we just got this press release from sandestin.
i'm a little confused. i live near this and so far it looks like a hideous stucco strip mall. not at all like any of the local small towns. it says it's a 'town center' but i don't see anything in the press release about a post office, public spaces or community centers, or a town hall or entertainment venues or libraries or other community-centered venues.
the only thing mentioned here are a bunch of stores and restaurants.
that sounds like a mall to me.
town center? geez do they think i'm a total push over?
hahaha!
p.s. as a retired marketing/pr professional, who the heck issues an 8 page press release about a mall? i had to cut it in half to fit here! what a mess! get an editor!
i'm a little confused. i live near this and so far it looks like a hideous stucco strip mall. not at all like any of the local small towns. it says it's a 'town center' but i don't see anything in the press release about a post office, public spaces or community centers, or a town hall or entertainment venues or libraries or other community-centered venues.
the only thing mentioned here are a bunch of stores and restaurants.
that sounds like a mall to me.
town center? geez do they think i'm a total push over?
hahaha!p.s. as a retired marketing/pr professional, who the heck issues an 8 page press release about a mall? i had to cut it in half to fit here! what a mess! get an editor!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Angela Triplett, Public Relations Manager
Howard Group
850.654.9771
angela@howardgrp.com
Grand Boulevard, A Place of Distinction
Destination Shop, Work, Play, Stay Town Center To Open Spring ?07
Destination Shop, Work, Play, Stay Town Center To Open Spring ?07
Sandestin, Florida, December 6, 2006 - Rising auspiciously within the thriving landscape of South Walton County, a small city?s worth of construction is taking shape. Modeled after the familiar town squares that still dot small towns throughout America, Grand Boulevard at Sandestin is the new, highly-anticipated, shop, work, play and stay destination being built in Northwest Florida.
Based on the prominent mixed-use architectural model, Grand Boulevard will offer a dynamic lifestyle experience with convenient access to a multitude of exclusive shopping and dining options, entertainment, professional services, corporate offices and even residential and hotel space. Offering a pedestrian-friendly layout, the town center also includes a large, centrally-located public green space named Grand Park which will host year-round events. This vibrant downtown-inspired locale provides most of the necessities one would need for the day or week, as a resident or a visitor to the area.
?When we were growing up, we went downtown to the grocery store, to shop for clothes, to the bank or doctor. Grand Boulevard will be a more modern and dynamic version of the town square model. You won?t have to leave the property,? says developer Keith Howard, of whom Grand Boulevard is the brainchild.
Howard Group, the development company located in Grand Boulevard, spent more than 10 years acquiring the 52 acres upon which Grand Boulevard is located. Propitiously placed just across the street from Topsail State Preserve and a short walk from Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Grand Boulevard is designed as a natural town center and destination for all of Northwest Florida. The eastern-most end of the property already boasts the Sacred Heart Hospital and Publix Gourmet Supermarket, both of which opened in 2003. Marriott Courtyard and Marriott Residence Inn, bordering the western end, opened in 2006.
With the significant economic and population growth sustained by Walton County in recent years, the area is primed and the location ideal to support the immensely distinctive mixed-use center. The idea is to offer a premium lifestyle experience. Ideally, you can either walk to, or after parking your car or golf cart stroll within, a beautifully designed town center. Once there, you can walk to a banking or doctor?s appointment, meet friends for lunch, spend the afternoon perusing fine shopping venues, in the evening enjoy a concert in Grand Park and then walk back to your abode.
According to Howard, the area residents and visitors are ready for a sophisticated destination of this caliber.
?This is more than a typical lifestyle retail center. It?s more cutting-edge - offering a truly grand experience and a sense of excitement,? he says, pointing out the lush grounds and landscaping plans, Mediterranean-influenced architecture and spacious covered walkways, designed for comfortable traversing, throughout the town center.
A Place to Shop, Play, Work, Stay
Built along two miles of Emerald Coast Parkway, Grand Boulevard will ultimately have a wide and diverse array of retail and dining options, offices for professionals, and rental and residential spaces. The tenant names are among the most appealing in the worlds of fashion, food and active lifestyle retail.
In spring 2007, Grand Boulevard will celebrate the grand opening of a major portion of the town center, including several coveted lifestyle brands and restaurants. Among the first to open will be P.F. Chang?s China Bistro, Tommy Bahama?s Tropical Caf? & Emporium, The Orvis Company, Fleming?s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Coldwater Creek, J. Jill, Aveda Salon, Cantina Laredo Gourmet Mexican Food and an exciting new concept from an American retail icon - Brooks Brothers Country Club.
Among the other exciting new retail tenants opening are Viking Lifestyle Store, Fusion Glass Art Gallery, Learning Express Toys, Sunglass Station and Billabong.
Offering numerous fine and casual dining options and a variety of food genres, the hardest part of dining in Grand Boulevard will be deciding which tempting culinary experience to enjoy first?and then second. Several of the new restaurants are brand new to the region and will be completely original epicurean experiences. There is a culinary diversity that will pique the taste buds of every foodie ? and of those who simply enjoy a wonderful dining experience in a great setting with a beautiful view.
