Which Sarasota neighborhoods will be considered Classic/Historic 100 years from now?...such as South Gate is presently.

[dpbarr2000]

If you are going to disqualify Kensington Park because of it not having deed restrictions, then you have to disqualify South Gate as well, since it has a voluntary HOA.

[Sunshine Rules]

There is a difference. South Gate, the actual community of South Gate, has recorded deed restrictions. They also have an actual HOA, even if it is voluntary membership. The Kensington Park civic association has merit but does not have the powers or responsibilities of a homeowners association. By the way, the state of FL does regulate HOAs under FL statute 720.


There are a number of factors that contribute towards making one community more popular with home buyers than another. Location. School districts. Curb appeal. Age of & type of construction of the homes. Lot sizes. Community amenities. Annual costs associated with HOAs. CDD districts. Nearby amenities, shopping, restaurants, recreational activities. Demographics. Crime statistics. Etc.

[WantPalmerRanch]

Originally Posted by Cardiff by the Sea

The original poster asks some interesting questions and some posters are getting side tracked on the 100 year comment. Let's forget the time frame and give some thoughts about what are very good questions.
I am taking the liberty of editing the number of questions down to their essence.

I am not that familiar with South Gate, but features that I think give a neighborhood a shot at being classic/historic are:

1. Convenient location
2. A stock of houses that have good bones and that are economically feasible to bring up to modern standards.
3. Big trees
4. Bang for the buck. The price of houses + upgrades/modernizations has to be less than other options and the result has to be better than newer homes or less convenient locations.
5. A core of neighbors who loved the neighborhood and stand by it when it is still in the rough period.
6. Proximity to water is a plus.

The counterweight factor is crime. I think the neighborhoods west of the trail in northern sarasota would become classic if there was not the fear of crime from Newtown.

I think neighborhoods with concrete block houses have a higher "bang for the buck" factor because they are going to be more economically feasible to rehab/maintain. While I love the old wood houses, termites are a problem.

It appears the following, so far, is the best description for classic/historic homes:

1. Convenient location
2. A stock of houses that have good bones and that are economically feasible to bring up to modern standards.
3. Big trees
4. Bang for the buck. The price of houses + upgrades/modernizations has to be less than other options and the result has to be better than newer homes or less convenient locations.
5. A core of neighbors who loved the neighborhood and stand by it when it is still in the rough period.
6. Proximity to water is a plus.

A more international definition would be a building that can stand
the test of time - decades and decades or centuries of weathering and
still look reasonably well.

To find the classic homes of Sarasota pretend mankind perished like the
Mayas and Incas (or by Ebola virus) and there was not a soul left to do
any maintenance work to any home. A few hundred years later some
survivors discover Sarasota - so which neighborhoods will still be
reasonably standing?

Neighborhoods that have:

1) Block and/or poured Block walls (wood = no good)
2) Metal or tile roofs (most important to protect the interior, Asphalt = no good)
3) Have an elevation about 20 ft or more above sea level.
4) Big trees and lakes would look good with those surviving homes

So in the year 2350 A.D. (assume sea level rose only 10 ft.) the Ebola
survivors would move into which current Sarasota neighborhoods?