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Bayshore’s first condo tower in 15 years completed, residents moving in to million-dollar units

The pandemic didn’t affect sales, though it did create challenges on the construction site.
 
The inside of Virage, a luxury condo tower on Bayshore Boulevard with units starting at $1 million.
The inside of Virage, a luxury condo tower on Bayshore Boulevard with units starting at $1 million. [ (Courtesy of Ascentia Development Group) ]
Published May 28, 2020

The first condo tower built on Tampa’s Bayshore Boulevard in 15 years has completed the construction phase and is ready for its residents to begin moving in, developers announced Wednesday.

Residents are paying at least $1 million for each of the luxury units in the 24-floor tower, though some went for more than $5 million apiece. Most of the condos range in 2,400 to 3,400 square feet and all have their own private elevator entrance, according to the news release. Amenities include an infinity pool overlooking Bayshore as well as a pet grooming facility with dog-washing equipment called a “pet spa.”

The two top floors each consist of a single penthouse, with 6,700 square feet and 360-degree views of Hillsborough Bay, South Tampa and Downtown Tampa.

Related: Atop Tampa's new Virage Bayshore condo tower you can see (almost) forever

Even though the coronavirus pandemic has affected many luxury apartment complexes in Tampa Bay — prompting many of them to offer free months of rent or other perks — Virage’s sales were largely unaffected. That’s because much of their units were already secured before the pandemic began, with all but four having been sold by this time last year.

One of the units on the seventh floor was purchased by four-time Tampa Mayor Dick Greco back in 2017, though he said at the time that he hadn’t decided yet whether he and his wife would live there or if they would keep it as an investment property.

The luxury condo tower was announced in late 2016, and since then at least two others were underway. Construction crews broke ground in November 2017.

Today, 69 of the 71 units have been pre-sold — totaling more than $120 million in real estate. Final closing of those sales began May 15 and will continue over the coming weeks.

Related: Lower-priced home sales hit hardest by pandemic in Tampa Bay, new numbers show

The pandemic did affect construction crews, as workers completed temperature checks every morning and wore colored bracelets every day to show they passed the screening. Contractors on site also were required to wear face masks and fewer people rode in elevators at the same time.

But Bob Glaser, president of Smith and Associates Real Estate, which handled all the condos’ sales, said in a statement the "timing of this residential project couldn’t have been better.”

“As we’ve all learned, being able to enjoy a beautiful walk and the amenities where you live is priceless.”

Virage's infinity pool overlooks Bayshore. [ (Courtesy of Ascentia Development Group) ]
The view extends for miles off one of Virage's balconies. [ (Courtesy of Ascentia Development Group) ]