Sandestin Baytowne Resort
Sandestin Baytowne Resort is grouped into five resort areas: Beachfront, Beachside, Village, Bayside and Dockside. The development features 7.5 miles of beach and bay, four championship golf courses, 15 world-class tennis courts, 98-slip marina with dozens of water sports, 48 retail offerings, 19 dining options (from casual to gourmet), 17 swimming pools, hiking and bicycle paths. The project also features Village of Baytowne Wharf a 28 acre waterfront town center peppered with a collection of unique shops, charming eateries, lively nightclubs and year-round special events.Sandestin Resort is a qualified as an approved Development of Region Impact (DRI) and Planned Unit Development (PUD) incorporating 2,400± acres and a distance of 4± miles from the Gulf of Mexico to the south to the Choctawhatchee Bay to the north. This resort is located approximately 2 miles northeast of the subject property and approximately 8 miles east of Destin and is the only resort to front both the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay.
Sandestin Resort has been a destination resort for the past 25 years. The resort is known for the excellence and variety of detached single family residences, condominium and townhome offerings. Nevertheless, there are many homes and home sites as villas. More than 3/4 of the resort is devoted to single-family residential living with Burnt Pine Golf Club being the prime example, which has won many architectural and golf awards.
The resort was started in the late 1960s by Mr. Peter Bos and has had several owners. The majority of the development occurred since the 1980s. The current and last owners, Intrawest Corporation, purchased the remaining land and vested units in July of 1998 for $131,500,000.
Intrawest is a Vancouver, British Columbia based ski resort developer/owner/operator with 10 other master planned communities including developments in: Canada, Hawaii, California, and Colorado, to name a few. The developer now owns the Sandestin golf courses, marina, a specialty retail center, the conference center, a private golf club, beach club, restaurants and a nature park.
Sandestin is comprised of 3 distinct communities – Beachside, Dockside and Linkside, each with its own ambiance and special activities. Sandestin also features: 4 golf courses, 31 shops, 13 tennis centers, a full service salon; Dockside Center with 98-slip marina, Capt. Joe Lee’s Tree House and Nature Walk, Jolee Island Nature Park, Kidsail Sailing Academy, and fishing, cruising, and sailing charters; two waterfront restaurants and a pub; 33,000 sf of flexible function space; festival marketplace; and 700 rental accommodations on 7.5 miles of beach and bay front property.
The land area is approximately 65% developed, with most of the developed portion situated in the waterfront parcels. The resort has over 30 residential communities in existence, each having their own homeowners association. However, all property owners belong to the Sandestin Owner Association which controls the roads, common areas and some of the amenities. The developer is still in control of this master association, with each property owner paying fees to the Sandestin Owner Association, in addition to the fees for their own community.