Welcome to Gateway, a massive commercial and residential development quickly becoming one of Fort Myers' hot growth spots.

The lavishly-landscaped Lee County development runs from the north end of Daniels Parkway -- that's the part running northwest of Southwest Florida International Airport -- up to State Road 82. There is an additional small chunk, yet to be developed, within the boundaries of the City of Fort Myers.

Westinghouse subsidiary WCI was the first on the scene in Gateway in the 1980s. By 1986, WCI broke ground, laid streets and began the golf course, designed by legend Tom Fazio. By 1989, the first residents began to move in and Westinghouse sold WCI to investors, who have since poured upgrades into Gateway while marketing it as a place to do it all--live, work and play. "We're really a town in a town," says Kitty Green, vice president of Bonita-based WCI.

There are presently about 2500 residents living in about 18 different Gateway neighborhoods. According to Lee County projections, the resident population will grow to 11,595 by 2020. The number of new homes is expected to be equally explosive--more than 5500 occupied housing units expected by 2020. If developed to capacity under current zoning regulations, the Gateway area could reach an eventual build-out of about 10,000 residential units.

Commercial Success

The east end of Gateway is a top-end industrial and commercial park which has attracted companies including Sony, the Ford Motor Company's Credit Union, DSI Laboratories and Baader.

A recent addition to the area has been the Gartner Group, a software information provision company headquartered in Stamford, Conn. The company completed its 62,000-square-foot building in March and has options on two additional Gateway parcels.

Robin Bishop, president of Tampa-based Hogan-Burt-Bishop real estate brokers and developers, works within the Gateway development to sell, build and/or lease office space. Her client Gartner pumped $10 million into the area after researching several other areas. "They explored a number of different cities," she says, "and one of the driving forces was the incentives."

For one, Bishop says, Gateway's planned unit development zoning makes for a streamlined building permit application process while assuring companies they will be among similar high-end commercial interests. There were also several other enticements, including the growing Fort Myers labor force, availability of fiber optics and undeniable advantages of having an international airport and highway within minutes.

The commercial area, presently accommodating 55 businesses, is divided into two main sections. First there's the Westlinks, farthest south, which is geared toward light industrial and warehouse space for companies including Baader, a food processing machinery manufacturer, and DSI Laboratories, which is currently building a regional testing facility. The next stop is Gateway Boulevard, which leads into the corporate office area where Gartner and Sony are located. To the north of the boulevard is the Gateway sales office, and northward is open pasture land.

Right at Home

The Westlinks and Gateway Boulevard are connected by Commercial Lakes Boulevard for easy access. Both areas still have plenty of available parcels, Bishop says, which a company can either buy and build upon or have developed for leased space. Rents range from $12-15 net per square foot.

Further west on Gateway Boulevard is an approximately 300-unit apartment complex, the Grand, nearing completion. The complex is the first residential marker as Gateway Boulevard winds toward cluster neighborhoods of homes, villas and condominiums overlooking one another and parts of Gateway's golf course. Prices begin in the mid-$100,00 range and move upward to $750,000.

Along the way is a small office plaza, an Amoco gas station with convenience stores -- there's even a Dunkin' Donuts -- and a complex shared by Barnett (Nations) Bank and more Gartner Group offices. After traveling through more residential area and past one of the development's two churches, Gateway Boulevard ends at a cul-de-sac where there's an access to the golf course.

Before reaching that dead-end, however, Gateway Boulevard crosses Griffin Boulevard, which eventually curves around and leads via Commerce Lakes Drive to SR 82. Along that route are Gateway Baptist Church and 6-year-old Gateway Elementary, a Lee magnet school which boasts a student wait list.

The residential area has been planned to fall towards the back of the community, and each neighborhood has only one small system of streets looping around instead of heading straight through. The idea has been to create a sense of identity in each neighborhood and to eliminate through traffic.

Terrence Dolan, WCI environmental director, has been working for Gateway for 10 years and living there for eight. He described the planning ventures there as a giant strategic "puzzle," designed to be nearly self-sufficient. Gateway even has its own waste treatment plant to help service large-consumption landscaping -- a program Dolan said will expand as more homes and business come to the area to provide more waste water.

The Urge to Grow

In the near future there's a plan for a grocery store -- WCI representatives are mum as to which one -- and in the longer run, possibly a hotel and an assisted living facility. Then there's the mostly undeveloped land to the south of the development, where a smattering of rental car companies and airport-related commerce parks are spread out. Some parcels have been designated for projects. Others, such as a parcel owned by the Lee County Port Authority, are up for sale or lease with no specific plan as of yet.

Nearby roadway systems are also expanding. Daniels Parkway is to be extended northward to SR 82, which will relieve the stream of Lehigh traffic that regularly cuts through Gateway to get to the airport. Construction is expected to start this summer.

The Lee County Port Authority is also gathering information for a long-range plan to extend Treeline Road south, cutting a pathway from Daniels straight to Alico Road. The additional Alico expressway exit to and from I-75 will likely relieve some of the present Daniels exit congestion. According to Lee County commercial Realtor Frank D'Alessandro, who owns several parcels in the area, the extension of the road will serve an important function to link the interstate, airport and Florida Gulf Coast University on Alico Road. "Treeline in the future will be almost like another Metro Parkway," he said.