What’s coming to Whole Foods Plaza? Latest news on new Publix, Moss Marina

Recently heard from reader Paul Tormey. No relation, by the way, to the late great scat singer Mel Torme, a favorite of Southwest Florida’s Stardust Memories Big Band, who plays the Fort Myers Tribby Arts Center next month after the conclusion of the winter outdoor season.

“I especially enjoy your column,” said Mr. Tormey, overcoming my digression without missing a Be-bop-be, Ship-be-dee-do-dah beat. “Can you tell me what’s being built next to KeKe’s and behind Mellow Mushroom at the corner of Daniels Parkway and Six Mile Cypress?”

Good question, Mr. Tormey, and thanks for the kind words. A “fascinating rhythm” happens.

Here’s what you need to know about these and other hip activities in Southwest Florida that are making the scene.

How big is the expansion at Whole Foods-anchored Daniels Marketplace?

What you’re looking at is the 21,000-square-foot second phase of the Daniels Marketplace, home to Whole Foods since 2018, which should be finished by winter, though the owners are pushing hard for a fall finish, before our snowbird. friends.

Targeted retailers for that spot next to Six Mile and Kekes Breakfast Cafe include Macy’s Bluemercury skin care in its first location in Lee County, and only the second in Southwest Florida, along with Fifth Avenue South in Naples.

What new stores are coming to Daniels Marketplace in Fort Myers?

Another regional rarity on the way is Lovesac furniture, the masters of modulars and bean bags already in Estero’s Coconut Point and preparing to launch before summer arrives near Whole Foods in Naples Mercato, where it is looking for a showroom manager and other jobs as we speak. That top position pays $26 to $32 per hour.

With its closest location just across Alligator Alley, VIO Med Spa will make its debut on this coast offering body contouring, skin rejuvenation, facials, injectables, fillers and similar services. Also part of the Marketplace party, with more to come, are Fidelity Investments and a pair of clothing stores obsessed with the 10th letter of the alphabet, J.Jill and J. McLaughlin.

“Our vision to embrace the space between buildings with the introduction of green space and event activations, combined with diversifying the merchandising mix and adding financial services, will be realized with this development,” said Tom Wilder, managing director of Boston’s Wilder company with more than 40 properties, almost all in the Northeast, and the current 106,729 square feet is the only one south of Maryland.

The Marketplace attracted more than 1.4 million visitors last year, part of the 68,000 daily drivers who congregate at Six Mile and Daniels, Wilder said.

How many live around the growing Fort Myers Daniels Marketplace?

Beam around Daniels Marketplace	3 miles	5 miles	7 miles
Population	54,600	134,873	243,002
Average household income	$99,823	$93,194	$94,766
Average age	49 years	47 years	46 years

Wilder, Placer.Ai data released in 2024.

Which high school in Collier will have Publix subs next door?

The builder of the Marketplace expansion is Central Florida-based J. Raymond Construction Corp., which also has a new contract for the first Publix on Oil Well Road in Naples, which we first told you about more than two years ago and which we have updated along the way.

Adjacent to Palmetto Ridge High School’s 2,000 students, those Publix subs in what will become the Shoppes of Orange Blossom will likely give the lunchroom a run for its money, depending on the size of the stipends and how long the deli extends. The goal was a 2025 debut, but we’ll see how that all plays out.

According to LQ Commercial, Le Nails & Spa has already set up rental space in the centre.

Which Naples dealer will open the automaker’s largest prototype in the US?

A few years ago we first reported on a Genesis dealer’s purchase of a parcel of land in Naples on Pine Ridge Road near the I-75 exit that is about to be transformed.

Genesis of Naples now has a timeline for when it will reach the 10.5 acres the LLC purchased for more than $11 million.

When will construction begin on the Genesis dealership in Naples, Florida?

Construction is expected to begin in July for what owner Tim Zellers describes as one of the five largest volume Genesis franchises in the continental United States, prompting the expansion.

“This two-story building embodies the largest Genesis prototype in the country,” Zellers said of the 30,000 square feet, slated for completion by the end of 2025. “With this additional space, we can better take care of our existing customers, as well as our customers.” that are new to the Genesis brand.”

