Davis Boulevard gets makeover from development experts

The future of Davis Boulevard took shape April 8 during a panel discussion among development experts focused on East Naples’ major thoroughfare. 

The corridor could see more housing, with buildings rising vertically rather than expanding outward. 

Panelists also discussed traffic improvements, including repositioning the exits from Brookside and Commercial streets to create a four-way, signalized intersection. 

A planned development at Santa Barbara and Davis boulevards, which includes 622 residential units and a tentative Whole Foods Market, would feature a retail center with the style, if not the size, of Mercato in North Naples. 

The summary of the meeting, which attracted nearly 100 Realtors and development representatives, was that Davis Boulevard is ripe for reinvestment and renewal. 

“The trajectory, I think, is undeniable,” said Michael McNees, Collier County director of facilities and redevelopment. “I’m not an investment guy, but this is a buy-and-hold neighborhood for sure.” 

Currently, the 6.8-mile four-lane street connecting Collier Boulevard and its Interstate 75 exit with U.S. 41, just south of downtown Naples, is an eclectic real estate mixture. Small businesses and residential areas coexist, including car dealerships, pet groomers, two pharmacies, home equipment supply stores, niche food markets and restaurants. There are two churches on the street and a third with a parking lot adjacent to it.   

Its horizon has remained fairly static, except for several new apartment complexes and the car dealerships and restaurants in flux, until a nine-story hotel-condo complex was proposed for its western intersection with U.S. 41 in 2016.   

That hotel has yet to be built, but the seeds were planted. The 15-story apartment building Ascent and the 15-story condominium tower Avra are now complete or nearing completion on the south side of Davis Boulevard, with a third project in the planning stages. Then came the plan for the Santa Barbara southeast corner development. 

This panel discussion took place in yet another planned development, Halcyon Residences and Marina, a low-rise 66-unit building with dedicated docks. It will be across from the three high-rises at the western end of Davis. Yet another development with a 12-story hotel and a residential building are on the drawing board for the property adjacent to the Oakes Farms Market on Davis. 

Christine Lutz, director of development sales and marketing for Dawn McKenna Group, felt strongly enough about the potential to put together the presentation to educate potential clients and colleagues about the market. The event was hosted by Halcyon and presented by Gulfshore Business, and its location exemplified the change coming to Davis Boulevard. What had been a pawn shop a little more than a year ago was now a sleek new sales center for Halcyon, with wood-texture strip facade, ebony trim and earth-toned accents. Participants gathered on its sparkling new pickleball court.   

For an hour, panelists answered questions on what they see coming to Davis, nearby Bayshore Drive and Naples in general. Speakers included real estate and development columnist Tim Aten of Gulfshore Business; Matthew Kragh, founder of MHK Architecture; McNees; and attorney Rich Yovanovich, shareholder of Coleman Yovanovich Koester and an acknowledged development expert.   

Each of them observed circumstances that pointed toward Davis Boulevard as the new development mecca.   

Kragh noted a shift in lending attitudes toward condominiums following the Great Recession. 

“When I started my firm in 2009, condo was like a really dirty word to most banks,” Kragh said. “We were coming out of the recession, and at that time you could still buy a piece of property in Old Naples for a million dollars or less.” 

The taboo persisted when Kragh was designing Naples Square in central Naples, but its success led to the development of Eleven Eleven Central, he said. Since then, he feels condominiums have earned some respect. 

“I don't see the condo market disappearing even when we go through little economic dips because I don't think we're ever going to see those price points in downtown Naples dip below to where people have options to buy single-family versus condominium,” he said.   

Panelists also cited limited development opportunities within the city of Naples. 

“The costs are obviously high, but that's because it's finite space,” Aten said. “There's not a lot of opportunity there for development outside of redevelopment.” 

“The opportunity lies on the outskirts of the city. So, we're seeing it on this side on the south and east and also on the north where Phil McCabe's building his hotel. You're seeing that kind of pushed out on both ends.” 

The Bayshore-Gateway Triangle Community Redevelopment Agency also provides incentives for qualifying projects, including funding for infrastructure improvements. 

“Sometimes the CRA can help contribute to shave off those edges so that a development that might go out where they can have a clean, green field will commit to being here,” McNees said.