Collier Planning Commission Backs 54 New Townhomes off Hacienda Lakes Parkway in East Naples

A small new-construction townhome neighborhood moved a step closer in East Naples this week. According to reporting by Gulfshore Business published October 2, 2026, the Collier County Planning Commission recommended approval on October 1 of a plan for 54 townhomes on 10.28 acres at 3810 Hacienda Lakes Parkway.

The site sits about a quarter mile east of Collier Boulevard and about a quarter mile north of Rattlesnake Hammock Road, according to the same report. The builder is M/I Homes of Ft. Myers/Naples LLC, and the project is known as Hacienda Townhomes.

The request has two parts. The first is an amendment to Collier County's Growth Management Plan, the county's long-range rulebook for what may be built where and how densely. The second is a rezoning to a Planned Unit Development, a binding document that sets out one specific site's layout, uses and standards. Both have to line up before homes can go in the ground.

Per Gulfshore Business, the plan calls for two- and three-bedroom townhomes ranging from about 1,300 to just under 1,900 square feet. Buildings would be capped at 35 feet tall, which keeps them low-rise, and the overall density works out to roughly 5.3 homes per acre.

The site plan includes a pool and private amenity area for residents, a preserve area set aside within the property, and on-site stormwater management. A traffic study cited in the report concluded that 54 townhomes would have minimal impact on the surrounding roads.

The report also noted a commitment to 17 transferable development rights. In Collier County, transferable development rights let a builder add homes in one place by acquiring development rights that have been severed from land elsewhere, generally land the county wants kept rural. The report did not say where these 17 originate, so I will not guess.

The plan's closest neighbors are single-family homes to the east, and that relationship shaped the layout. Alexis Crespo of RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture told the commission, "We have been very cognizant that we do have a single-family neighbor to the east," according to Gulfshore Business.

Under an agreement with the neighboring homeowners association, the builder committed to a 15-foot enhanced landscape buffer along that side, with additional canopy trees, sabal palms, a 5-foot hedge and a berm. When commitments like these are written into a Planned Unit Development document, they become conditions the project has to meet, not just promises made at a podium. That is worth knowing whether you are a future buyer in the new townhomes or an owner next door.

Yes. Wildlife biologist Devin Welch told commissioners that development reduces habitat for the Florida panther and other wildlife, according to the report. "Now is the time to act to prevent that animal from going extinct," he said.

Commissioners recommended approval with that testimony on the record. A recommendation does not close the discussion, though. The same concerns can be raised again when the plan reaches its final hearing, and the environmental permits still ahead are a separate review of their own.

A recommendation from the planning commission is not final approval. In Collier County, the planning commission advises, and decisions on Growth Management Plan amendments and rezonings rest with the Board of County Commissioners. Gulfshore Business did not report a date for that hearing.

Even after a final vote, the report noted, the project would still need site development plan approval, an Environmental Resource Permit, and any federal permits the work triggers. No construction timeline was reported, and no sales date was announced.

Three things are worth watching:

• The county commission hearing. That vote decides the growth plan amendment and the rezoning. Commissioners can approve, deny, add conditions, or continue the item.
• Any changed conditions. If the buffer, height cap or preserve area changes between now and the final vote, that changes what the finished neighborhood looks like from both sides of the fence.
• The permits. Site plan and environmental permitting often take longer than the zoning itself, and they are where a construction start date actually gets set.

Nobody can honestly put a number on what one 54-home project does to the value of nearby homes, and I would be wary of anyone who claims to. What it does change is concrete: one more small, low-rise townhome option a short distance off Collier Boulevard, rather than out at the far eastern edge of new development.

Townhomes sit between condos and single-family homes. In many cases you own the unit and the ground beneath it, with an association handling shared amenities such as the pool and common landscaping. Read the documents for any specific project, because the exact arrangement varies.

If you are comparing new construction in Naples, it helps to know which projects are approved, which are only recommended, and which are still several permits away from a shovel. That affects how long you would wait and how much about the plan can still change.

For buyers weighing a resale home against a new build, I walk through that comparison in my guide to buying a home in Naples, and you can browse established neighborhoods in Naples communities. If you want to see how a purchase unfolds from first showing to closing, start with the home buying process.

If a specific new-construction project in East Naples has caught your eye, I am happy to help you sort out where it stands. Reach out to me directly.

Kris Asquith, Broker Associate at Premiere Plus Realty, (239) 300-1427.