Moorings Park retirement community is getting ready to expand, both sooner and later.
The longer-term plans require a rezoning of the planned unit development for the 83-acre campus on the east side of Goodlette-Frank Road and south of Northgate Village.
That means gaining approval from the Naples City Council and the first of two public hearings is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. Wednesday.
The retirement community's planned development currently restricts buildout to 414 independent living residences and 180 assisted living/nursing home beds but more than that will be needed as time goes on, said Dan Lavender, president and chief executive officer of Moorings Park.
“We are getting very close to the point it is maxed out,” he said. “For long-range plans we see opportunities to add.”
Already the retirement community's assisted living center is at capacity with a waiting list, he said.
What's being sought is approval to add 100 more independent living residences and 40 more assisted living/nursing beds, he said. That would take total capacity up to 514 independent living and 220 assisted living/nursing beds.
The Naples City Council also will consider approving a new site plan for three more residential buildings and a wellness center in another three-story building with two stories for parking. That addition is allowed under the current zoning and would be consistent with the rezoning, according to city planning staff reports.
No commercial buildings are planned; those would have to conform to the city's height limitation of no taller than 42 feet, said Robin Singer, the city's planning director.
She doesn't expect any issues with the council for the rezoning and there haven't been any objections lodged.
“This is well under density of other developments in the city,” she said.
Lavender said 514 units on 83 acres is low density. At present, the community has about 700 residents and about 600 employees, some of whom are part time. Last year's revenue was $55 million.
“Moorings Park is never going to be a dense project,” he said.
Before going to city leaders with the zoning change request, which was heard by the
planning board in July, Moorings Park directors held meetings with residents in the
spring to gauge their reaction. They explained the short-term strategy and long-range
plans for the financial well-being of the community.
“Nobody has come to me and complained that it didn't make sense,” he said. That's in contrast to plans that were considered two years ago for a second campus four miles south on acreage at the southeast corner of Goodlette-Frank Road and Central Avenue.
“We haven't done any studies on a new campus for about a year because of the economy,” he said.
Lavender said pre-sales are moving along for the 30 residences that would be the first to go up in three buildings.
“We have 18 of the 30 pre-sold so we would probably start site work in the fall and start construction in January or February,” he said.
The entrance fee range is $730,000 up to $1.3 million.
Total construction cost would be about $30 million, he said, acknowledging there aren't many major construction projects under way in the city. Historically, Moorings Park expands every four to five years.