Genesis, part of the Hyundai Motor Group, was introduced in 2008. The new showroom will allow Zellers’ Hyundai dealership to expand at 6780 Airport-Pulling Road after Genesis leaves. In addition to Tamiami Ford’s ownership, the three dealerships employ nearly 300 employees in Collier County, with annual sales of more than 5,000 new and used vehicles.

How did Tiger Woods accidentally boost sales of the national automaker?

In one of the oddities of modern-day America, Genesis sales soared after famed golfer Tiger Woods mysteriously traveled down a California cliff at 80 mph on the highway in his GV80. In the month after the 2021 incident, that model outsold other vehicles by far in Southwest Florida. In an unrelated 2023 study by iSeeCars research, the Genesis G80 experienced a 50% increase in used car prices year over year in Collier and Lee counties, the highest.

The local business at the Genesis location comes more than two decades after powerhouse CRE Consultants Partner and architect Fred Kermani began working on the northwest corner and adjacent property in 2002 as broker and top dog for the largest volume commercial properties and land sales in the Southwest Florida MLS.

“This has been a long journey,” Kermani told In the Know. “It took me 20 years of marketing, handling 27 offers and multiple contracts and changes.”

Informed: Best deal? Naples Great Wolf Lodge room or day pass? Have house sales also fallen?

What project will transform busy Pine Ridge Road in Naples, Florida?

As my colleague Laura Layden reported last week, this hot intersection is about to get a lot more activity.

State transportation officials plan to begin work next year on a $23 million divergent diamond interchange, Collier County’s first and similar to what’s happening at Fort Myers’ Colonial Boulevard interchange and future exits for Bayshore Road and Daniels Road, three miles east of the Marketplace we just mentioned.

The idea is to reduce bottlenecks and left turns, which we are all familiar with in our busy world, to improve traffic flow and safety.

Tourism: The Lani Kai Hotel in Fort Myers Beach: When will it open? What about the rooftop restaurants?

What is the schedule for allowing input on the Pine Ridge diamond exchange?

An online session on May 14 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM with question and answer with the project team. A link to register can be found on the site swflroads.com/project/445296-1.
An in-person meeting on May 16 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the North Collier Regional Park Exhibition Hall, 15000 Livingston Road, where project displays will be shown for review.

What is the status of the Moss Marina hotels project, Fort Myers Beach?

Following recommendations from City of Fort Myers Beach staff and committee members, the revived Moss Marina expansion project will be tentatively reviewed by the City Council as it considers several land use changes and proposals this morning, including height.

The 11-acre plan calls for three bayfront hotels plus restaurants, bars and other amenities. But, as we’ve reported, it has struggled to gain traction with the council and planning board, which, after hearing from many residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, signaled last year that they had no intention to deviate too far from the current comprehensive plan that has been in place for almost thirty years.

How does the Biden grant help pay for housing in Lee County?

As my colleague Stacey Henson reported, demolition began last week in the 37-acre Southward Village neighborhood of the 199-unit Fort Myers Dunbar community to make way for affordable housing.

Combined with other ongoing efforts on Cleveland Avenue across from the Fort Myers Country Club golf course, at least 465 new units are planned by the Fort Myers Housing Authority. The construction of Southward at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is expected to launch in early 2025.

Redevelop: Dunbar’s Southward Village is being demolished to make way for a new community.

“This marks the beginning of transformative change for the greater Dunbar community,” said Marcia Davis, executive director of the housing authority’s partnership with national affordable housing developer McCormack Baron Salazar. “The demolition of Southward Village is a significant milestone (and) will pave the way for our efforts to provide better housing and amenities for our residents.”

Suffolk Construction is the contractor for the project funded in part by a $30 million Biden administration grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That’s in addition to at least $1.1 billion the president has allocated to Lee County to accelerate recovery from Hurricane Ian in 2022.

Columnist Phil Fernandez ([email protected]), an affiliate of the Naples Daily News, grew up in Southwest Florida and has led the effort to win the Pulitzer Prize. He writes In the Know, one of the USA TODAY Network’s most read local news columns in the state. Support democracy. Subscribe to a newspaper.