero Beach Newsweekly / Dec. 29, 2011

The character of Vero Beach is very much defined by its park system. Its 17 major parks tell the city's history and provide insight into Vero's leaders and a glimpse into their governing principles that make this place so special.

Ironically, that invaluable open space parks provide helps evelate the value of surrounding properties. In fact, comparisons of the number of parks in communities similar to Veor Beach and the median home values seem to substantiate the claim that real estate prices increase relative to the lack of development.

For instance, in Vero Beach, a community of about 15,000 people, the median home value is $251,200. That's about 55 percent higher than the $161,700 median price of a home in Sebastian, a city with 22,000 residents and 14 parks.

The city of Stuart, which has about 15,600 residents, has 9 parks. The median home value is $115,700.

While each community must find its own balance of commercial, residential and parklands, studies confirm that development often requires more services - schools, police, fire, utilities, roads, etc. -- than what is paid in taxes to cover those services.

The benefits of open space, therefore, are actually lower costs to maintain land that bolsters the economy by attracting tourists, residents and even tax-paying businesses looking to expand.

In reviewing the history of Vero Beach, it becomes apparent that the dedication and preservation of parklands ultimately helped the community grow in a way that improved the quality of life and at the same time made financial sense.

RIVERSIDE PARK

When Alma Lee Loy was a young girl growing up in Vero Beach, Riverside Park was nothing more than swampland. Loy, a graduate of Vero Beach High School, class of 1947, said there were few venues for youth recreation other than the beach and a community building.

"We hung out at whatever root beer place was on US1," recalled Loy, a former business owner and a community leader for more than 50 years. Currently, there is a bill in Tallahassee to rename the 17th Street Bridge in her honor. "Back then, you either did things at school or you did things at church."

She remembers the area along the river being used as a dumping ground for debris from land being cleared on the island.

"Instead of trucking the debris to the dump, the city used it as fill dirt," she said, crediting former city parks director, Louis Green, with much of the layout.

In the mid 1940s, the first portion of what is now Riverside Park was deeded to the city. But, the real development of the park started in the 1960s.

"The dredge from working on the Merrill Barber Bridge provided additional fill for the park," said Don Dexter, manager of the city's public works.

From that point on, Riverside Park grew as the city acquired more land from both private individuals and other government agencies.

By 1967, the land was able to sustain the growth of trees and the Vero Beach Theatre Guild had erected a building on the property that would one day become Riverside Theatre.

In the 1970s and '80s, the city built tennis courts, restrooms, a boat launch and parking.

The Vero Beach Museum of Art was built in 1986. By 1991, the picnic pavillions north of Dahlia Lane were developed, along with the parking lot adjacent to the jogging trail.

"I hope that we never have any more buildings," said Loy, recalling some of the grander aspects of the master plan that didn't come to fruition, such as the bandstand and an amphitheater. "We would need to build on pilings because the foundation is just decayed trees, limbs and concrete."

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this park series.

In the meantime, if you are interested in Vero Beach Homes, please call me at (772) 473-7255. It would be my pleasure to educate you on the Vero Beach Real Estate market.

Parks Tell the Story of Growth of Vero Beach
Part 3
Lisa Rymer, Vero Beach Newsweekly
December 29, 2011

POCAHONTAS PARK

In 2009, the city celebrated the 90th anniversary of Pocahontas Park in downtown Vero Beach.

"From the beginning, it has been an example of private enterprise helping out and pitching in for the public good," said Rob Slezak, the city's director of recreation.

Donated to the city in 1919 by a private property owner, the 5.61-acre-tract was not actually deeded to the city until 1952, Slezak said.

Archival records of the Press Journal indicate the final hold up on getting the deed signed was actually locating the wife of landowner Sam Demetre, "who was somewhere in Europe behind the Iron Curtain."

Although is is not clear why the park was named after an Algonquin Indian, when there is no evidence of an Algonquin presence in the area, most of the original streets in Vero Beach were named for Native Americans, who may have been here for 3,000 years prior to the pioneers.

The park was originally named Bayhead Park and was home to the Bayhead Inn. Later, under new ownership, the hotel was renamed the Sleepy Eye Lodge and became the social center of the town.

Over the years, the park has been home to performing bears and a McDonnell F2H Banshee airplane donated by the U.S. Navy for kids to play on.

Sometime in the 1980s the plane was returned for refurbishing and is now on display at the naval base in Pensacola.

In 2003, the park was renovated with monies donated by the Whittaker Family Trust. In 2004, "Patriot," the horse, was refurbished by a local business, Perfection Paint and Body.

CHARLES PARK

In 1982, a group of neighbors on the mainland sold a jointly-owned parcel of land spanning 14.45 acres to the city for about $200,000, said Slezak.

The open space now consists of jogging trails, playground equipment, picnic pavillions and tennis courts. It was named after Charles Parks, a former recreation director who had significant impact on the development of recreation in the city.

CONN BEACH PARK

In 1951, Joe Conn, a businessman from Detroit, donated 2.6 acres of oceanfront property to the city. The land, part of an 80-acre tract Conn helped develop, ran from Jaycee Park south. Previously called Bethel-by-the-Sea, as in a holy place, the whole area abuts Bethel Creek which may be park of a natural inlet between the river and the ocean.

"The water has broken across the road at high tide," said Mark Tripson, a lifelong resident and a descendent of early settlers.

In 1984, the city built an 1800-foot-long boardwalk on Conn Park, as well as parking spots to accommodate visitors to the area.

Now, Conn Park is operated as Jaycee Beach, Jaycee Park and the boardwalk.

JAYCEE PARK

In the early 1960s, just as former County Commissioner Art Neuberger, arrived in Vero Beach, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, commonly known as the Jaycees, were making an impact on island living.

