Blake Gable Upbeat about Future in Talk to Ave Maria Residents
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Published on Friday, 01 March 2013 20:13
The developers of the town of Ave Maria are actively looking at a number of new projects in the town, including an assisted living center and an apartment complex, Barron Collier President Blake Gable told gathering of residents Thursday evening.
After thanking residents for their patience during the economic downturn, Mr. Gable said "It is nice to finally see a light at the end of the tunnel."
"We're off to the best sales year since the first year we opened (in 2007)," Mr. Gable said, adding that 32 houses have been sold in the last five weeks.
The scope of future developments outlined by Mr. Gable included those which have been announced, such as the new Maple Ridge residential development and the plans by Arthrex to break ground on a second 120,000-square-foot building, to those under active consideration, such as an assisted living center and an apartment complex, to those that are more speculative, such as a larger-scale health-care facility to serve Eastern Collier County.
"Assisted living and apartments are two things that are next up from a real estate development standpoint," Mr. Gable said, indicating that he hoped to be able to move forward with those in the next 12 months.
The area near the new Arthrex manufacturing plant on Oil Well Rd. figured prominently in plans discussed by Mr. Gable. He said that a group interested in building an assisted-living center is looking at a location near Arthrex and he also said that the area to the west of Arthrex – where a lake has been created due to excavation for fill for the Oil Well Rd. expansion – will be transformed in to a 150-170 acre park of lakes, trails, bike paths and picnic areas that will be an amenity for all Ave Maria residents. That development, he said, would likely take about two years.
Another recreational facility, this one a larger fitness center and community room, also is under consideration closer to the town center.
"Now that Del Webb has its Oasis Club, we need to focus on another amenity for the residents outside Del Webb," Mr. Gable said, adding that such a facility would require co-ordination from all the homebuilders – Pulte, Lennar, Maple Ridge and Ave Maria Development.
Construction is expected to start on Maple Ridge by April, Mr. Gable said, with the goal of opening the model park near Publix by Labor Day.
Mr. Gable also discussed the status of studies he announced late last year into the possibility of building a hospital in the area that would serve Eastern Collier County. The first phase of the study, Mr. Gable said, examined the types of medical procedures people in Eastern Collier County have used during the last several years. The second phase, now under way, is looking at the economic feasibility and Mr. Gable said he expects data back on that in the early summer.
Although the initial announcement referred to hope of building a hospital, Mr. Gable told the group Thursday night that, "I guess I probably don't use the term hospital appropriately," adding that if plans came to fruition it would be more likely to establish an interim "hybrid" facility. One of the early recommendations that he said came out of their analysis is for some sort of emergency room, urgent-care facility staffed by doctors that might "transition to something bigger."
If plans proceeded, an interim facility would be at least "two or three years away, given the length of time projects take in Collier County," Mr. Gable said, with a full hospital being at least five-seven years away. Several doctors in Naples have indicated interest, he said.
In other items raised at the meeting, which included a number of audience questions, Mr. Gable said:
- There are no plans at present for a hotel in Ave Maria although he has had discussions with the Seminole Tribe about a small facility that would accommodate frequent casino visitors.
- There are no current plans for any type of self-storage facility, which Mr. Gable acknowledged has been one of the most frequent requests by residents and which at one point a few years ago he had said was just months away.
- Talks have been held with a funeral home about the possibility of a cemetery, another question that Mr. Gable said he often received.
- The gas station is still planned to open by the end of March.
