Collier County planners back major Ave Maria expansion

Collier County Planning Commission on May 7 approved a plan from Ave Maria Development LLLP to expand Ave Maria under the county’s Rural Lands Stewardship Area program, a growth framework that allows large-scale development in designated areas in exchange for infrastructure, conservation and other requirements. 

The expansion adds more than 2,000 acres in eastern Collier County, increasing the town to nearly 8,000 acres. It also adds 6,738 residential units for a total of 17,738 homes and allows nearly 1 million square feet of additional retail, office and medical space. The plan includes new town centers along Immokalee Road and a 1,000-acre senior living community east of Camp Keais Road. 

Under the RSLA program, the project must provide 511 affordable housing units tied to the expansion. Developers said they plan to meet the requirement off-site through three rental housing locations totaling about 230 units for low-income families, including sites at Wave at Rose, north of Lake Trafford and a 35-acre farmland parcel. 

Commissioner Michelle McLeod backed the off-site affordable housing plan, pointing to earlier negotiations with the developer and the area’s ongoing housing demand. She referenced a recent Wake Up Naples Chamber event focused on housing, saying the discussion highlighted the strength of the proposed off-site community and noting that the arrangement with Barron Collier Companies was intended to bring affordable housing to an area where it is needed. 

Transportation impacts also were raised during the hearing, particularly related to increased traffic and roadway capacity. Planned improvements include widening Oil Well Road in 2028-29, upgrades at Immokalee Road and Camp Keais Road, and a new roundabout at Camp Keais Road and Pope John Paul II Boulevard, along with additional sidewalk and transit requirements. 

During public comment, Meghan Foos, a resident and member of the Collier Soil and Water Conservation District board, said she is already concerned about safety conditions on Immokalee Road. 

“I worry every day about taking my kids to school with dump trucks racing on Immokalee Road,” she said. 

County transportation staff said the project includes improvements intended to improve safety and traffic flow. Michael Sawyer, project manager for Collier County Transportation Planning, said the changes are aimed at addressing existing issues while improving intersections. 

“What we’re really trying to do with that improvement is to get rid of the issue of that particular intersection that we’ve done some changes over time to try and make from a safety standpoint,” he said. 

A traffic analysis for the project was completed but is still awaiting approval from the Collier County Transportation Engineering Division. The report found the project meets the county’s level-of-service standards. 

Another speaker, Robb Klucik, an Ave Maria resident and member of the town’s stewardship district board, raised concerns about the proposed 1,000-acre expansion east of Camp Keais Road. He said the development should function as a standalone project with its own infrastructure instead of relying on existing Ave Maria systems. 

“They could have pursued a standalone village SRA for these 1,001 acres, which would have required them to provide their own services, amenities and infrastructure, but that would have come at a greater cost and bureaucratic burden,” he said. “Instead, they’re deliberately choosing to remain part of the larger town SRA because it is far more profitable and convenient to piggyback off the existing community. You should not reward this stuplicity.” 

Klucik recommended removing the 1,000-acre expansion from the proposal. 

In response, land-use attorney Rick Yovanovich, representing Ave Maria Development, said infrastructure funding disputes are separate from the land-use decision. 

He also said it would be improper to require the property to remain tied to a special district if future legislative changes alter its status. 

“It would be an illegal action on this board’s behalf to require that the Legislature never elect to remove these 1,000 acres if they decide it’s appropriate to remove the 1,000 acres,” he said. “That would be improper.” 

Yovanovich said the developer and future residents of the 1,000-acre area would fund related roadway improvements, including work on Camp Keais Road and planned roundabouts, and that existing Ave Maria residents would not pay those costs. 

Planning Commissioner Joe Schmitt said he supports the expansion but emphasized that funding disputes are outside the scope of the board’s review. 

“We’re conflating two different issues,” he said. “How it’s funded is not a matter for this board.” 

Other members of the project team include Barron Collier Companies, Peninsula Engineering Inc., Trebilcock Consulting Solutions PA, Earth Tech Environmental LLC and Development Planning and Financing Group Inc.