A rendering shows the proposed two-story, 26,000-square-foot Home Base Florida veterans wellness center in Estero. The facility is planned on 2 acres north of Everblades Parkway, east of Tiburon Way and west of Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, in front of the Tidewater community.
A health clinic and wellness center helping veterans and their families with the visible and invisible wounds of war is coming to Estero.
Home Base Florida, a national nonprofit co-founded by the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital, presented plans last month for a two-story, 26,000-square-foot building on 2 acres north of Everblades Parkway, east of Tiburon Way and west of Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, in front of the Tidewater community. The plans were presented to the Estero Planning, Zoning & Design Board.
Home Base has been in Southwest Florida for 13 years but has never had a building to call its own. Employees have worked from home or borrowed space at Florida Gulf Coast University and other locations.
“It’s time to move to the next stage, a facility,” said Armando Hernandez, senior director of National Network Operations & Strategy.
Home Base helps veterans in Southwest Florida, the Tampa area and the Panhandle, Hernandez said.
A singer performs the national anthem beside an honor guard during the opening ceremony of the Home Base Florida Golf Tournament on Nov. 3 at The Nest Golf Club in Bonita Springs.
Florida has 1.5 million veterans, the third most in the U.S. behind California and Texas. Florida leads the country in the number of veteran suicides with 600 a year, Hernandez said.
Southwest Florida has about 100,000 veterans, with about 60,000 living in Lee County.
Some of the space will be used for administrative offices, Hernandez said. A gym will include space for rehabilitation and physical therapy. There will be a kitchen for cooking demonstrations emphasizing health and wellness. Another area will be used for telehealth and counseling training, while an event space will host meetings of veteran organizations.
Tidewater resident Alan White, a veteran, said the community is in favor of the project.
Members of the planning and zoning board also spoke mostly in favor of the project. They liked the design and made only a few suggestions, including lightening the building’s dark color and adding cover for an outdoor entertainment area.
Last month’s presentation was only an informational meeting. No date was given for when Home Base will make its formal presentation.
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