By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer – Senior Reporter, Tampa Bay Business Journal

A Naples developer says it is planning to build luxury condos on the site of a long-stalled apartment tower.

Ronto Group said Wednesday that it is planning to build Altura Bayshore, a 73-unit, 22-story condo tower on the surface parking at 2907 S. Ysabella Ave., adjacent to the office building at Bayshore and Bay-to-Bay boulevards.

The units will range from 2,176 to 3,575 square feet, with pricing from the “low” $1 millions to $2.9 million. Smith & Associates Real Estate is the listing agent on the project.

Ronto Group did not reveal a timeline for beginning presales, breaking ground or tentative completion date for the tower.

In 2016, Tampa’s Skyway Capital Partners LLC proposed a 22-story tower with 168 apartments on that same property. Skyway paid $11.25 million for both in September 2015; Ronto paid $5.4 million for the 1.77-acre vacant lot in November 2018.

Skyway’s tower never materialized, but the city signed off on the necessary rezoning for a residential building on that property in 2016, paving the way for Altura.

The Altura proposal comes on the heels of several other Bayshore condo towers proposed or under construction. The site is two blocks from The Sanctuary at Alexandra Place, which broke ground earlier this year, and less than a mile from where Kolter Group plans to build a luxury tower named Hyde Park House.

The tower’s rooftop will be a “social lounge” for residents, featuring a sunset terrace, complete with cabanas, bar, grills and rooftop pool.

Rooftop activation is becoming a common trend in Tampa Bay high rise development. Water Street Tampa has built a central cooling facility to free up the rooftops within its district, making way for elevated bars, dog parks, pools and more. In Midtown Tampa, a dual-flag Aloft and Element hotel will feature a rooftop lounge, as will the new Current hotel on Rocky Point.

By Kevin McQuaid, Business Observer

Over the course of the last decade, especially, The Ronto Group has established itself as one of the premier residential developers in all of Southwest Florida.

From its home base in Naples, the company has developed a trio of well-received, single-family home communities such as the 1,600-home Orange Blossom in Naples; TwinEagles in North Naples; and Lindsford in Fort Myers.

It has also exceled at vertical and urban developments, like the mixed-use Naples Square project in downtown Naples, with 300 total residences and 150,000 square feet of commercial space; and Seaglass at Bonita Bay, a 26-story condo tower with 120 luxury residences in Bonita Springs.

But while the company has worked within a tight geographic cluster in Southwest Florida, there are signs that Ronto Group is expanding its reach northward along the Gulf Coast.

In Sarasota, the company is putting the finishing touches on 624 Palm, an 18-story condo tower with 17 luxury residences downtown, a project it began in 2017 that is its northernmost venture to date.

And now, Ronto Group has unveiled plans for a 22-story condo project in South Tampa.

Altura Bayshore, at Bayshore and Bay-to-Bay boulevards, is being designed for 73 residences priced from $1 million to more than $2.9 million.

Ronto Group says it will offer a “maintenance-free lifestyle” with on-site amenities like a rooftop swimming pool with cabanas, a social lounge and outdoor grills; private elevators, pickle and bocce ball courts; a fenced dog park and a putting green.

The site also is in close proximity to a variety of restaurants and entertainment venues and is a short drive from Tampa’s downtown.

“We really zeroed in on the Bayshore area because the views and the surrounding area are so great, it’s an established neighborhood with a great history and it’s a short bike or car ride from downtown,” says Anthony Solomon, Ronto Group’s owner. “It checked all the boxes for us.”

Solomon notes, too, that Altura represents a unique opportunity in the Bayshore area.

“There are barriers to entry there,” he says. “There are truly not many sites in Bayshore that can be built out without rezoning being necessary.”

But Altura faces stiff competition from a series of upscale condo projects planned for Tampa.

Downtown, Strategic Property Partners plans to include 400 condos in its 815 Water St. project; Feldman Equities and Two Roads Development are proceeding with nearly 300 condos in the planned 53-story Riverwalk Place; and a joint venture between Ascentia Development and Batson-Cook Development are moving ahead with a 34-story tower called Arris Tampa, set to contain 80 residences.

Each will be priced with residences in a similar range to Altura’s units.

Solomon says he believes Altura’s location and amenities will separate it from the competition.

“Our project will offer a more active lifestyle,” he says. “It’ll have a little different take and a location in an established residential area that people have long been drawn to.

“I think we’ll have a subset of buyers who will be focused on staying near Bayshore,” Solomon adds. “The competition is obviously something that we’ll have to keep an eye on, but I really see the other projects as a benefit. More begets more, and if downtown becomes a more exciting place that helps us.

“Our residents will be happy to go downtown but then they’ll also like the idea of a three-minute Uber or car ride back to Bayshore to their residence.”

Solomon also points out that the move into Tampa was more “opportunistic” than strategic.

He notes that Ronto Group is moving ahead with eleven eleven Central, a new 62-unit condo tower in Naples, and Omega, a 69-unit luxury tower in Bonita Springs on the last developable site in the tony Bonita Bay neighborhood. There, units will be priced at $3 million and above. Ronto Group hopes to break ground on Omega next year.

The company also has roughly 300 home sites left to offer in its other communities in Southwest Florida.

“We’re still very active in the region,” Solomon says. “The move into Sarasota or Tampa isn’t a reaction to any saturation in Southwest Florida.”

By Business Observer

TAMPA — Naples-based Ronto Group on Wednesday revealed plans for Altura Bayshore, a 22-story, 73-residence luxury condo tower it intends to build at 2907 S. Ysabella Ave., near the intersection of Bay to Bay and Bayshore boulevards — a sought-after location in south Tampa.

Tampa architecture firm Curts Gaines Hall Jones designed the project, which will boast six penthouses and an elaborate rooftop lounge and pool area. According to a press release, residences will range in price from $1 million to $2.9 million and offer views of Hillsborough Bay to the east and south Tampa to the west. Each unit will have private elevator service.

“The Bayshore area is so beautiful and is just a few minutes from the downtown area that is undergoing an amazing renaissance, with exciting sports, arts, entertainment and so much more,” Ronto Group owner Anthony Solomon states in the release. “More people now want the maintenance-free lifestyle of a luxury condominium while staying in the mix — just a quick bike ride, walk, drive or Uber ride to shops, a game or the finest restaurants.”

Altura Bayshore’s residences will range in size from 2,176 to 3,575 square feet, the release states.

Ronto’s past projects on the Gulf Coast include 624 Palm in Sarasota; Paramount at Gulf Harbour; the Shores of Gulf Harbour; Forest Glen Naples; Key Marco and Hideaway Beach on Marco Island.