Private East Naples golf course plan moves forward 

A Naples developer who sought a rezoning to build 423 homes on a failing East Naples citrus grove received a recommendation to move forward with a plan to build an Audubon International Gold-certified private golf club with 10 transient cabanas for club members. 

The 5-1 vote by the Collier County Planning Commission, which also voted as the Environmental Advisory Committee, recommended rezoning the roughly 169-acre agricultural property at 341 Sabal Palm Road to allow an 18-hole golf course, 10 cabanas with up to four bedrooms for members and their guests, a driving range, putting greens and practice facilities. The cabanas could be used for up to 30 days, and plans may include maintenance, recreation and administrative facilities, gazebos, nature trails, picnic areas and boardwalks. 

The commission also recommended amending zoning under the county’s growth management plan. The agricultural designation restricts building to one home per 40 acres because it’s in the Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District, a protected environmental status. It’s in a sending area that puts restrictions on development. 

The property is about 1.4 miles east of Collier Boulevard, near Picayune Strand State Forest and the Verona Walk and Tamarindo communities. The course would be similar to Calusa Pines Golf Club in Golden Gate Estates and Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, which hosts The Masters. Among Naples courses certified Gold by Audubon International are Old Collier Golf Club, Tuscany Reserve Golf Club and Hammock Bay Golf Club. 

The recommendation came after a 2½-hour hearing in which seven opponents — neighbors, environmental groups, an ecologist and county residents — cited overdevelopment, flooding and panther concerns. The petition by developer Jon Rubinton of SWJR Naples I LLC now heads to a public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 22. It will then go to the Florida Department of Commerce for review and approval. 

Commission Chair Joe Schmitt said he was a county employee when the RFMUD was created to resolve a 1999 state order against urban sprawl but contended the sending-area designation could be successfully challenged today. 

“I believe that this homeowner, if they wanted to, could take this to court and challenge the ruling from 26 years ago, and they would have every right to do so, and it would be up to the county to prove that they were right in rezoning this land,” Schmitt said as he made a motion to recommend the rezoning and amendment. 

He pointed out the developer also has a pending challenge to county staff’s rejection of a proposal to develop under the state Live Local Act, which would allow up to 1,800 homes in buildings six to eight stories high. 

“I don’t want to see that happen,” he said, noting that would be “far, far more intense of a development.” To avoid that, he said the “best use” for the county and community would be a golf club with 250 to 300 members, a low-intensity use. 

Commission Secretary Paul Shea, the nay voter, said the county “spent a lot of money” 26 years ago to hire many experts who recommended the RFMUD and designating the sending lands. 

“To me, there would need to be an overwhelming public benefit,” Shea said of changing designations. “… The people that decided it was a sending land will be the final decision makers. … I don’t see the public benefit to it.” 

South Naples Citrus Grove had operated since 1979, but due to citrus greening, the grove was no longer productive, and the Smits family and in-law Henry Jacobs, who were all over retirement age, decided to sell. The produce stand, which also sells juice, marmalade and orange soft-serve ice cream, is still operating but closed for the summer. 

The property is under contract with Rubinton, who was involved in Mangrove Bay, Treviso, Bonita Bay and other communities. But after repeated opposition to developing 423 homes, including 85 affordable townhouses, the Board of County Commissioners agreed 3-2 to consider a possible purchase of the property using taxpayer-funded Conservation Collier, which acquires and preserves environmentally sensitive lands. Commissioners also urged the developer to work with the community and environmental groups to find a compromise. 

As the landowners await the Conservation Collier offer, which they expect to be low, the developer is moving forward with the golf course proposal. Jacobs said they’d hoped the affordable-home proposal would be approved, but this was a good compromise. 

He noted a golf course would generate about 60 cars daily due to the membership cap, “significantly less than the average daily 152 cars generated from our customer traffic at our retail operation.” 

“… We have experienced the devastating effects of citrus greening over the last 10 to 15 years,” Jacobs said, noting it’s a statewide citrus industry problem. “We believe the golf course proposal can satisfy everyone. As the property owners, this would allow us to move forward to the next chapter in our lives.” 

Neighbor Jennifer Asling, who operates a flower and bee farm on 5 acres next door, said she’s lived there for about 32 years and urged commissioners to retain the environmental designations. She understood the landowners’ desire to retire, but noted they have land elsewhere and want $2 million for this property, while she wants to maintain the area’s environmental status. 

“I want [the landowners] to have the life that they’re looking for, but I do not want to give up my life or my children’s or my grandchildren’s future,” Asling said during an emotional 10-minute plea. 

Brad Cornell of Audubon Western Everglades urged planning commissioners to reject the proposal. He said they urged the landowners to apply to Conservation Collier and have been speaking with Commissioner Rick LoCastro, whose district covers this property, about two other potential offers. 

“This is a wildfire-prone region that requires hydrologic restoration of flow ways and is surrounded by permanent conservation on all sides,” Cornell said. 

He noted the developer’s land-use attorney, Rich Yovanovich, declined their recommendations and instead added 10 large homes and a clubhouse where residential zoning would only allow four homes. 

But Yovanovich said current plans call for 70% open space and that Audubon International works with golf course developers to develop environmentally sensitive golf courses, including limited pesticides and turf restrictions. He said they might host tournaments, but called the plans nature-friendly. 

“You play golf a lot with the deer, you play golf along with the alligators at night,” Yovanovich said, adding wildlife can freely roam the land. “If you’re an animal that likes to go hunting at dawn, you’ve got a nice vacant area to go hunting at dawn and dusk, so this is an environmentally sensitive use on the property.” 

He understood residents’ concerns about water usage but said the course won’t affect nearby residents’ water. 

The developer’s golf course consultant, Tim Hildebrand, said there’s a need for a private club in the area, where there are 90 golf courses, including 63 in gated communities, seven public courses and 10 private clubs with a waiting list of 700 people, who may have to wait three to 10 years to join. Their average membership fee is $355,000, he said, compared with $187,000 four years ago, an 89% increase. 

“Growth in initiation fees, we think, indicates a substantial demand for high-end private golf-club membership in Collier County,” Hildebrand said, adding the course would close for five months of high temperatures and to undergo maintenance. 

Others on the project team include Turrell Hall & Associates Inc., marine and environmental consulting; Trebilcock Consulting Solutions, transportation planners; and RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture.