Live, Work, Stay?

>>Tom Mayer and his wife, Rita, entered the new year with a new lifestyle. When they’re hungry or want to shop, they simply walk from their leased condo in The Residences at Coconut Point to The Grillroom, Panera Bread, Starbucks, Tommy Bahama and other retailers.

Their main expectation—convenience—has been quickly met.

"We have everything at our doorstep. We don’t have to get in the car at all," says Tom Mayer, a CPA. "We’ve really cut down the use of the car."

Southwest Florida’s relatively new lineup of mixed-use developments have sold some young professionals, families and empty nesters on the idea of easy access from their homes to adjacent shops, restaurants and offices. The concept, which offers residences of all sizes and for a variety of price ranges, is being hailed as a model for the future.

"It addresses so many concerns and interests that people have," says Anita Kramer, senior director for retail and mixed-use development for the Urban Land Institute, based in Washington, D.C. "It is much more efficient to have one more use on land and to have vertical development instead of using twice as much land for having retail one place and residential another place—the same with office. There is every reason to think this is not a fad."

This month residents are expected to move into The Strada at Mercato in Naples, which has 92 condos from the $500,000s to more than $1 million. They overlook Mercato’s Main Street, which is anchored by Whole Foods Market and joined by high-end restaurants and shops and national retailers such as Books-A-Million and Z Gallerie.

Such projects can be a tough sell, says Michael Burke, a real estate agent with John R. Wood Realtors, because people believe they’ll have to give up privacy for convenience. "There has to be a trade-off. You’re always surrounded by traffic and noise," he says.