Tim Aten Knows: Retail center breaks ground in North Naples

Q: Do you know what’s going to be built at the corner of Immokalee Road and Collier Boulevard next to the ALDI and Chick-fil-A? I saw they cleared that parcel spot. —Mike Paulins, Naples 

Q: Are you hearing anything in regard to CAVA Mediterranean bowls coming to Naples? —Jeff Schmidt, Naples 

A: Trees and brush on the northwest corner of Immokalee Road and Collier Boulevard are being cleared for the more than 27,000-square-foot Tree Farm Plaza. Three restaurant chains —including Cava—and two other businesses are the first to sign leases for locations in the 14-unit retail center to be built immediately east of ALDI grocery store and west of the CVS pharmacy on that corner. 

The five businesses coming so far are in the first of two buildings planned along Addison Place Drive. They are Chipotle Mexican Grill, Cava Mediterranean grill, Riko’s Pizza, The Drip Bar and Encore Nail & Spa, said John Cheffy of Investment Properties Corp. of Naples. 

“We have others who aren’t signed, but we’ve agreed upon terms,” said Cheffy, noting that prime leasing opportunities are still available in the development for retail stores, professional offices, and health and wellness services. 

Plans filed with Collier County Growth Management show that Stevens Construction is the general contractor for the single-story project, which broke ground in early April on three vacant commercial parcels totaling 3.38 acres.

County property records show that LNMT Tree Farm LLC purchased the parcels in September 2021 for $3.8 million. The development is projected for completion on Nov. 1 and businesses are expected to open there in late 2024 or early 2025. 

Chipotle plans its fourth location and first drive-thru location in Collier County in the 2,500-square-foot unit nearest ALDI on the western end of the retail strip. The fast-casual chain has restaurants in Mercato, Naples Plaza and Restaurant Row as well as more than 230 locations in Florida and 3,435 worldwide. 

Chipotle doesn’t offer traditional drive-thru lanes where verbal orders are usually placed onsite from a vehicle. Instead, Chipotlanes, as the company calls them, are for customers to pick up digital orders they place on the company’s app or website without having to come into the store. The restaurant’s new location will include a 350-square-foot patio for outdoor seating. 

On the eastern end of that same building, Cava will operate a restaurant in another 2,500-square-foot unit with 1,000 square feet of outdoor dining between the two buildings of Tree Farm Plaza. The Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant chain is owned by the publicly traded Cava Group, which purchased Zoës Kitchen, a similar restaurant chain, in 2018. Cava has two locations in south Fort Myers, but this would be its first in the Naples area. 

Cava Group, which has more than 300 locations in 25 states, launched 72 new restaurants in 2023, a landmark year for the company. It expects to open about 50 new restaurants this year. Cava restaurants are company-owned rather than franchised. 

Cava’s health-driven menu features custom-made or chef-curated bowls and pita wraps. The concept’s base options include a variety of grains and greens with ingredients such as falafel, harissa honey chicken, spicy lamb meatballs, roasted vegetables, feta cheese, hummus, cucumber, tomato and tzatziki. 

In the middle of the retail strip, Riko’s Pizza plans to open its first location in Southwest Florida in two units totaling more than 3,000 square feet with an additional 600 square feet for patio seating. Known as the home of the hot oil pizza, Riko’s is a small chain founded as a family business in Stamford, Connecticut, in 2011 by CEO Rico Imbrogno. Expanding to Florida in mid-2022, Riko’s has east coast franchises in Tequesta and Pompano Beach and a third coming soon to Miami.  

The thin-crust pizzeria’s Hot Oil Pizza, which features a spicy homemade oil made with Serrano stinger peppers, is one of 10 signature pies. It also has 10 salad pizzas, build-your-own pizzas and claims to have the best gluten-free pizza. Riko’s menu includes oven-baked wings, classic desserts and signature cocktails such as Riko’s Stinger Margarita, made with Riko’s stinger pepper-infused tequila, triple sec, simple syrup and fresh lime juice garnished with a lime slice and stinger pepper. 

Riko’s will be flanked by The Drip Bar, the fastest-growing IV therapy franchise in the United States; and Encore Nail & Spa, which will have units of 1,550 square feet each. Four additional units at either 1,550 or 2,500 square feet are available in the first building, while another four units ranging from 1,520 to 2,800 square feet are available in the second building. 

Tree Farm Plaza is the latest development near that corner in the last few years. In addition to ALDI, Addison Place and Mark Lane apartments, a Chick-fil-A drive-thru, Dental Care at Addison Place, LinTree Medical Plaza and Public Storage have been built. 

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