Tim Aten Knows: 2 more development projects break ground on US 41 East

Q: Can you shed some light on what is going in just east of the new Home Depot on 41 in East Naples? Thanks. – Bill Dennehy, Naples  

A: Ground was broken this fall for a 23,562-square-foot retail center on vacant commercial land on the northwest corner of U.S. 41 East and Habitat Road. Sharon’s Corner retail center is under construction on 2.75 acres at 12003 Habitat Road, just east of the future Home Depot store and across the street from Lely Resort. 

Targeted for completion in November of next year, the eight-unit retail center will be anchored by a more than 8,000-square-foot My Suite Place, which will have 39 leasable salon suites under one roof on the center’s southern end with room to expand for another eight to 10 more suites, said Rod Hansen, owner of Sharon’s Corner, which is named after his wife. 

The local center will include a coffee bar with a drive-thru lane, as well as a larger high-turnover, sit-down restaurant fronting Tamiami Trail East on its northern end, site development plans show. Because of a delay in the project, specific tenants originally lined up for the endcap restaurant and the coffee shop drive-thru fell through, Hansen said. “I’m out a year. They can’t wait a year, so I lost them,” he said. 

The developer waited until breaking ground before seeking new tenants, which he expects to begin doing in early December. 

“I’m three-odd million dollars over budget, but we wanted to build something nice for the neighborhood,” Hansen said.   

Hansen’s sons, Jonathan and Coltan, will be the owners of the My Suite Place business. They will lease individual units within My Suite Place to health, wellness and beauty practitioners such as barbers, hair stylists, nail technicians, massage therapists and tattoo artists, Hansen said. 

The retail strip will be built perpendicular to the East Trail. A more than 10,000-square-foot preserve area on its western side will separate it from the Home Depot property, where vertical construction is under way on the third location in Collier County for the national hardware store chain. Undeveloped preserve areas for both Home Depot and Sharon’s Corner will abut one another to separate the commercial developments.  

“We’re not linked in any way to Home Depot or their lot,” Hansen said. 

The majority of the retail center’s parking spaces will be on the strip’s eastern side with its only access drive off Habitat Road. The gray and white stucco and brick building will have black awnings and storefront window frames, plans show. 

Houchin Construction Inc. is the general contractor for building the center on property owned by Hansen, doing business as Sharons Corner LLC of East Naples. The project’s architect is Studio A.D. and its engineer is Davidson Engineering. The site work and utilities installation are being handled by Bonness Inc. and Jensen Underground, respectively. 

This is Hansen’s first commercial development of this type, but he has owned Hansen Electric Supply in East Naples for 28 years. The business is on Exchange Avenue in an industrial park area near Naples Airport. 

“We’ve been serving Naples since 1997,” he said. “We started out on Arnold Avenue renting from the Arnold group. Then, five years ago, we built a 20,000-square-foot new facility for us.” 

Cassia Naples 

Q: What is going in across from the fairly new Publix on U.S. 41 in far East Naples on the east side of the 7-Eleven? – Jack Wagoner, Naples 

A: Cassia Naples, a 328-unit garden-style luxury apartment community, recently broke ground on the northeast corner of U.S. 41 East and Greenway Road, directly across the street from the Publix-anchored Shoppes at Fiddler’s Creek. The first multifamily rental units are expected for completion in February 2027.  

Planned on vacant land about 3.5 miles southeast of the intersection of Collier Boulevard and U.S. 41 East, Cassia Naples will feature one- and two-bedroom residences in six three- and four-story buildings around a 3.6-acre triangular lake with fountains. The nearly 24-acre development at 15061 Tamiami Trail E. includes a 3.4-acre nature preserve on its southeast corner, development plans show. 

In mid-October, the land closing and construction start for Cassia Naples was announced by Greystar, a development and rental property management firm headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina; and its partner, Whitman Peterson, an institutional real estate investment company based in the Greater Los Angeles area. 

Greystar, doing business as GS South Naples Apt Owner LLC, acquired the real estate on Sept. 24 for $15.78 million, Collier County property records show. To meet minimum elevations, considerable filling of the site will take place, plans filed with the county show. 

“South Naples is one of the most naturally beautiful areas of Collier County, and we are thrilled to introduce our Cassia Naples project to the market,” said Ana Pedrajo, senior director for Greystar Development. “Cassia Naples will be one of the few rental projects in the area, and we will offer best-in-class finishes and amenities to renters who will benefit from the accessibility to nature, major retailers and top employers."  

Cassia’s amenities will include nine detached carport buildings, pickleball courts, a lakeside walking trail, dog parks, a putting green, gaming area, outdoor kitchens, a swimming pool with private cabanas and a detached one-story clubhouse with co-working space and a state-of-the-art fitness center. 

The Tim Aten Knows weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at Tim.Aten@NaplesPress.com.