Well before the initial wall was even erected, we told you in the summer of 2021 about the Southbrooke Medical Plaza rising in the blazing corridor of Immokalee Road, east of I-75 in Naples.
That spot, right by Valewood Drive, had an interesting path before reaching the promised land of commercial sales.
In the Know came upon the 6700 block of Immokalee on a June afternoon at the urging of always on the ball reader Bob Weaber ― the Big W as I called him ― as tractors cleared the shady trees that had inhabited the premises. Remember those? Trees.
Up to that point, the five-acre strip concept had been floating around the Collier County administration building for the better part of a decade or more.
One of the challenges along the way over the years had been whether the land should be part of maybe a single-family housing development, based on what had been initially outlined in the county’s growth plan and public documents. Remember that? The comp plan concept that has been slowly dismantled by those who took over power in Tallahassee a quarter-century ago.
But clearing the hurdles, as is often the case in Collier, the office complex of twin 22,547-square-foot structures became a go, turn lanes included ― the latter a welcome plus considering the sometimes sonic speeds in that right lane of Immokalee when the lights turn green a couple or so blocks away at Tarpon Bay Boulevard.
At the time, some of you grumbled to me about more congestion because of endeavors like these. Remember when you didn’t grumble? Wait, you and I have always grumbled.
But we’ve talked a lot in this space about the demand for commercial space, and that there seems to be a need, whether you like all your new arriving neighbors or not.
There’s a reason, as In the Know reported last month, that Lee and Collier counties have the highest concentration of construction workers in the entire country. A lot of residential. A lot of commercial.
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Just in one segment alone, LSI Cos. found that in the year ending in March, 3.5 million square feet of industrial space was permitted for construction in Southwest Florida, increasing supply by more than 5%, with tenant demand immediately “absorbing the new deliveries. (Demand) for space stems from the hurricane recovery as contractors and suppliers compete for space. (The) area will continue to see pressures for new commercial development.”
You want to know how quickly venues fill up?
Southbrooke is your example.
The first phase ― half of the planned square footage ― wrapped up in 2022 and shortly thereafter reached 100% occupancy with Continuum Surgery Center, All About You Med Spa, HealthQuest Physical Therapy, Designed to Smile Dentistry and the Chapman Wellcare Walk-In Clinic, according to LQ Commercial.
And the other half of the 40,000-plus square feet has just been claimed now, too, as part of Phase 2: A major presence for NeuroScience and Spinal Associates, also known as NASA, but no astronauts for this space. Most of it goes toward an ambulatory surgery center, and the remainder, its on-site MRI services.
“We look forward to opening the doors of this facility near the summer of 2025,” said Penny Wickey, co-broker and Saugatuck Commercial Real Estate principal, noting that hot growth zone we’ve written about a-plenty, where NASA will “offer more expedient treatment to its expansive client base.”
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We reported how leaders by 2030 see the population center of Collier County moving toward the nearby intersection of Immokalee and Collier Boulevard, two-plus miles east of Southbrooke that’s home to Founders Square and other enterprises.
The location provides “access and ability to serve more patients,” said Mike Concilla, co-broker and LQ managing principal Mike Concilla. “We are excited to see Southbrooke become fully leased so quickly.”
Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez ([email protected]) grew up in Southwest Florida and has led Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. He writes In the Know, one of USA TODAY Network’s most read local news columns in the state. Support democracy. Subscribe to a newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples, FL growth: It’s OK to grumble, but folks are gonna keep coming
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