Damien Alvarado
•9/7/2026
NAPLES, Fla. (WINK) — A boom is about to happen in South Naples. From new living spaces to restaurants, a salon, Wawa and a Whole Foods, it's all in the works along Davis and Santa Barbara boulevards.
While many people look forward to having more choices, they aren't looking forward to the congestion that comes with it.
Right now, it's a large vacant lot sitting next to busy traffic moving along Santa Barbara Boulevard. Renderings show what developers envision for the future of this South Naples intersection, with Whole Foods confirming it is developing a store to anchor the proposed Vitano development.
"It'll be a hop and a skip away to get whatever I need. I love Whole Foods. I think it'll be great for the area," said Gretchen Carroll, a South Naples neighbor.
Plans show a nearly 32,000-square-foot Whole Foods, more than 20 other retail spaces, 200 townhomes and 422 apartments. The developer says it hopes to break ground in 2027.
"It's such a convenience. It's such a convenience," Carroll said.
Across Santa Barbara, plans at Egrets Crossing include a Wawa with 16 fueling stations, a McDonald's and an AutoZone. All of that new development is why traffic is already part of the conversation.
"I think any time you bring in new businesses along with new residences, people are always gonna be worried about traffic and safety and the whole effect of it on the community," said Jenny Day, a Collier County visitor.
Carroll has watched Collier County change for years. She welcomes more options close to home, but says the infrastructure has to keep up.
"We need to be prepared for it. So the roads, the lighting, the power, the water, everything, we just need to be prepared for it," Carroll said.
There are still steps before all of this becomes reality. Vitano is still going through planning and permitting, and there's a neighborhood information meeting on Thursday about a change needed for the Egrets Crossing project.
