A distinctive Collier County rural development and sporting club has been proposed by Barron Collier Partnership LLLP on a large swath of natural wilderness southwest of the intersection of Oil Well Road and State Road 29, about 5 miles east of Ave Maria.  

Coexisting among the native vegetation and wildlife on more than 2,000 acres, the proposed Collier Rod and Gun Club at the Preserve includes single-family seasonal residences, member-only rental cabins and amenities, such as a private golf course and sporting club for up to 300 members and an extensive trail system designed around the natural terrain.  

“It’s pretty amazing. A lot of effort has gone into it and continues to go into it. So, it’s an interesting project,” said Nick Casalanguida, senior vice president of development at Naples-based Barron Collier Cos.   

Two petitions for these projects have been submitted for consideration to Collier County government. This combination of petitions has been reviewed by county staff and will be the subject of an Aug. 17 public hearing by the county Planning Commission and is on the agenda for the board of county commissioners on Oct. 10.  

“Then, we’re in the middle of permitting. It’s probably a good 12 months of permitting outside of Collier County, all the environmental permits,” Casalanguida said. “In a perfect world, we’re probably starting construction next fall (2024).”  

During a required neighborhood improvement meeting this spring, Jessica Harrelson of Peninsula Engineering explained how the property involves multiple projects, which will be interconnected. As part of Barron Collier Cos., Peninsula is responsible for all planning, environmental and engineering design services in association with the proposed Rod and Gun Club.  

“So, the two petitions that have been submitted are a request to establish a stewardship receiving area, or an SRA, for a maximum of 225 single-family homes on 259.6 acres. Uses within the SRA include recreation, tourism and education, and the SRA will be designed with a compact rural development center providing goods and services, such as dining, recreational and wellness amenities for residents. It will also be designed with a linear park,” Harrelson said.  

“The second request is for a conditional use to permit a golf course and sports and recreational camp on 911 acres. It will consist of an 18-hole golf course, shooting clays amenities, archery, fishing. It will be designed with a clubhouse, up to 20 member-only rental cottages and a maximum of 300 club memberships.”  

The more than 5,600-square-foot clubhouse will be located on the southern portion of the property to the east of the golf course. “Everything will be sustainable, natural materials and built into the natural landscape,” Harrelson said.  

The use of rifles will be prohibited, and golfing, shooting and archery will be prohibited from dusk until dawn.  

The SRA is in the northeast corner of the property and the conditional use is the larger area east and south of it. The projects making up this overall development are separate and distinct applications that have been holistically planned, Casalanguida said.  

“I would say it’s atypical in design with a lot of green space, and the homes will be specifically placed rather than a subdivision like Ave Maria,” he said. “As you can imagine, a very much rural-type of cabin-type of feel around lakes.”  

The vision is to develop the property within the natural landscape, said Harrelson, noting that 60% of the plan provides open space, exceeding the county’s 35% requirement.  

“Native vegetation will be retained to the extent possible,” she said. “Lakes will be constructed for water management purposes, and we also designed some lakes that buffer the SRA and conditional-use properties to kind of discourage wildlife from entering into the SRA.”  

As much as possible, the entire project avoids all wetlands, as well as uplands of higher value, Casalanguida said.  

“So, the team took a really interesting approach. It said, ‘Before we even design anything, let’s go out and map the wetlands. Let’s go out and map the uplands. And let’s actually design around the features that are there so we can preserve as much of the Everglades’ natural beauty as possible,’” he said. “So, the concept is, disturb as little as possible and make it feel and design it and manage it like you’re truly living in a 2,000-acre preserve, hence the name the Rod and Gun Club at the Preserve.”  

Homebuyers there will have to go through an extensive training program with an on-site naturalist to understand where they’re living and how to live there. A master homeowners association will manage the deed-restricted property around homes, as well as the green space and the conservation space, Casalanguida said.  

The future development will have two main access points. “Direct access to the SRA will be from Oil Well Road. The main corridor will meander through the development, through the conditional-use property and out to State Road 29,” Harrelson said.  

Some developer commitments exist within the SRA, Harrelson said. “Dwelling units within the SRA may not be rented. Any change to this recreational-type community to a general-use community would require an amendment to the SRA. The SRA is limited to a maximum of 105 two-way peak-hour trips,” she said. “The SRA also is subject to a mobility plan, which includes providing a 4-foot pathway along the main corridor and a 10-foot multiuse pathway. Each residential area is required to provide a pedestrian connection to the linear park. Those pedestrian connections are going to be made of natural materials.”  

The property is zoned agricultural within the mobile home overlay and Rural Lands Stewardship Area overlay. Per the RLSA overlay, the property is designated as “open lands” and is adjacent to habitat stewardship areas along the southern and western property boundaries.   

“It’s part of the ultimate development plan of the RLSA,” said Collier County Commissioner Bill McDaniel, whose expansive District 5 includes the proposed development and the eastern part of the county.  

“I think it’s a nice blend. It’s a low-density, low-impact development, that will add a lot of tax base to our community and be quite in sync with environmental sensitivity of the area,” McDaniel said. “For everything that I’ve ostensibly been able to tell, I like what I’m hearing.”  

In the middle of Collier County’s centennial year for incorporation, the proposal almost has a historical, old-time feel to it, harkening back to the region’s early resort days when wealthy individuals ventured here to hunt and fish and experience the wilderness. Of course, the new project’s name will cause confusion with the historic Rod & Gun Club in Everglades City. Outside of a similar name and a celebration of Old Florida, the new proposal doesn’t have much in common with the original lodge and restaurant, which dates to the 1870s.  

The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at tim.aten@naplespress.com.