FORMER HARLEM GLOBETROTTER TO CALL TAPESTRY PARK HOME

Jacksonville, Fla.— Tapestry Park, Southside’s first true pedestrian friendly, mixed-use community is welcoming a prominent sports figure and educator to its list of proud homeowners.

Tapestry Park, perfectly positioned between downtown and the beaches, is anything but traditional. It’s a perfect fit for buyers, like Dr. John Howard Jr., who are looking for a shorter commute, wanting to spend less time on home maintenance and glad to be living in a vibrant community, where they eat and shop within walking distance.

Dr. Howard, a longtime education administrator and now an English professor at St. Johns River Community College, recently purchased a town house as a second home. He currently lives in Clay County but will be retiring in the immediate future and moving to Tapestry Park.

“I really like the Southside area,” he said. “There are a lot of exciting things going on there. I particularly liked the fact that there’s only a limited number of people who will live in Tapestry Park, especially in an urban area, I thought that was quite unusual.”

Among his many other accomplishments, Howard played guard for the Harlem Globetrotters during the 1968-1969 season. The 6-foot, 6-inch Ohio native traveled throughout the country performing for record crowds… but turned down the European tour to go back to college.

Howard received his B.S. from the University of Cincinnati. He attended Ohio State University for his master’s and his Ph.D. degrees.

Prior to moving to northeast Florida in 2001, Howard said he was torn between moving here or to Arizona. He admits the golf courses in and around Jacksonville were hard to pass up.

“Within ten or fifteen minutes, you can be at one of many excellent golf courses… this was the spot to be,” he said. “I’m a hacker but I enjoy being out there.”

The magnificent courses inspired Howard to pen a book—The Golfers Playbook. He is also completing a dramedy titled The Steel Box and a screenplay titled Fraud Alert.

As Howard moves toward retirement, he said he wanted to find a home that would be in an up-and-coming area and was low maintenance.

“I am getting up there in age so I would prefer not to be cutting the grass, tending to the exterior of the house…I would rather let someone else handle it,” Howard said.

The 18-acre European village-inspired Tapestry Park will be comprised of 52 exclusive condominium town homes, upscale retail shops, gourmet eateries and lakeside restaurants, and a boutique hotel—Hotel Indigo, which will serve as the hub of the neighborhood.

Homeowners can choose from a wonderful selection of one-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans, each with its own distinct characteristics.

Howard purchased the Eclectic model—one-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathrooms and 1,300 square feet of living space. “I think the square footage you get for an upscale home like this is pretty remarkable,” he said.

The stylish homes, priced from the mid $200s, are set in a village of multi-story buildings. Twenty-one of the 52 homes will reside over 18,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.

“I liked the layout of the community with the businesses under the residences—it’s a very European approach,” Howard said. “It’s a very different view on things.”

Most homes include an attached garage for parking and storage, nine foot ceilings, elegant crown molding, six-panel interior doors, and tiled laundry rooms with king-sized GE washer and dryer included.

The gourmet kitchens at Tapestry Park feature GE stainless steel appliances, 42-inch cherry or maple cabinets, 3-centimeter granite countertops and spacious pantries. The foyer, kitchen and baths have 18-inch ceramic tile flooring and Moen plumbing fixtures, travertine marble bathroom countertops with ceramic sinks and carpeting in all bedrooms. Master baths in selected residences have garden-style soaking tubs and walk-in showers with ceramic tile enclosures. Select homes will also feature spacious covered balconies.

Tapestry Park’s amenities are interwoven throughout the community to seamlessly mesh with the urban residential lifestyle. Lush landscaping with relaxing water features, an expansive lake with a boardwalk provide the ideal spot for picnicking, outdoor exercise or a leisurely walk.

This pedestrian-friendly community is minutes from Tinseltown, St. Johns Town Center, University of North Florida, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, J. Turner Butler Boulevard, 9A and Interstate 95.

To find out more about this extraordinary way of life and to take advantage of pre-construction pricing, call or visit the sales center and speak with a sales professional with Lifestyles-REALTORS®, the exclusive sales and marketing team for Tapestry Park.

Tapestry Park is located at 9823 Tapestry Park Circle, off Deer Lake Drive West, near the intersection of Southside Boulevard and Gate Parkway.

Call (904) 641-6010 to request more information or to make an appointment with a sales associate. Please visit the Tapestry Park web site at www.tapestryparkcondos.com.