The following article was published by St. Pete Rising on November 10, 2020. To access the full article, click here.
Two months ago when sales launched for Reflection St. Pete, a condominium tower planned near Mirror Lake in downtown St. Petersburg, many saw the location as pioneering.
Situated west of the downtown core, the area was untested for an 18-story condominium tower of this size. The thesis for the development is that there is demand for upscale condominium units within close proximity to the Central Arts District and the booming EDGE District. It appears they were right.
Despite COVID-19 and potential economic uncertainty, sales have exceeded initial expectations with over $20 million in reservations so far.
The development is being led by Fred Hemmer, a veteran of the real estate industry with over 40 years of experience. Hemmer and his team are currently under contract to purchase a parking lot owned by BridgePoint Church at the northwest corner of 3rd Avenue North and 8th Street.
The land sale is being brokered by KW Commercial’s Jon Wittner and Jake Wollman who represent BridgePoint Church, the Seller, and Jon Reno LaBudde, who is representing the Hemmer Group.
Hemmer expects to build an 81-unit luxury condominium tower on the site which will include a massive 12,000 square foot rooftop oasis with a resort style pool, sauna, and spa. The community will also have a state-of-the-art fitness center, club room, an outdoor kitchen, and views of the downtown St. Pete skyline.
“We are very happy to experience such strong interest in reservations sales for Reflection St. Pete and look forward to being a part of the exciting growth that St. Pete is experiencing,” says Hemmer.
Units at Reflection range from 1,168 to 2,695 square feet and pricing begins in the $500,000’s. Thus far, they have seen substantial interest in the larger units. So much so that they’ve decided to reduce the total unit count from 88 to 81 units in order to create stacked units for buyers seeking more space. The resulting units will have 2,695 square feet with two bedrooms along with an office and a den. This new floor plan, named Onyx, will be released in the coming weeks.
The sales team credits a cutting edge technology for some of the initial sales success. The technology, called Imerza, specializes in creating high quality virtual reality experiences that allows prospective buyers to visualize and learn about the units for sale. Water Street Tampa also uses Imerza technology.
Brian Sprague, Director of Sales for Keller Williams St. Pete Developer Services, says it’s a secret sales weapon. “The Imerza technology allows buyers to truly see the vision and experience Reflection St. Pete,” says Sprague. “With Imerza, we are able to create a 3D experience to showcase the beautiful views of the home and the downtown skyline from any room, any view direction – night or day.”
Each of the 81 units at Reflection will feature dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows, modern kitchens, terrace-style balconies, and state-of-the-art stainless steel appliances. Outside of the rooftop oasis, the units will be complimented by building amenities like a concierge golf cart shuttle service every Thursday through Sunday – perfect for quick trips to the St. Pete Pier or for brunch on Beach Drive. The building will also have about 3,300 square feet of ground floor retail space which the developer hopes will be used for a wellness or medical concept and potentially a cafe overlooking Mirror Lake.
Since announcing the project in January, the development has already cleared several hurdles including a unanimous site plan approval vote from the Development Review Commission in July.
Now, with reservations exceeding initial expectations, the project will move toward securing construction financing with an anticipated groundbreaking in early summer 2021. KAST Construction is serving as the general contractor for the project. Clear ph Design is handling the marketing and design for the project.
Construction is expected to take about two years with a completion expected in mid-2023.
For more information on Reflection, visit their website or call 727-655-9100. You can also visit their sales office at 600 1st Ave N #110 Monday through Saturday between 10AM and 5PM for a fully immersive tour using the cutting edge Imerza technology.
