Collier County gives green light to new rural village

A new rural village with 3,205 homes, including affordable housing, is planned for eastern Collier County — the eighth new town or village approved in the area. 

Construction would begin in 2027 and take about 15 years to complete. 

On Dec. 9, Collier County commissioners unanimously approved Horse Trials Village on 1,217 acres at the northwest quadrant of Oil Well Road, just west of State Road 29. The project designates 560.2 acres as a Stewardship Sending Area, preserving natural wildlife habitat. With 305 affordable units, the village will rise east of Golden Gate Estates in the Rural Land Stewardship Area, bordered by Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest in Felda to the north and Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge to the south. 

“This development’s been coming on for many, many years, with an enormous amount of communication and an enormous amount of planning,” Commissioner Bill McDaniel Jr., whose district includes the area, said as he moved for approval. 

After the unanimous vote, Commissioner Chris Hall, who seconded the motion, praised the project. 

“This is the exact kind of project that we need to grow with,” Hall said. “It’s not in our normal, regular traffic patterns. It’s out there. It’s got its own commercial, it’s got its own schools, it’s got its own fire station. I love the project and I’m glad that we passed that unanimously.” 

Plans call for 169,865 square feet of commercial space for office and retail uses; at least 100,000 square feet of indoor storage; and at least 32,050 square feet of civic, governmental and institutional uses. Also included are up to 300 senior-housing units in assisted-living or continuing-care communities, a K-8 school, a fire station, parks, preserves and an amenity center. 

Pat Utter, senior vice president of real estate for Collier Enterprises — part of Punta Gorda-based Tarpon Blue Companies — owns the property. Collier Enterprises is developing other approved communities in the area, including the Town of Big Cypress and neighboring villages Rivergrass, Longwater and Bellmar. Other villages and towns approved for Sending and Receiving Area designations include Hyde Park Village, Brightshore Village, Collier Rod & Gun Club Compact Rural Development and the Town of Ave Maria. 

The RLSA spans about 185,000 acres in eastern Collier and was adopted in 2002 to protect agricultural areas, natural habitats, wetlands and flowways while directing growth away from those areas. It was created in response to a state mandate requiring long-term protection of environmentally sensitive land and prevention of urban sprawl. 

Sending areas preserve high-quality habitat, while receiving areas are suitable for development. To be approved for 1,217 acres, Horse Trials Village needed 9,519.08 credits; no credits were required for public-benefit uses. 

“We meet all of the criteria related to designating this property as a village,” land-use attorney Rich Yovanovich told commissioners before the vote. 

No residents opposed the proposal during the hearing or at neighborhood meetings. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval in October with several suggestions. A Belleair resident submitted a letter opposing the project, citing environmental concerns and a housing surplus. 

“This development aims to destroy our beautiful wild Florida and a piece of wildlife corridor,” Rosa Mary Jimenez Ocejo wrote, noting the presence of endangered species, such as the Florida panther, eastern indigo snake and bonneted bats. “Please don’t let this development move forward. … It makes absolutely no sense to destroy precious virgin land for a developer’s greed. Please stop this unnecessary development.” 

Certified Planner Bob Mulhere, CEO of Hole Montes, said the village is designed to support pedestrian and bicycle circulation as required by the stewardship program. 

“We have 37.29 acres of active parks and community green space,” Mulhere said, noting only 12.18 acres are required. “We substantially exceed that number.” 

The development features 2.63 homes per acre and exceeds the 35% open-space requirement by providing nearly 50%, he said. It will have direct access to Oil Well Road and State Road 29, a 25-foot landscape buffer around the perimeter, sidewalks and 10-foot multiuse pathways. 

Plans cap weekday peak-hour entry and exit trips at 2,429. Collier Enterprises also agreed to provide $835,800 in road improvements for State Road 29 and Oil Well Road. A park-and-ride area and Collier Area Transit station are planned within the village center. 

Of the overall site, 1,131.26 acres are dedicated to neighborhood development. The village center covers 56 acres, and 30.45 acres are set aside for affordable housing. Among the 3,205 homes, at least 10% will be multifamily dwellings, at least 10% will be single-family detached and at least 10% will be single-family attached villas. 

Collier County’s Housing Demand Model shows the county needs 3,176 affordable homes this year and 1,791 units for residents who spend more than one-third of their income on housing. 

Plans place residential areas near the panther corridor with a lake-system buffer. Farm fields in the sending areas will be restored to natural flowways and wildlife habitat. 

The project team includes Trebilcock Consulting Solutions Inc.; land-use attorneys Coleman Yovanovich Koester; Agnoli Barber & Brundage civil engineers; and Passarella & Associates ecological and environmental consultants.