Q: Do you might have data on the clearing in progress throughout from Kalea Bay, corner of Vanderbilt Drive and Wiggins? Thanks. — Ann Quinn, Naples
A: The development of Kinsale Golf Club, an 18-hole golf course, started March 1 on more than 170 acres of undeveloped land on the northeast nook of Vanderbilt Drive and Wiggins Pass Road in North Naples.
Kinsale Golf Club’s design by renowned golf course architect Gil Hanse and companion Jim Wagner of Hanse Golf Course Design in Malvern, Pennsylvania, depicts a 6,555-yard, par-71 course. Half of the 18 holes are par 4 with 5 par-3 and 4 par-5 holes. The conceptual plans, though, are still topic to alter.
The golf club is an impartial, stand-alone course without a residential element affiliated with it although it shares the identical property owner and developer because the Kalea Bay five-tower Gulfshore condominium development underneath construction across the road. All are part of the Cocohatchee Bay deliberate unit improvement accredited years ago on acreage on both sides of Vanderbilt Drive that Detroit-based Lodge/Abbott Associates LLC bought in October 2001 for $30 million. The venture is being developed by Soave Real Estate, a subsidiary of Detroit-based Soave Enterprises. 
“This venture has been within the works for over 20 years at this point and for a protracted time a stand-alone golf club was not economically viable. With COVID and the rise in reputation of out of doors recreation, that has since shifted,” mentioned Hannah Roberts, a development associate with The Soave Real Estate Group in Naples. “As you possibly can see from county data, we tried to do a selection of issues on that web site. We were permitted to construct the golf course and, fortunately, now there’s a possibility to do this and to do that nicely.”
Soave is still working to amend the location improvement plan for proposed modifications to the golf course format and its accompanying facilities, Roberts stated. The architectural design for its proposed clubhouse is inspired by the Dutch West Indies type.
“It’s somewhat completely different than something we’ve done at Kalea Bay or something we’ve accomplished elsewhere in Naples so far, however the course is really designed to embrace Old Florida, local Florida, to only type of to mix with its surroundings and appear to be it’s been there forever,” she said.
The major entrance to the golf club will be off Wiggins Pass Road at the southeast corner of the property, the place the clubhouse and parking are deliberate. A limerock construction access street also extends off U.S. 41 North. This temporary entry will be a future maintenance highway, plans present.
More than 15 acres of the golf course property will embody lakes while about 5 acres shall be used for a boardwalk and cart paths. Nearly 40 acres might be retained as a preserve along the property’s northern edge, extending into the middle of the course, and on its southeast corner, site plans present.
“The goal of the course is to leave as a lot mature vegetation intact as potential. That is the architect’s imaginative and prescient for it,” Roberts said. 
The golf course construction schedule shows a completion date near the top of 2024 for the project. The private golf club already has begun accepting memberships via a reservation process, Roberts mentioned.
“I am overwhelmed with the amount of interest that there’s for a golf course in Naples in this location,” she stated. “The demand is incredible right now.”
The unique club plans to permit not extra than 250 lively, dues-paying members for a golf season anticipated to increase from early October to early June. The plan is to close the membership in the course of the summer to perform annual upkeep and course upkeep.
“From the beginning, the aim of Kinsale is to be a golf course for avid golfers,” Robert stated. “The facilities are very pared back. It’s not a rustic club. There’s no swimming pool or dinner service or something like that planned at this time. It’s really just a golf-centric environment for golfers who like to golf and it happens to be in a fantastic location. The demand for that and having the ability to management course entry and provides individuals an affordable expectation to get on the course in season is something people have been very excited about.”
White Elephant
Q: I actually, actually miss the NCH White Elephant retailer that was on Pine Ridge simply west of Naples Boulevard. They stated they have been going to reopen elsewhere however I have not heard anything for fairly a while now. Know anything? — Judy Caldwell, Naples
A: When the NCH White Elephant Thrift Store closed nearly two years ago, NCH Healthcare System had each intention of reopening the shop elsewhere in the Naples space, but there are not any plans now to reopen the thrift store, stated Maria Racine, retail supervisor for NCH.
NCH actively appeared in the Naples space for a new location for the thrift store however an appropriate location couldn’t be discovered, stated Jack Ullrich, director of services growth for NCH.
“We have not reopened nor are we going to,” Ullrich said. “We have been in search of a while and there just wasn’t anything on the market and the prices were prohibitive and they’re even worse now. We don’t have any intention of reopening at this level.”
For years, NCH White Elephant beforehand operated a number of days per week in house adjoining to the NCH central campus and assist middle at 2157 Pine Ridge Road earlier than these enterprise workplaces relocated in early 2021 to the former Naples Daily News headquarters after the local well being care system bought the newspaper workplace building. NCH White Elephant couldn’t relocate there, although, as a end result of that zoning district didn’t allow that sort of use. Although retail vacancies abound in the space, promoting gently used furnishings, clothing and household items just isn’t a permitted use at many places.
Without a model new home, NCH’s White Elephant, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, could not accept drop-off or pickup donations. Proceeds generated by the White Elephant resale store, operated by volunteers, were used to purchase hospital gear to boost the companies offered by NCH.
The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column solutions native questions from readers. Email Tim at [email protected]