The name P.F. Chang?s China Bistro evokes one of the most original and exciting dining experiences in the country. Fresh, contemporary and consistently outstanding are the trademarks of this illustrious addition to Grand Boulevard.
A unique combination of Chinese cuisine, attentive service, wine and delectable desserts, P.F. Chang?s truly reflects the evolving Chinese culinary landscape, served up in a stylish high-energy bistro. Striving for harmony in taste, texture, color and aroma, P.F. Chang?s balances the Chinese principles of fan and t?sai. Fan foods include rice, noodles, grains and dumplings while vegetables, meat, poultry and seafood are t?sai foods.
Working in a dramatic exhibition kitchen, the chefs of P.F. Chang?s use Mandarin-style wok cooking to prepare the inspired menu. Using the freshest and highest quality ingredients, the chefs create lightly sauced dishes that allow natural flavors to emerge and stimulate the senses.
Cantina Laredo, located in the east end of Grand Park, serves gourmet Mexican food in a sophisticated, vibrant atmosphere. The Mexico City-style menu includes grilled fish, chicken and steaks complimented by signature sauces such as chipotle-wine with portobello mushrooms or saute?d artichoke hearts and roasted red bell peppers. Enjoy the signature margarita, the Casa Rita, made from fresh lime juice and the finest tequila while overlooking the lovely grounds of Grand Park. Savor guacamole made fresh at your table to your exact specifications. In addition to serving lunch, dinner, drinks, and Sunday brunch, Cantina Laredo also offers full service catering.
Tommy Bahama, the purveyor of island lifestyles, is among the most eagerly-awaited specialty retailers to open in Grand Boulevard. It is conveniently located at the west end of Grand Park.
Tommy Bahama?s Tropical Caf? & Emporium brings to Grand Boulevard something unique ? a beautiful retail store featuring TOMMY BAHAMA apparel, accessories and home d?cor items, along with a casually elegant restaurant that has a large veranda for outdoor dining, serving upscale-inspired cuisine ? and it?s all under one roof.
Besides enjoying the delicious island-themed food, drinks and atmosphere, this will be an ideal place to people-watch while enjoying of the fine performances in Grand Park.
Sporting Traditions will be well-represented with the inclusion of one of our country?s oldest retailers, The Orvis Company. Specializing in what the company calls a ?distinctive country lifestyle?, Orvis offers the world?s finest fly fishing equipment, men?s and women?s clothing, gifts for the home as well as its famed dog beds and other pet supplies. The 13000 square foot store in Sandestin is a long way from the small store front where the company was founded by Charles Orvis over 150 years ago in Manchester, Vermont.
It will be easy to find Fleming?s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar at Grand Boulevard ? just follow the savory aromas to one of the finest prime steakhouses and wine bars in the country. Since the first Fleming?s opened in 1998, they?ve raised the standard of excellence for steakhouses to a whole new level, winning awards from all over the country for food, wine and service. Most recently, Fleming?s was the recipient of 37 awards of excellence from Wine Spectator.
Stylish, contemporary dining is the hallmark of Fleming?s. As the name implies, the menu features succulent prime beef, a tempting variety of chops, the freshest seafood, chicken, tempting salads and indulgent desserts. Wine selections are recommended with menu items or may be chosen from the ?100 wines-by-the-glass? selection or from the extensive wine list which includes hard-to-find Reserve bottles.
In addition to the mouth-watering menu selections, Fleming?s offers another creative way to enjoy delicious food and wine with Discovery Dinners and Wine Flights. Their signature Discovery Dinners offer three four-course menus with wine pairings. For parties of six or more, Discovery Dinners feature wines especially chosen to complement each course. Create a truly memorable evening in Grand Boulevard for your friends, family or business associates and, as host, receive a pair of signature wine glasses as a gift.
With 100 wines by the glass, including many hard to find boutique wines, Fleming?s is a wine-lovers dream. Besides pairing the ideal wine with dinner, explore their signature Discovery Wine Flight. A great way to enjoy the adventurous side of wine-tasting, there are six different flights to explore, compare and enjoy.
Discovery Wine Flights are like having your own private wine-tasting every time. You can sit at the bar and try them or have one during dinner. One fun way to enjoy a flight is by having your waiter bring you a blind flight along with tasting notes. This is a great way to explore and educate your palate.
Dedicated to the art of eating well, Fleming?s offers an inviting atmosphere with a generous spirit, creating an experience you won?t soon forget. As with all dining establishments in the Grand Boulevard town center, Fleming?s will also offer prime outdoor patio seating.
Building a Town Center
At the heart of Grand Boulevard, the town center is a symphonious hub of construction and building as the spring grand opening nears. The town square has taken on a sophisticated and comfortable sense of place, with attractive areas for walking, sitting or merely taking time to enjoy a beautifully designed space or building.
