Energy efficient home by Minto at Isles of Collier’s Preserve
Collier Enterprises | Minto Communities: Plans put town of 4,000 in E. Collier
By June Fletcher
A long-planned town on rural lands in eastern Collier County might be closer to reality.
Collier Enterprises said Friday it is working with Canadian-based Minto Communities on planning and permitting about 4,000 homes and a 150,000-square-foot town center as part of the first phase of development for the 4,000-acre Rural Lands West property in eastern Collier County.
Patrick Utter, vice president of real estate for Naples based Collier Enterprises, said it chose Minto as the community’s first builder because “they have a big environmental focus and we think they have a good understanding of the market.”
Minto is the builder of the Isles of Collier Preserve, an eco-oriented community it created after acquiring Collier Enterprises’ former Sabal Bay property in 2012.
The permitting process for Rural Lands West will involve local, state and federal agencies, and is estimated to take two to three years to complete.
Site preparation on the property, which is at Oil Well Road just east of Golden Gate Estates, is expected to begin in 2017. About 90 percent of the land currently is farmland leased to a number of winter vegetable growers, Utter said.
22-story ‘ultraluxury’ high-rise planned
By June Fletcher
One of the last two remaining developable land parcels in Pelican Bay has been sold for $80 million in cash, and will become a 22-story luxury high-rise called Mystique.
It will sit on four acres with unobstructed Gulf views on Grenadier Boulevard.
Aubrey Ferrao, founder of Naples based Gulf Bay Group of Companies, formed a joint venture with KKR, a New York based private equity group, to develop the 87-unit tower.
“It will be very upscale, ultra luxury, with very large units” Ferrao said. “There will be no competition for us.” Pricing has yet to be determined, but Ferrao said he expects many buyers will come from “vintage” high rises in Naples who want to move up to something newer, or from large homes in Port Royal looking to downsize.
Amenities will include a health club with on-call masseuses, guest suites, a billiard room, a hunt room, a bridge room and a parlor. There will be a pool on the ground floor, and also penthouse pools.
“But the greatest amenity is that you will be able to walk to the beach,” Ferrao said.
He expects to start selling units at the end of the year. He’ll break ground when pre-sales are complete, which he anticipates will be in mid-2016.
The Mystique site is part of about a mile-and-a-half of beachfront land Ferrao bought in 1986 from Westinghouse, the original developer of Pelican Bay.
Now one of Naples’ most chic addresses, Pelican Bay is a 2,104-acre private community that contains more than 65 separate neighborhoods, private beach pavilions, four parks, tennis, a 27-hole golf course, a shopping center and Artis— Naples.
Gulf Bay Group has developed 14 projects in Pelican Bay. The company also has developed other notable properties, including the Fiddler’s Creek master- planned community, The Brittany high rise in Park Shore, and the Marco Beach Ocean Resort on Marco Island.
The company says the value of its completed and built-out residential properties exceeds $5 billion KKR has more than $99 billion in assets. The firm is making the investment primarily from its real estate fund, Real Estate Partners Americas.
“Aubrey Ferrao and the Gulf Bay Group Companies have developed high rise condominium towers along the Gulf of Mexico in Naples for 30 years and know the luxury market in Naples like few other developers,” said Roger Morales, co-head of KKR Real Estate Acquisitions in the Americas said in a statement. “We are very selective of our investments and our partners and we are pleased to partner with Mr. Ferrao on this exciting opportunity.”
By Andrew Khouri | RISMEDIA, Wednesday, August 20, 2014—(MCT)
photo: RISMedia
New home construction surged to an eight-month high in July, providing a lift to the broader economy. Housing starts jumped 15.7 percent from June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,093,000, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Economists had expected a rate of 965,000, according to FactSet. The department also revised June’s rate of housing starts upward, to 945,000 from 893,000. “This was a solid report,” IHS Global Insight economists Patrick Newport and Stephanie Karol wrote in an analysis. “Builders’ optimism is picking up.” That optimism, if it continues, could have a sustained, broad effect on the economy, including companies that specialize in home improvement and construction materials. Home Depot, for instance, said Tuesday its profit in its fiscal second quarter, which ended Aug. 3, jumped 14 percent to $2.05 billion, or $1.52 a share, from $1.8 billion, or $1.24, a year earlier. The company, based in Atlanta, also raised its profit outlook for the year. Home Depot’s stock was trading up 5.8 percent Monday morning to $88.47. The monthly Commerce Department report showed new home construction climbed in all regions except the Midwest, where starts fell 24.8 percent. Building permits, a gauge of future construction, rose 8.1 percent nationally in July. Credit Suisse economist Dana Saporta said the latest housing-start report should lessen concerns, raised last week by Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer, that the housing market had become a major impediment to a more robust economic recovery. “Looking forward, a case could be made for continued improvement in the housing sector,” Saporta said. And there have been signs the national housing market is strengthening, after starting to cool last summer amid higher prices and mortgage rates. Sales of previously owned homes have been on the rise, and a gauge of home-builder confidence is at a seven month-high, a trade group reported Monday.
