Tim Aten Knows: Whole Foods planned for East Naples

Q: On the corner of Santa Barbara and Davis Boulevard, I heard there is a Whole Foods anchoring a new strip center. Is that true? – Mario Malfitano, East Naples 

A: Whole Foods Market is planned to anchor a future retail center that will be part of a major new mixed-use development on the southeast corner of Davis and Santa Barbara boulevards in East Naples. 

SJC Ventures, an Atlanta-based mixed-use, retail and multifamily development firm, is the master developer behind the proposed 100,000 square feet of commercial space, 622 residential units and a large nature preserve on the 82-acre vacant property that formerly was the site of a controversial rock-crushing operation for a few years. A 30,000-square-foot Whole Foods would front Davis Boulevard just west of the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County to anchor a shopping center as part of the development.  

Whole Foods Market originally planned to open its second store in Collier County as part of a redevelopment project on Fifth Avenue South in the city of Naples, but that deal eventually was abandoned after city pushback. The largest developer for Whole Foods, SJC was not part of that venture, but the Daniels Marketplace retail center anchored by Whole Foods in south Fort Myers is one of 20 retail centers anchored by the national grocer that the company has completed in the last 15 years with another dozen in development.  

Doing business as Naples Sanctuary LLC, SJC Ventures applied to Collier County Growth Management in early February for a public hearing regarding a proposed amendment of the existing Taormina Reserve planned unit development at Davis and Santa Barbara. County commissioners created the Taormina Reserve mixed-use development ordinance with a supermajority vote in 2009. SJC is requesting to amend the Taormina Reserve MPUD to reduce its allowable commercial square footage from 262,000 to 100,000 and to increase the number of residential units from 478 to 622. 

A property ownership disclosure form filed with the county this month shows the 82-acre property has been under contract since last September by Atlanta-based Naples Sanctuary with Jeffrey Garrison holding the controlling interest and Jeffrey DeHart and Robert Fain Hicks IV each having nearly 30% ownership. Garrison, DeHart and Hicks are the principals of SJC Ventures, brought to the table by listing broker Justin Thibaut, president and CEO of LSI Companies. The local property is still equally owned by Harrison Hubschman, Teryl Brzeski and the estate of Samuel Hubschman, all of Naples, under Highland Properties of Lee & Collier Ltd. 

Jeff Garrison, a principal at SJC Ventures since its inception as S.J. Collins Enterprises in 2007, confirmed that SJC is the developer of the property but could not confirm yet that Whole Foods Market will anchor the project. 

“I can’t say the name of the anchor because as we go through the entitlement process they want to make sure there’s community buy-in and that the project is ready and entitled before our anchor tenant would be ready to announce their involvement,” he said. 

Garrison said he started planning the project a year ago and hopes to break ground in 2027. 

“We’re a year into it and we have filed to make some modifications. We’re working to amend existing zoning,” he said. “We’re in the process of doing that. We will be breaking ground after that, and we assume that that will be a year from now. Once we start construction, it’s about 20 months until our retail portion opens, and it’s about 24 to 30 months as the residential starts to take occupancy.” 

In addition to a grocer-anchored shopping center at the Davis Boulevard corner, the proposed development plans additional retail buildings with restaurants along Santa Barbara, 422 multifamily units for lease and 200 townhomes for sale.  

“We have a 26-acre nature preserve that will have trails and walkability, and we also have pocket parks interspersed throughout,” Garrison said. “Our main amenity is this 26-acre walkable park. It’s adjacent to the amenities associated with the residential, where we’ll have a 15,000-square-foot clubhouse and a pool, pickleball and a lot of common space there. Then, in the retail we have some greenspace that will be interspersed — part of patios, part of creating more walkability. So that’s our focus and how we’ve interspersed that green space. So, not all 82 acres are concrete.” 

The name for this corner community has not been finalized or announced, but the Naples Sanctuary name SJC created to purchase the property could be a possibility. 

“We’ve talked about some names. I don’t think we’re ready to share them as of yet,” Garrison said. “We’re really just wanting to keep our heads down and do the good work of making sure we get community buy-in for the design. Once the design is finalized, I think the name will take shape, as well.” 

The company also is not ready to reveal names of other retailers or restaurants tentatively planned for that corner. “We have tremendous interest. I wish I could tell you some of these names,” Garrison said, adding that at least two fast-casual restaurants and a sit-down restaurant are planned there. 

“Then we have some service — hair, makeup, bath, body, beauty. Those make up for the most part of what we have today,” he said. “In order to create the most energy, especially because it is a mixed-use environment, what we’ve found is that those uses together in the right way create the best energy for a mixed-use community.” 

Cornering the market 

In unrelated proposals, additional retail development is planned on two other corners at Davis and Santa Barbara boulevards. 

A Wawa convenience store with gas pumps and an AutoZone store are planned on the vacant lots between the CVS pharmacy and the Goodwill store in Egrets Crossing on the southwest corner of that intersection. Next to 7-Eleven on the northeast corner, two adjacent retail buildings of 9,455 and 10,494 square feet are planned with shell space available July 1. 

Marketing the future retail space at 4706 Santa Barbara Blvd. in front of the Altis Santa Barbara Apartments, the Ashton Gray development firm is using the proposed grocer across the street as a carrot to attract prospective retailers: “strategically located at the signalized intersection of Santa Barbara Blvd. and Davis Blvd. directly across from the new Whole Foods,” online promotional copy notes. 

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