A civic club for young adults ages 18 to 35, the organization was intended to "prepare members for a life dedicated to civic and busines pursuits," said Neuberger.

Now defunct, the organization will forever be remembered for its efforts clearing the land of Australian pines, developing and running Jaycee Park.

While the land was city-owned, the Jaycees constructed the Seaburger Building, a concession stand that for years was run by the organization. The club's headquarters, now the Bethel Creek House, was built across the street from the park in the early 1970s.

Known for its marine life and sunken ships, Jaycee Beach and Jaycee Park are contiguous with Conn Park and the boardwalk.

For additional information on Vero Beach or specifically Vero Beach Real Estate, please call me at (772) 473-7255. It would be my pleasure to educate you to the Vero Beach Real Estate Market.

I am happy to provide information on Vero Beach Parks. This is Part 2 of an earlier blog post. The article originally appeared in Vero Beach Newsweekly on December 29, 2011 and was written by Lisa Rymer. It is my pleasure to educate you to the Vero Beach area, especially if you are considering purchasing a Vero Beach Home.

Parks Tell the Story of Growth of Vero Beach
Part 2
Lisa Rymer, Vero Beach Newsweekly
December 29, 2011

VETERAN'S MEMORIAL ISLAND SANCTUARY

Located adjacent to Riverside Park, Memorial Island was a by-product of widening the Intracoastal Waterway after World War II.

As the army corps of engineers prepared to dredge the lagoon, Alex MacWilliam, Sr., the city's mayor for 18 years, convinced the agency to cooperate with the construction of the Barber Bridge and use the surplus material to create an island.

In 1947, the city purchased the island, dedicating it as Memorial Island Park in the early 1960s. The name was changed in 2004 to reflect the city's intention of providing a sanctuary to honor the sacrifices of those who served in the armed forces.

The island's memorials are dedicated to the men and women of Indian River County who died in combat defending the country.

Because of the island's sanctity, general recreation is not permitted. Instead, the walking trails and benches provide opportunities for meditation and observing he area's wealth of wildlife.

ROYAL PALM POINTE PARK AND FOUNTAIN

Prior to 1995, the Merrill Barber Bridge originated on Royal Palm Pointe, about a half mile south of the current bridge head on Indian River Drive.

The bridge was named after Merrill P. Barber, Vero's mayor from 1947 to 1948, who helped usher in the Brooklyn Dodgers' for spring training, Barber also served as a state senator.

Florida's Department of Transportation replaced the 35-year-old drawbridge that was in constant disrepair with a new "high span" structure which, at its peak, stands about 65 feet above water.

To reduce the slope of the bridge's incline, it was necessary to make the bridge longer, therefore impacting more property than was previously available at the Royal Palm Pointe site.

The new Merrill Barber Bridge Causeway enabled up to 40,000 traffic trips per day between the mainland and barrier island in contrast to about 300 trips per day from the former Royal Palm Pointe site.

When the new bridge was complete, the state gave the Royal Palm Pointe land to the city, which was faced with the challenge of remaking the road into an end destination.

Needless to say, the feat required vision, cooperation and a great deal of faith by property owners.

David Risinger, formerly a landscape architect with Kimley-Horn, headed up the redevelopment project. He helped transform the road into open space with trees, parking and fishing that would complement neighboring businesses.

Through a series of charrettes, Risinger determined the public believed a fountain, like the one on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach, would draw people to the area.

Until then, the city had planned to set aside $60,000 for a gazebo overlooking the water.

"It was kind of pathetic," recalled Risinger, who says that a project of that magnitude would be be feasible in today's economy.

"There were multiple funding sources to foot the $7.8 million bill," said Risinger, with the city incurring the bulk of infrastructure and utilities costs.

Property owners had to agree to pay a portion of the improvements, something "not uncommon for the rest of the country, but highly unusual in Vero," he said.

In contrast to other municipal parks in Vero, which for the most park embrace the natural surroundings, Risinger wanted to give the Royal Palm Pointe streetscape an urban edge that was more sophisticated.

After studying the Clematis Street fountain's design, Risinger decided to incorporate glass into the design because it is more durable than brick or cast stone, which erodes over time from the hammer effect of water hitting it.

Local stained glass artist Paul Pickel, of the internationally acclaimed Conrad Pickel Studios, created the fountain's mosaic using 365,000 pieces of differently sized glass.

Italian artisans were brought in for the installation of a spiral pattern with no right angles. Later, the glass was sandblasted to rough up the surface, which "upset the artisans," said Risinger. But, the city certainly didn't want kids running on slick, wet glass.

Sharon Sexton, another local artist, was consigned to create the artwork for the fountain's four columns, each representing a different season. In all, Sexton created 750 tiles for her first public art installation.

In 2002, Royal Palm Pointe Fountain was complete. The price tag: $900,000.

"It was a great project because we used great people," said Risinger, who insists that the cost of improvements to property owners has since been exceeded by current property values.

For more information on Vero Beach Parks, stay tuned for Part 3 of this series. Meanwhile for more information on Vero Beach or Vero Beach Properties, please call me at (772) 473-7255.

Vero Beach Homes Sales Continue to Rise on The Barrier Island

Vero Beach Homes Sales Continue to Rise on The Barrier Island

After a recent analysis of Vero Beach Homes Sales on the Barrier Island over the past five years, I am pleased to report that the number of sales, for both single family homes and condos seems to be steadily increasing for most price points, especially with respect to single family homes on the barrier island. Vero Beach Real Estate prices are low, but inventory is moving.

For further information on Houses for Sale in Vero Beach call me at (772) 473-7255.