Good News For Home Owners in Golden Gate Estates - Orangetree Publix opening March 23

Published in Naples News on 3/6/17:

The long-awaited Publix supermarket in Golden Gate Estates is set to open at 7 a.m. March 23.

On average, it typically requires 40 semitrailers loaded with groceries to stock a new Publix store. That work began Wednesday as employees from other area Publix stores reported for duty to start the process, said Brian West, corporate spokesman for Publix Super Markets Inc.

“It typically takes us about three weeks to get the stores stocked,” West said. “It’s a lot of folks. There are a ton of people scrambling throughout the store. It’s a lot of busy work. They’re there with a mission.”

Once the shelves are fully stocked, the final food items to be put into place will be the produce on the afternoon before the store opens, West said.

Although the new store is about 46,000 square feet, it’s roughly 20,000 square feet smaller than the nearest Publix — the nearly 68,000-square-foot store that has operated since November 2001 in the Shoppes at Pebblebrooke at Immokalee Road and Collier Boulevard.

“That’s a big store,” West said of the Pebblebrooke location, noting that the grocer’s largest stores used to be built with a footprint of 65,000 square feet but now are topping out at about 56,000 square feet.

The Publix in the new Neighborhood Shoppes at Orangetree on the corner of Immokalee Road and Randall Boulevard is actually slightly larger than the company’s average 45,000-square-foot store now and employs 140 to 145.

“This store will have all the bells and whistles and look like our latest offering,” West said, noting that it will include a soup bar and some different offerings not available yet at most other stores. “Most customers are going to be hard-pressed to look for an item" the store doesn’t have.

The new store will open on a Thursday — the day of the week the Lakeland-based grocery chain usually launches stores in this region — after a brief ribbon-cutting, followed by a day of giveaways and product sampling opportunities, West said.

“We don’t typically do a lot of fanfare,” he said. “It’s really all about the customer. We want to celebrate with them. It’s their store.”

And the folks in Golden Gate Estates have been waiting for years for their store. Some still refuse to believe it is really opening until it actually opens.

A year ago the store announced plans to open last fall, but West cited a lack of water service for keeping the newly built store offline for another four months, resulting in a major loss of revenue anticipated during season. Orange Tree Utility Co. blamed Publix for not adhering to a utility checklist.

But that’s water over the dam. As of last Wednesday, the Collier County Water-Sewer District is the owner of the water and wastewater systems for Orangetree communities.

“It’s resolved at this point. We’ve been able to coordinate with the county and get the (water) pressure we need,” West said. “We are very, very, very excited to get this one open.”

In addition to Publix, the nearly 10-acre Neighborhood Shoppes at Orangetree will include a CVS pharmacy, a Publix Liquors store, a Chinese restaurant, a nail salon and another freestanding business that has yet to be finalized.

The liquor store next to the grocery store will not launch the same day as Publix, West said.

“We don’t have an opening date yet for the liquor store, but we will have one there,” he said.

The other businesses are still months away from opening. CVS plans to begin construction of its building on the 2-acre hard corner in the second half of the year for a store opening in 2018, said Mike DeAngelis, senior director of corporate communications for CVS Health.

The western end of the Publix strip will be anchored by a Chinese restaurant operated by Jack Lin, who also owns China King in the Publix-anchored Brooks Village shopping center at Pine Ridge Road and Collier Boulevard. Because Lin estimates it will take him four months to complete his new restaurant in Orangetree, July will be the earliest he’ll open China Palace, which is what he’s now planning to name it now.

Between Publix Liquors and China Palace, Diamond Nails salon also is expected to open this summer.

“It will take at least three months to get my shop ready to open,” said co-owner Vinny Le, whose family owns six other nail salons in Collier County.

To find homes for sale in the Golden Gate Estates area visit: http://www.napleshomesearcher.com

Or Call Naples Top Real Estate Agent Michael Shoaff at 239-298-9903 

Plans approved for $50M park in Golden Gate Estates

Plans for a new $50 million park in Golden Gate Estates were approved by Collier County commissioners on Tuesday.

The park will be built on a 150-acre tract of land next to the Collier County Fairgrounds, near the intersection of Oil Well and Immokalee roads.

Urban sprawl in Collier County is pushing east, meaning more people, especially young families, are moving into the area.

“When we moved onto our street, there were like four houses,” said Charlotte Elliott, who’s lived in the area for 20 years. “Now there’s like 30-something houses.”

Elliott says kids need a community park like the one approved by county leaders, “they definitely need somewhere out there for the kids to keep them out of trouble.”

The county planned on building the park a decade ago, but the plans were put on hold because of the recession. Some of the park’s amenities include walking trails, a splash park, swimming pool, basketball, baseball and tennis courts.

“I think it’s gonna be good for kids, good for families,” said Dean Coffin, “but people are used to quiet living on that end of town and I think this is gonna compromise their privacy.”

Meanwhile, homeowner Jojo Sayers says park is just too expensive, “government spends too much money as it is.”

Yet with the area of Collier County continuing to grow, commissioners say now is the time to act and Elliot agrees.

“We need that out there for the kids,” Elliott said.

Crews will build the park in phases, the first one will most likely begin sometime next year.

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Home sales are up in Golden Gate Estates while other parts of Naples slows down. 

To find more info on homes in the estates visit http://www.napleshomesearcher.com/

Restoring Bayshore's image: Developers, business owners investing in East Naples community

originally written by: Ashley Collins , ashley.collins@naplesnews.com

Efforts to redevelop the Bayshore community in East Naples haven’t gone unnoticed. In recent years, improvements in infrastructure, crime rates and beautification have gradually transformed the area. With more projects in the works, Bayshore can expect to see even more changes in the coming months.

