The intersection of Golden Gate Boulevard and Everglades Boulevard is becoming a new commercial activity center in Golden Gate Estates. The intersection is one of only three neighborhood centers designated in the Estates. These centers are planned to serve Estates residents and are not supposed to bring in traffic from outside the neighborhood.

As work nears completion on stores coming to both northern corners of that intersection, plans are underway to also develop the southern corners. 

Northwest corner

Everglades Plaza, a nearly 25,000-square-foot multitenant retail center on the northwest corner, is setting the look for the future activity center at that intersection.

“It’s literally the final weeks of the build. I think I’ll be getting my CO (certificate of occupancy) if not March 1 then shortly thereafter,” said Everglades Square owner David Samadnejad.

“I’m extremely excited about this center opening,” Samadnejad said. “It’s honestly turned out to be the prettiest thing I’ve ever built. I’m always running and I stopped in the middle of Everglades Boulevard to look at it last week and the colors and the landscaping; it’s just something I’m really proud of. I’m so excited for the tenants and the community. This thing’s going to be busy and it’s going to fill a huge hole that everyone’s been missing out in the Estates.”

A 9,302-square-foot grocery store, Everglades Food Mart, will anchor the 18-unit center from Unit 113.

“I’m really excited about the grocery store because they have a lot of things planned and, I don’t want to get too far into it, but I feel like it’s going to be something special to follow their events,” Samadnejad said. The store will feature a rotisserie chicken station and a grab-and-go pickup area for Latin and American lunch and dinner favorites such as street tacos and sandwiches, he said.

Other businesses coming to Everglades Square include Moravela’s Pizza in Unit 108 and Antojitos Y Mas Ice Cream in Unit 105. Golden Gate Karate School will have Units 101-102. ReMax Affinity from Mercato is in Unit 103. Rounding out the center will be an insurance and tax service business in Unit 104, Amigos Truck Parts in Unit 107, a barber shop in Unit 109, a nutrition and vitamin shop in Unit 110 and a nail spa in Unit 112.

Northeast corner

While Everglades Food Mart is being completed on the northwest corner, 7 Food Mart & Tortilleria is being built across the street on the northeast corner of Golden Gate and Everglades boulevards.

The 13,497-square-foot store will be the third and largest 7 Food Mart & Tortilleria from local brothers Anand and Kelvin Deonarine. Each time the local brothers build a new store they nearly double the size of their previous one. In 2003, they opened 7 Food Mart & Tortilleria on 40th Terrace SW in Golden Gate. In 2015, they built another 7,380-square-foot store on Santa Barbara Boulevard that is twice as large as the first one.

Projected to open soon, the new food mart at 60 Everglades Blvd. N. will offer meat, produce, seafood, beverages and international items. Not only will it be a convenience store, but it will be a takeout business for Mexican and Cuban cuisine such as tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, plantains, congri, chicharron, Cuban sandwiches and pork picnic shoulder. Weekly taco specials are popular on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  

Southwest corner

Ariva Plaza, a neighborhood commercial center planned on the southwest corner of Everglades and Golden Gate boulevards. A proposed rezoning request would permit the construction of 30,000 square feet of retail and commercial uses on 5.46 acres.

The vacant property, which is currently zoned Estates, abuts residential properties to its south and west. Access to the site is proposed via a right-in/right-out access on both Golden Gate Boulevard and Everglades Boulevard.

The project is proposed to have a self-contained septic system and a private well on site.

Southeast corner

On the southwest corner will be Everglades Plaza, not to be confused with Everglades Square on the opposite corner. For a brief period, E’s Country Stores LLC owned the property that is on the books as Everglades Rick Johnson planned unit development (PUD).

Collier County has received a proposal to develop an auto and tire service center on the nearly 5.5 acres is in the Golden Gate Area Master Plan (GGAMP) Neighborhood Center Subdistrict, which allows commercial uses ranging in intensity from C-1 to C-3. Although auto service uses are allowed, the proposed automotive repair use for the project is inconsistent with the GGAMP. A growth management plan amendment to the GGAMP is required to add higher-intensity commercial uses such as automotive repair to the Neighborhood Center Subdistrict, according to a county senior planner. The development may be split into three or four separate parcels.