In Lee and Collier counties, thousands of new homes are under construction and more have been approved. What’s coming out of the ground, and will you be able to afford it?
From single-family homes to apartments and assisted living communities, nothing is off the table when it comes to new construction in Southwest Florida, except perhaps less land. Homes are being built on smaller and smaller lots and construction is pushing into rural areas and even butting up against conservation lands.
While much of Southwest Florida isn’t affordable for the average income in the area, that’s not stopping people from moving here.
Lee County is projected to have a population of 1 million permanent residents by 2040, up about 19% from 840,698 in 2024, according to Lee County Economic Development. Collier County is expected to grow at that rate by 2030 to more than 450,000 and by 57% from 2010 to almost 500,000 by 2040, according to the Collier Metropolitan Planning Organization.
What’s happening in Collier County?
In Collier County, the largest county in the state of Florida with 1,997 square miles of land, development is pushing north and east. An interchange update at I-75 and U.S./SR 951 (Exit 101) is under way, while almost 5,000 new housing units are approved, in the planning stages or in the process of being built along the 19-mile stretch between I-75 and Marco Island. Another interchange, the county’s first diverging diamond, is under construction at I-75 and Pine Ridge Road (exit 107).
Along 951, also known as Collier Boulevard, is a construction boom with everything from single-family homes and villas to apartments, an affordable housing community and assisted living units.
Collier Enterprises is finalizing federal, state and local permits for three villages and a town in eastern Collier that have been years in the making. The company hopes to begin construction in the first quarter of 2026, with efforts initially in the village of Rivergrass and the Town of Big Cypress. The first homes are expected to be available in the third quarter of 2026.
Nearby, EKOS Creekside at 6360 Collier Blvd. and Greenway-Fritchey off Tamiami Trail East between Collier Boulevard and San Marco Road are two communities approved in 2025 that will include housing considered affordable. Ekos, a planned 160-unit, seven-story building rental community, is expected to start construction in 2026 and open in the second quarter of 2027.
Collier County commissioners in December greenlighted Greenway-Fritchey’s planned residential development that will include for-sale affordable housing. The joint project between local developer David Torres and Habitat Humanity of Collier County will have up to 1,299 single-family and multifamily residences, including 260 affordable homes built by Habitat.
A Collier County household needs to rake in at least $200,072 annually, according to research by the national Consumer Affairs publication that examined the 200 largest metros. The study factored mortgage costs, homeowners insurance, property taxes, maintenance and other associated ownership costs.
Alico Inc. plans two villages on citrus groves
On Corkscrew Road and State Road 82, at the intersection of Collier, Lee, and Hendry counties, Fort Myers-based Alico Inc. plan to transition its citrus groves into two villages in what ultimately will be a 3,000-acre master-planned community with about 9,000 homes.
The Florida Legislature approved the formation of the Corkscrew Grove Stewardship District that helps pave the way for the communities. The legislative creation is similar to what was conceived for communities, such as Ave Maria and Lakewood Ranch. The company has filed a development application with Collier for the first of two villages, with construction targeted to start as early as 2028.
Each village would include about 4,500 homes, with 350,000 square feet of commercial and civic uses.
Corkscrew Grove East Village would be the first of the two villages, a portion of which is located on the north side of the intersection of State Road 82 and Corkscrew Road. The remainder is located south of the intersection and east and west of Corkscrew. The village would include 148 acres of mixed-use development to include neighborhood-focused retail, office, civic and community uses. Alico said it also plans to set aside 6,000 acres as protected conservation land.
What’s happening in Lee County?
Kingston, one of Southwest Florida’s largest master-planned developments, recently transitioned from site work to construction that will become more visible in 2026, a milestone for developer Cameratta Companies.
Kingston spans almost 7,000 acres, with more than 3,300 acres restored to wildlife habitat and designated as preserves. Located off Corkscrew Road, 12 miles east of Interstate 75, near the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, the massive development includes home builders Lennar, Neal Communities, Pulte, Taylor Morrison and Kolter.
At build out, Kingston will have about 10,000 homes, with more than 700,000 square feet of commercial space, along with extensive amenities.
Another Cameratta community is Verdana Village, also in unincorporated Lee near the Village of Estero, where 2,400 units have been approved, and phase 1 is under construction for 600 units on a 710-acre site. Lot sizes range from 36 feet wide by 150 feet deep to 75 feet wide by 150 feet deep. The Shoppes at Verdana Village, with 78,000 square feet of total shopping space, is open with a Publix anchoring it.
National homebuilders Pulte Homes and Lennar are building the homes in Verdana Villages, located approximately six miles east of I-75 off of Corkscrew Road.
Cape Coral seeing growth while housing prices drop
In Cape Coral, homes, condos, apartments and commercial buildings are planned or under construction, even while the housing market in the city has taken a hit.
Cape Coral has seen a notable increase in foreclosures in 2025, ranking among the highest in Florida and the U.S., according to Realtor.com. According to Zillow, the average home value in Cape Coral is down 10.4% over the last year.
A 1,745-acre stretch of raw land known as Hudson Creek is approved and soon to start construction for up to 3,500 homes and as much as 425,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, along with other commercial uses, including a 500-room hotel. LSI brokered the record $100 million land deal.
Located east of Burnt Store Road and northwest of Wilmington Parkway, the planned community abuts the Yucca Pens Preserve in northwest Cape Coral.
Also in Cape Coral, a 350-acre parcel south of Rotary Park called Redfish Pointe is planned for 800 residential units, a 300-bed resort hotel and 38,000 to 50,000 square feet of commercial space. Still in the approval stages, Cape Coral staff have recommended denial, saying the proposal is “wholly incompatible with the protection and conservation of nearby wetlands.”
The next Cape Coral Planning and Zoning Commission meeting is 9 a.m. Jan. 7, 2026.
This article originally appeared on Marco Eagle: Growing pains – In Collier County development is pushing north, east
Reporting by J. Kyle Foster, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Marco Eagle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
