Those with dreams of wilderness-style living in the Everglades could soon make them a reality after the Collier County Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor Wednesday of the proposed Collier Rod and Gun Club at the Preserve.
The project is planned southwest of Oil Well Road and State Road 29 and east of Ave Maria. The main goal of the project is to provide a recreational retreat in the wilderness of eastern Collier County, away from booming development in most parts of Southwest Florida.
The property is within the Rural Lands Stewardship Area district, which encourages property owners to protect their environmentally valuable land, known as stewardship sending areas, in exchange for stewardship credits to be used in a stewardship receiving area.
There are three separate projects planned for the property—the stewardship sending area project, a conditional-use project and a baseline development. San Fransisco- and New York-based architecture firm Hart Howerton is designing the project and is partnering with local developer Barron Collier Cos. Hart Howerton has experience with similar projects around the country, such as Santa Lucia Preserve in California and Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina.
“We firmly believe that together Hart Howerton and Barron Collier have a deep understanding of developing sensitive environments and design these projects to respond to a unique set of conditions in the existing landscape,” said Louise Le Gardeur, associate principal at Hart Howerton.
The 260-acre stewardship sending area project is where 225 single-family homes will be placed on the northeast corner of the property, accompanied with a compact rural development called The Homestead that will provide services, such as dining, a general store and educational amenities.
“As with the residential aspects of the property, the dining experience at Collier Rod and Gun Club at the Preserve is woven into the natural environment,” Le Gardeur said. “For example, we intend to employ low-light designs that conserve energy and protect night skies when dining under the stars.”
Read the full story in Gulfshore Business.