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Rehabilitation hospital coming to Collier Boulevard in North Naples




Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital and a residential community are planned on Collier Boulevard north of Vanderbilt Beach Drive in North Naples. COURTESY LSI COMPANIES

Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital and a residential community are planned on Collier Boulevard north of Vanderbilt Beach Drive in North Naples. COURTESY LSI COMPANIES

Q: I live in Raffia Preserve and saw two containers being parked on the green at Wolfe and 951. Also, a truck dumped some gravel this week. What’s happening on the corner? Did I miss one of your announcements? Thanks a lot, and keep up the good Information work in our community!

— Marc Strzodka, North Naples

A: Thanks, Marc. You haven’t missed a thing. Construction is expected to start in the next few weeks on Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Naples, which will be built on the west side of Collier Boulevard between Wolfe Road and Mission Hills Drive. Collier County planners are still reviewing the project’s plans and permits.

“We are projected to start construction by August 2. We are only pending a permit before we begin,” said Mike Fernandez, assistant project manager for general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie. “Duration for the project is 10 months, so we will be complete around May/June 2022.”

Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Naples is planned for the west side of Collier Boulevard just north of Mission Hills Drive. TIM ATEN / NAPLES FLORIDA WEEKLY

Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Naples is planned for the west side of Collier Boulevard just north of Mission Hills Drive. TIM ATEN / NAPLES FLORIDA WEEKLY

The temporary construction fence outlines the property for the future one-story, 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital. The initial phase plans a more than 52,000-square-foot hospital directly across Collier Boulevard from the Tuscany Pointe gated community, and just north of the Mission Hills shopping center anchored by Winn-Dixie supermarket. The hospital will include a fenced-in outdoor therapy courtyard with a 350-square-foot pavilion, site development plans show.

Future plans for a proposed Phase 2 show the addition of a 26,322-squarefoot, one-story northern wing with another 50 beds and the eventual expansion of the hospital’s common area with more space for its cafeteria dining area and therapy gym with advanced rehabilitation technologies. When both phases are completed, the total space for the freestanding hospital with 100 private rooms is planned for 81,024 square feet, site plans show.

Once an excavation permit is approved, work will begin on the creation of an 8-foot-deep stormwater retention pond on more than an acre of previously cleared land at the corner of Collier Boulevard and Wolfe Road. Stands of slash pines, cabbage palms and other vegetation will be removed on the northwest corner of the vacant commercial property at Collier Boulevard and Mission Hills Drive. Public access to the North Naples medical facility is proposed as a right-in/rightout driveway along Collier Boulevard, as well as full access driveways on Wolfe Road and Mission Hills Drive.

A rendering of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Naples planned on Collier Boulevard in North Naples. COURTESY ENCOMPASS HEALTH

A rendering of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Naples planned on Collier Boulevard in North Naples. COURTESY ENCOMPASS HEALTH

Encompass Health Corp., based in Birmingham, Alabama, has 140 inpatient hospitals, 250 home health locations and 94 hospice locations in 42 states. The hospitals provide rehabilitation for people recovering from strokes, brain injuries and orthopedic injuries.

On May 11, Encompass Health began building another regional rehabilitation hospital in Cape Coral. That 40-bed project on the corner of Pondella and Pine Island roads is scheduled to be completed next March, Mr. Fernandez said. That project also has future space to double its number of beds.

First Watch is targeted to open a new restaurant in early September at Logan Landings in North Naples. TIM ATEN / NAPLES FLORIDA WEEKLY

First Watch is targeted to open a new restaurant in early September at Logan Landings in North Naples. TIM ATEN / NAPLES FLORIDA WEEKLY

Encompass Health’s hospital properties were part of Southwest Florida’s biggest land deals in 2020.The national health care firm acquired 7.3 acres in Cape Coral for $4.08 million in September, and 10.58 acres of commercial land in North Naples for $6.72 million in December. Justin Thibaut, president of LSI Companies Inc., negotiated both transactions for the sellers.

LSI, a commercial real estate firm based in Fort Myers, also is managing the vacant commercial acreage directly behind the future rehabilitation hospital in North Naples. Before the lots were split last fall, the Sonoma Oaks MPUD properties were purchased in May 2018 by We Have Arrived LLC for more than $5.5 million. The remaining 23.44 acres of land stretches from Wolfe Road to Mission Hills Drive and abuts the eastern border of Black Bear Ridge residential community. The site, listed for $7 million and zoned to accommodate up to 114 residential units, most likely will be a community of single-family homes, Mr. Thibaut said.

 

 

First to watch First Watch

Q: Do you know what happened to the First Watch that was supposed to open in Logan Landings? Is there something else planned to open in that spot? The First Watch signs have been removed, it’s no longer listed on their website and their information on Google was recently removed.

— Rick G., North Naples

A: Shortly after the removal of First Watch’s temporary roadside sign prompted your question a couple of weeks ago, the restaurant’s permanent signs were erected on the building last week. “The Daytime Cafe” is still coming this fall to Sprouts-anchored Logan Landings.

“We have a target opening date of early September for our Logan Landings restaurant. I hesitate to give an exact date when we’re still a couple months out, because there’s always a chance it’ll shift by a week or so in either direction,” said Eleni Kouvatsos, senior manager of communications for the Florida-based restaurant chain.

“I’m loving the investigative work from that customer. That’s dedication,” Ms. Kouvatsos said of the question posed to this column. “Upcoming restaurants show up on our site’s location page eight weeks from opening, so that’ll be early/mid-July, and our Google page goes live typically the week before opening.”

Flooring was being installed Monday in the new 3,754-square-foot First Watch, which will feature an indoor/ outdoor bar and a waterfront patio next to a pond and fountain shared with Oak & Stone restaurant and bar on the southeast corner of Logan Boulevard and Immokalee Road. The breakfast lunch venue plans to hire about 25 people for its new location. ¦

— “Tim Aten Knows” is published each week in Naples Florida Weekly. Mr. Aten is managing editor of Gulfshore Business magazine. Email questions to TimAtenKnows@floridaweekly.com. Follow @TimAtenKnows on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

2 responses to “Rehabilitation hospital coming to Collier Boulevard in North Naples”

  1. Sam Slommi says:

    These places pay their staff horrible wages, and those workers usually have 2-3 jobs. the horrible treatment of the patients never comes to light.

  2. R.Burns says:

    Terrible decision cutting down the pine tree on the corner of Wolfe and Collier. I looked forward to the tree being decorated each holiday season by a Secret Santa.
    My family would always add a Christmas Ornament in hopes of spreading cheer and festivity. Oh well hope the Secret Santa finds another beautiful tree standing alone that we can enjoy in the future.

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