London Bay celebrated the construction milestone of reaching the top floor of The Ritz-Carlton Residences at Saltleaf on Estero Bay, a 22-story, 112-unit, $600 million condo tower that has seen swift sales.

Already 102 of the 112 units have sold, said Mark Wilson, CEO and founder of London Bay, which has operated in Southwest Florida for 35 years. The first tower is scheduled to open by Easter 2026.

An on-site sales center at 5000 Coconut Road in Bonita Springs has a glimpse of what the finished product will look like. Prices start at $3.8 million and range up to $17 million for a penthouse suite.

The length of time developing in the market helped position London Bay, Wilson said, for purchasing and planning the development of Saltleaf on more than 500 acres, technically located within the Bonita Springs city limits, at the western end of Coconut Road, adjacent to Estero.

“We know the market from Sanibel down to Marco Island, intimately,” Wilson said. “For us, it was kind of stepping back. Maybe others didn’t see this. But the fact that we have almost a mile of bayfront land in Southwest Florida in 2019, it’s kind of impossible to think about if you wanted to try to find that kind of water frontage today. Impossible.”

Post-pandemic migration to the region fit right in with London Bay’s development timetable, too.

“And we saw the growth coming from Naples up into Bonita Bay and then up into Estero,” Wilson said. “And it will keep going further. And it seemed certainly obvious to us that if you could get absolutely fantastic waterfront, pristine water, a new marina, a fabulous championship 18-hole golf course, yeah, people will be interested in this. And then take iconic architecture. Amenities that haven’t been offered before in the marketplace. And bring Ritz-Carlton into play. To give an unusual level of service that hasn’t been seen before in Southwest Florida, we thought we had a winner. And the market has told us that they appreciate it.”

The second, identical tower will break ground this summer and be ready by the end of 2027, Wilson said.

Residents will share a 72-slip marina on Estero Bay that will have public access — a sticking point by Jim Weeks, whose family owned the marina and operated Weeks Fish Camp for 72 years.

“Many, many, many developers came along with their goals and ideas as to what the future should hold for Weeks Fish Camp property,” Weeks told a gathering of public officials and construction workers Feb. 13 at the topping off ceremony. “But they did not understand the history of almost 100 years tied to the communities — how important the 74 years of public access has been to so many.”

Weeks first met with Wilson and his team in 2017-18, and at a later public meeting, Weeks became convinced that Wilson would honor the promise of providing public access to the marina at what will otherwise be an exclusive development.

“Not only is Estero Bay the oldest protected estuary in the state of Florida, but also the location of Mound Key built by the Calusa Indians and settled on by pioneer families in your area,” Weeks said. “Yes, there is a developer who has realized that local history and public access is important enough to incorporate it into their vision of such a large project.

“Mark Wilson and London Bay Development — offering public access to water to continue a place to share our rich history and deeming that access open to the public in perpetuity — forever. Thank you.”

The public also will have access to a restaurant under construction, adjacent to the marina. A name or brand has yet to be announced.

Coastal Construction continues to work, with 400 to 500 workers on-site each day, said Sean Murphy, co-president of the company. This marks the Miami-based company’s first project in Lee County. It is also building the Naples Beach Club in Collier County.

The first two condo towers are just the beginning, Wilson said.

“Our plan here is to build a coastal village,” Wilson said. “We’ve got a total of 530 acres. We’ve currently got zoning for just over 1,000 residences. This is just over 300 residences, because we’ll have some villas here. And then we’ll have four towers.”

London Bay is building a 1-acre lagoon that can be seen from the two towers. It will be flanked by three swimming pools to the east and the bay to the west.

“So, you’ve got water, water and more water,” Wilson said. “It’s pretty cool.”