On Real Estate

Tuesday, October 9, 2001

Townhomes a first for Aransas Pass

New community will offer living on the water, without the hassle of busy beaches

By Laura Elder
Caller-Times

Paul Iverson/Caller-Times

Mark Gamble stands in front of the townhouses he is building on Aransas Pass. He is targeting them toward people who want low-maintenance living; a cozy, small-town atmosphere and less traffic than busier, more tourist-oriented towns.

When most people think of Aransas Pass, townhouses probably don't race to mind. After all, condominium and townhouse building is an activity primarily associated with the beaches in nearby Port Aransas.
   But this month, builder Mark Gamble achieved two firsts that will change real estate perceptions about Aransas Pass. Gamble completed the first of three phases on The Pelican Townhomes development. And it is the first such project for Aransas Pass.
   Gamble, president of Saltair Properties, said The Pelican Townhomes, at Texas Highway 361 and Pompano Drive, is a $3 million project targeted at buyers who want to live near the water, but not on busy beaches or in expensive canal homes.
   'No comparables'
   Pelican Townhomes are being built inside the entrance of the Pelican Cove subdivision. Pelican Cove homes start at about $275,000 and can shoot up to $1 million.
   In contrast, Pelican Townhomes start at $169,000. When the final phase is completed next year, Saltair will have built 18 units ranging in size from 1,340 square feet to 1,500 square feet.

Contributed Photo

Click here to view a larger version. This drawing shows what Pelican Cove townhouses in Aransas Pass are to look like. The first building phase, the courtyard and pool, has been completed.

   "There are no comparables except on the beach," Gamble said.
   The idea was to create a place suited for water lovers or empty nesters, particularly home buyers who don't want to fuss with a lot of maintenance.
   Gamble also is targeting buyers who want a small-town feel and don't want the noise and traffic that can come from tourist towns like Port Aransas.
   Hillside feeling
   Saltair enlisted the help of Fulton architect Margo Nielsen.
   "The concept was to try to have a kind of Riviera hillside feeling," said Nielsen, who heads the architect firm Nielsen Studiohaus. "So many townhomes and condominiums are kind of boxy and small and not thought of as permanent homes."
   Townhouse community features include a landscaped courtyard, a swimming pool with cabanas, shaded lounging areas and sidewalks. The stucco and tile buildings are meant to be reminiscent of Mediterranean hillside towns.
   Design concepts
   When Nielsen began designing the townhouses, she said she thought of retired and semi-retired buyers who love their boats and SUVs but don't want the upkeep associated with canal homes.

Paul Iverson/Caller-Times

This shows the kitchen and entryway to one of the Pelican Cove townhouses being built on Aransas Pass by Mark Gamble. The new homes will offer more affordable living but still allow people to reap the benefits of being near the water.

   "Many people don't have the time and energy or strength to take care of docks and piers," Nielsen said. "I've talked to people who did have homes on canals, and they found they were taking care of the yard and dock more than going out fishing."
   The 3-story units include a 25-by-30-foot garage with 9-foot ceilings, large enough to store a 22-foot boat on a trailer. Nearby slips are available for boats, Gamble said.
   Gamble is particularly fond of the garage's dumbwaiter, where groceries can be unloaded and lifted to the kitchen.
   The units have a living area, kitchen, dining room and guestroom with bath on the middle level. An atrium stair leads to an office-sized loft. With pre-sales, buyers have the option of custom-fitting the homes. For example, they can enclose the third bedroom or add a personal elevator. Large windows add to the townhouses' spacious and airy feel.
   Nielsen also said she wants to get dwellers above all of the roofs in town, so they can get a glimpse of the water and feel remote. The townhouses are far enough away from the fairly busy thoroughfare leading to Port Aransas.
   "I didn't want them to have an urban feeling out here," she said.
   Nielsen, among a dwindling breed of architects who draw freehand, also decided not to incorporate hallways into the design.
   "I find they kill spaces and can become very expensive, useless space," she said. "Long hallways are useful if you have an art collection."
   Nielsen credits Gamble for much of the interior details, including the Mediterranean earth tone colors, space planning and finishes.
   The townhouses include built-in appliances, including a washer and dryer. The first phase includes the courtyard and pool and was completed this month. Saltair already has sold a unit.
   Gamble, who has built custom homes in Aransas Pass and water-view homes on Lake Austin, has been a builder for 18 years. The second phase should begin before the end of the year.
  
  

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Contact Laura Elder can be reached at 886-3678 or elderl@caller.com

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