History
The Graham Companies developed the Gramercy Park residential community in the early 1990s. The gated neighborhood has just 72 homes.
It is bordered on the east by Northwest 82nd Avenue and Northwest 161st Terrace on the north. The southernmost street is Northwest 159th Terrace.
The neighborhood is fully developed. Most homes are built in the Mediterranean style, with red tile roofs and large windows. Many properties have built-in pools.
It is one of the few neighborhoods in town that is not built around a lake.
Amenities
The gated entrance has surveillance cameras; a guard is on duty 24 hours.
Visitors must register with security and the guard calls the homeowner before access is granted.
The community is close to Interstate 75, Florida’s Turnpike and the Palmetto Expressway. Nearby is the Royal Oaks Plaza shopping center on Northwest 154th Street.
Local schools include the Bob Graham Education Center for grades K-8, and Barbara Goleman Senior High School.
The Florida Department of Education gave A ratings to both schools.
Who lives there
Gramercy Park appeals to families, professionals, and retirees.
Miami Lakes Town Attorney Raul Gastesi and his wife Esther Gastesi chose to live in Gramercy Park because “it’s a very private, well-maintained, guarded community,” Gastesi said. “It has a very hometown feel.”
Empty nesters say they will not follow the trend of downsizing to a condo or townhome. They’d rather stay put in Gramercy Park.
The Gastesis have lived in the community since 1993 and don’t plan to move. Neither do Dennis Lyzniak, manager of the Main Street Playhouse in town, or his wife Clara Lyzniak.
They moved to Gramercy Park in 2003.
“We immediately fell in love with the neighborhood and the house,” Clara Lyzniak said. “We love it so much, it’s going to be our forever home.”
What it costs
Homes listed for sale range from $675,000 to $779,000.
Rarely is a home offered for sale in this community because owners tend to stay forever, real estate broker Lynn Ancel Matos said.
The monthly homeowner’s association fee is $255.