(c)2014 Los Angeles Times | Distributed by MCT Information Services
These items may interest you:
Move-in Ready Homes at Fiddler’s Creek
Corkscrew Shores – Clear Bright Blue Water
Centerpiece of Corkscrew Shores is its spectacular lake
By Andrea Stetson: Special to the News Press
photo: jrevansengineering.com
Special to The News-Press The 240-acre lake glistens a brilliant turquoise under the sparkling sun. The water is clear almost like the Caribbean. This lake is nothing like most man-made watering holes in Southwest Florida.
The lake, which is the showcase of the new development Corkscrew Shores, was created when the site was a quarry for the excavation of limestone that was used for buildings, roads, bridges and more. Excavators dug 70 feet below the surface, making this body of water extremely deep.Read the full story
More About Buying A Home:
Bringing the Exotic Tropics Home to Naples
New model home opens in Ravenna at Miromar Lakes
Victoria floor plan has 1,850 air-conditioned square feet.
Move-in-ready homes are available at Millbrook, a Mediterranean-style village in the luxury, master-planned community of Fiddler’s Creek.
The four floor plans available range from 1,649 to 2,246 air-conditioned square feet with prices starting at $342,990.
The Victoria floor plan has 1,850 air-conditioned square feet. This split floor plan has two bedrooms, two baths, a den and a pool bath, great room, kitchen and dining room. The master suite has separate his-and-her vanities and a walk-in closet. Lennar is offering a move-in-ready Victoria for $420,000.
The Nina plan has 1,649 air-conditioned square feet and features a split floor plan, two bedrooms, two baths and den with a great room, open kitchen and an adjoining dining area and breakfast nook.
The Sophia is another one-story residence with 2,032 air-conditioned square feet. The Sophia is ideal for entertaining with three bedrooms, three baths and a den. The master suite features dual sinks, an oversized Roman tub and a large walk-in closet that rivals the other bedrooms. There also is a screen covered lanai with optional outdoor kitchen, plus a two-car garage.
The Isabella floor plan offers 2,246 square feet under air. Three bedrooms, two baths and a den with great room; the master bedroom has separate walk-in closets and a master bath with double vanities.
Luxury features include granite countertops and GE stainless steel appliances and gas cooktop, and raised panel wood cabinets with crown molding in the kitchen. Designer baths have granite counter tops, under mount sinks and a energy-saving features.
Located between Naples and Marco Island, community amenities include the 54,000-square-foot Club & Spa, fitness center, tropical lagoon-style swimming complex, tennis courts, tot lot, and restaurants.
More About Buying A Home:
Groundwork: Isles of Collier Preserve taking shape on east side of Naples Bay
Size of New Homes Continues to Edge Up
Real Estate News from realtor.com | Apr 16, 2014 | By: Erik Gunther
photo: houzz.com
Home builders across the United States are most likely to focus on “convenience, livability and energy efficiency” when constructing a typical single-family home today, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders.
“Home builders are including features that are practical and functional for the daily lives of today’s home buyers. The features that are most likely to be included in a typical single-family home this year are:
- a walk-in closet in the master bedroom
- low-E windows
- a laundry room and
- a great room.
Energy efficiency is a key theme with Energy-Star rated appliances, programmable thermostats and Energy-Star rated windows at the top of the list.”
Beyond those big three features, plenty of other “practical and functional” amenities were cited by the builders in the survey as key selling points, so we found examples of some of them.
Scroll through the slideshow to see what’s hot in new homes right now.
More About Buying A Home:
Changing Spaces in New Homes
New Homes are Less Expensive to Maintain