It has taken hundreds of construction workers, engineers, carpenters, roofers, electricians and plumbers, a dozen architects and one visionary to launch Grand Boulevard at Sandestin. It turns out building a town center really is as arduous as it sounds, but you would never know that from talking to Keith Howard, a developer who is committed to responsible development within his community.
Emanating a palpable energy and optimism, Howard says Grand Boulevard is the natural progression for his work in the community. After securing major successes at the Market Shops at Sandestin and the nationally-recognized Silver Sands Factory Stores, he says he knew the land and location warranted something special that would endure the test of time. Howard opted for a sustainable town center development based on the principles of New Urbanism.
?We asked ourselves how we could take the retail lifestyle experience to the next level. We knew what we wanted to do years ago, before town center models came to the forefront. Now there is a name for it,? says Howard.
While Grand Boulevard draws upon the style and comfort of old-fashioned town squares, the walkable town center takes a modern and innovative approach to this time-honored tradition. It has been updated and fine-tuned, with a healthy dose of attitude and panache added into the mix. No expense has been spared to make the Grand Boulevard experience truly grand and inviting.
One of the first things Howard did to ensure the success of the project was to research other similar successful developments and identify the professionals responsible. Enter Nelson Architects, Inc., an Austin-based firm specializing in the town center model and exclusive mixed-use vernacular.
As the project began to take shape, Philip Crisara, AIA, principal architect with Nelson, realized the scope of the project was far more ambitious than anything else being built in Northwest Florida between Panama City and Mobile. With his experienced team on board, Howard?s dream for a town center in south Walton County really took off.
?Keith (Howard) is bringing forward two unique things. He is bringing a project-type that does not exist in this part of the region ? a true mixed-use development with all of the layers needed to support it. Secondly, the quality of every aspect of the center is unparalleled,? says Crisara.
?It?s spectacular to have a project with all of these layers melded together - retail, dining, entertainment, outdoor lifestyle, lodging and even residential down the line,? he says.
Classic Green Space and Grounds
The close proximity to the growing population, popular beaches and bourgeoning development in Northwest Florida make Grand Boulevard the right destination in the right place at the right time. Located between Pensacola and Panama City ? approximately 45 miles to either ? at the entrance to Sandestin?s Golf and Beach Resort, the town center incorporates premium lifestyle goods and services and offers a broad range of deliverables in a compelling setting that complements the dense natural surroundings.
A proponent of sustainable development and protecting the community?s natural resources, Howard made a conscience decision to ensure Grand Boulevard will complement the environment by making green space and landscaping a vital part of the project?s design.
Topsail State Preserve spans the south side of Emerald Coast Parkway across the street from Grand Boulevard. In a tribute to this haven for local flora and fauna, a large public green space has been designated as Grand Park, a major focal point of the town center. Besides providing idyllic scenery, Grand Park is designed with a great deal of flexibility. It will be a valuable asset to the entire community, offering an exciting space for entertainment, celebrations and community events. Year-round programming such as concerts, movies, and dance and theatre performances will occur at Grand Park.
One of the most elegant and awe-inspiring elements of Grand Park is the playful and intricately-designed water fountain. Paying homage to the nearby Gulf of Mexico, the fountain visually represents the ebb and flow of the tide and, as with the tide, it constantly changes. Located at the east end of Grand Park, it displays a horizontal design that mimics the coastal tides and projects vertical water at intervals.
According to Howard, the fountain is one of the classic characteristics associated with the town center. The dynamic yet tasteful presentation fits beautifully within the park, making it an essential and lively part of the landscape. Soothing acoustics from the flowing water combine to make the fountain in Grand Boulevard a highlight within the town center.
Howard is building Grand Boulevard as a ?must-see? destination for residents and visitors and is proceeding accordingly to ensure a memorable experience for all. In keeping with this ambitious goal, he has secured the best professionals, the highest quality of building materials, the most creative designs and a huge commitment to landscaping architecture.
Approximately $4.2 million dollars is being spent on the lush landscaping that will be planted and grown throughout and around Grand Boulevard. A visually stunning array of more than 50 types of trees, bushes and plants will include Medjool Date Palms, Live Oaks, Bird of Paradise, Bamboo varietals, Crepe Myrtles and 600 oversized planters of seasonal varieties. This eclectic mix will create a refreshingly verdant backdrop for the town center and lovely natural scenery to enhance the pedestrian experience.
The richly landscaped walkways around Grand Boulevard will provide comforting shade and playful tree canopies at Grand Park will offer respite to those waiting or merely relaxing and enjoying the park. It?s the ideal place for a short respite while you regroup and plan which stores or restaurants to visit next.
At night, the grounds of Grand Boulevard are beautifully illuminated throughout, creating a soft and well-lit canvas in which to enjoy strolling, shopping, dining and entertainment.
, I don't find myself even thinking about going into Baytowne Wharf.
that would have to pay me to stay there and even then, i'd be reticent.