Flowers, shrubs and trees now adorn areas of Bayshore and Thomasson drives, and Lunar and Bayview streets. On Pineland Avenue, storm water improvements were recently completed to deter flooding. And on Bayshore Drive, visitors flock to Naples Botanical Gardens, which welcomed 217,000 visitors last year, and enjoy meals at several restaurants such as Taqueria San Julian and Three60 Market.

Rebecca Maddox opened the latter eatery in 2012 after spending two years renovating an inoperable building, which now serves as a lime-green beacon of light at the intersection of Bayview and Bayshore, next to Haldeman Creek.

Three60 Market offers a waterfront dining experience, where customers can enjoy breakfast, lunch and a large assortment of wine, cheeses and baked goods.

“(Bayshore Drive) needed to be gentrified. At one point…it was where all the drugs and prostitutes were and most of Naples did not come to this street,” Maddox said. “Most people did not believe (Three60 Market) would work because it wasn’t the right side of town.”

Contrary to people’s beliefs, Maddox pushed forward with a dream of starting the next SoHo, where dozens of unique businesses would line the art-filled streets, serving as a local hangout spot for young and old.

But she can’t do it alone, she said, and hopes to serve as a catalyst for business owners to set up shop in Bayshore.

“I thought if I did this and the botanical was there, that would give people enough courage to start businesses here. But it hasn’t quite yet. We still have a lot of people who…think it’s too risky,” Maddox said.

Frank Garofalo agrees.

It was a little over a year ago when he opened the doors to Baci Pizzeria, located at 2364 U.S. 41 East.

Baci, known for its Brooklyn-style pizza, offers an authentic Italian dining experience in Bayshore.

Born in Italy, Garofalo and his family immigrated to New York when he was a little boy, and settled down in Brooklyn, where he went on to own several restaurants before moving to Naples.

While he’s relatively new to the area, he sees a lot of potential in Bayshore, despite its reputation.

“I think it’s going to be the next Fifth Avenue. Everyone talks so bad about Bayshore. It has a bad reputation, a lot of drugs…but it’s nothing like that…it’s a great investment there,” he said.

Penny Taylor, the Collier County commissioner for District 4, said Bayshore was considered “unsafe” before the Collier County Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) was established.

“Because of the distance from the Gulf, the redevelopment has taken some time. It has been seen as an unsafe area and wasn’t zoned for redevelopment,” Taylor said.

Established in 2000, the CRA uses tax increment financing to fund redevelopment projects in two areas within the county: Bayshore/Gateway Triangle and Immokalee, according to Kate Albers, public information coordinator for Collier County.

While Bayshore has seen many improvements, there’s still room for growth.

“We certainly think the projects coming in are exciting and will bring more people and more residents to the area and continue to make Bayshore the beautiful, thriving place that it’s become,” Albers said.

Adam Kelley plans to brew up a new business — Bayshore Brewgarden.

The microbrewery and garden will occupy a 6,000-square-foot building, formerly known as Small Engine World, located at 3555 Bayshore Drive.

“We hope to be a gathering place for locals and tourists alike,” Kelley said.

He plans to brew up a variety of beers and sodas, and offer non-alcoholic beverages for patrons under 21.

Design plans include space for food truck parking and indoor and outdoor pet-friendly seating revolving around a lush garden at the rear of the building.

In order to keep his patrons safe, Kelley plans to implement a designated driver program that will offer free non-alcoholic beverages to designated drivers.

The brewery is a family affair.

While Kelley plans to run the daily operations of the brewery, his parents, Lois and Bill Kelley, will help with logistics.

“I’ve been a home brewer as a hobby,” Adam Kelley said, adding that his dad was the one who noticed the lack of breweries in Southwest Florida.

Adam Kelley was living in Colorado at the time and moved back to Naples, where he’s originally from, and found himself wanting “to turn a hobby into a passion.”

He’s now studying to be a master brewer and hopes to put his knowledge to use.

The brewery is currently at the last leg of the development phase, but no building permits have been submitted yet. If everything goes as planned, Adam Kelley hopes to open up shop in February in time for Valentine’s Day.

Something else is brewing in Bayshore waters.

Maddox is in talks with Collier County to build a family-friendly culinary park on a vacant commercial lot she purchased for $1.1 million at the intersection of Bayshore Drive and Becca Avenue, across the creek from her restaurant.

The project is still awaiting approval. Maddox is working with David Corban, a local architect and plans to meet with county officials next week in hopes of moving the project further along.

She has big plans for the park, and said community response has been nothing but positive.

The park will serve as a beautiful gathering spot for families to enjoy food from local food truck vendors, with dockside fresh fish, a tiki bar and plenty of outdoor seating and parking spots.

Several home developers are also setting their sights on Bayshore.

Mattamy Homes plans to build 270 condo units at the northwest corner of Bayshore and Thomasson drives. It’s not yet known when construction will begin, Albers said.

There will also be several single-family homes built on land that was formerly home to decrepit mobile homes.

A new Montessori school hopes to fill the need for more educational options in the area.

The Garden School, which is early in the development stage, will reside on Bayshore Drive. The school’s staff already has plans to work with the local botanical garden on various programs, Albers said.

Residents can also expect roadway improvements.

The CRA is working to complete a design plan to improve Thomasson Drive. Additions include landscaping, lighting and bike and walking paths between Bay Street and Dominion Drive.

Also in the design phase: an easy-access pathway to Sugden Regional Park, starting at Bayshore Drive and making its way through CRA-owned property to the park.

For more information about future home developments, visit NaplesHomeSearcher.com  

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