[BrownsvilleTx]

It's official, the 30-story Sapphire Condos are coming to SPI! It finally came out in The Brownsville Herald.

Sapphire to change Island skyline
By Gilberto Salinas
The Brownsville Herald

June 3, 2005 — South Padre Island already has the tallest structures in the Rio Grande Valley but when construction crews break ground for the Sapphire Condos this summer, the 30-story twin towers will soar above the rest.

“It will change the island’s skyline. (The towers) will be one of the first things that tourists will see when they come off the bridge,” said Melissa Zamora, communications coordinator for the SPI Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Sapphire will be the latest addition to a list of hotels and condos that have moved to the island in the last couple of years.

Since the late 1990s, Island hotels and other available rooms have increased by 41 percent, according to convention bureau statistics.

Since 1998, the island has seen a 41-percent increase in hotel room occupancy.

Last summer, the island enjoyed one of its busiest hotel occupancy seasons, renting nearly 4,000-plus available rooms, city figures show.

The four-story Holiday Inn Express opened in March and crews continue working on other condominium projects along the bay and gulf sides of the island.

The Sapphire towers will stand at 310 Padre Blvd., next to the Sheraton Hotel.

The towers will have 91 two- to three-bedroom suites. Two 11-story bungalows will stand adjacent to the towers.

“All of them are going to have a balcony facing the gulf and a balcony to the west, facing the bay,” said Charlene Goebelt, Sapphire’s director of sales.

“Everybody will have beautiful sunset views of the bay and sunrises of the gulf,” she said.

Crown Jewel penthouses will be installed atop each tower. The two-story units will offer about 4,700 square feet.

The towers will have a covered walkway that will connect with the Sheraton Hotel. Residents of Sapphire will have access to the Sheraton amenities, such as the swimming pool and restaurant.

The first four floors of the towers will house such a fitness club, a spa and a locker area, which will provide space for people to place their beach equipment.

“There isn’t anything like this anywhere else on the island,” Goebelt said.

Goebelt estimated the price per square foot would be around $335, pricing the smallest unit at about $430,000. Penthouses are priced at about $1.5 million.

The project is one of several by Houston developer Randall Davis. His signature architecture is neo-classical high rise condominiums.

Davis has built the Gotham, Renoir and Manhattan condominiums in Houston. In Las Vegas, he started building the Metropolis Las Vegas, also a condo high-rise.