Cabana Resort bringing restaurants, water features to Bonita Springs
February 25, 2021
Tim ATEN Knows
timatenknows@floridaweekly.com
Q: I have a question about the space on Bonita Beach Road that was going to be a food park with a Three60 Market. I know those plans fell through. Last month, they demolished the old Rodes restaurant. Any info on what is planned for that space? — Jen Mills, Bonita Springs
A: The former Rodes Restaurant & Fish Market was razed at the end of January on the southeastern edge of the future Cabana Resort, a 25-acre destination with a combination of proposed public and private amenities along the northern side of Bonita Beach Road from Luke Street to Meadowlark Lane. That stretch west of U.S. 41 in Bonita Springs promises new culinary options to succeed Rodes, which permanently closed in May 2019 after operating more than three decades.
In July 2019, the freestanding Rodes property was purchased for $2.45 million by a Bonita development company led by local resident Omer Dror, the owner of the Bonita Village resort-style condominium property bordering the western and northern edges of the former Rodes acreage. Bonita Village will be rebranded Cabana Resort as more resort units and features are added. The idea is to create and offer better amenities than the average resort, Mr. Dror said.
The project’s public attraction and anticipated conversation piece will be its “grand food hall,” intended to span Cabana’s lengthy frontage on Bonita Beach Road. The expansive, air-conditioned, open-view marketplace will host some permanent restaurants with other smaller, temporary spots in a dynamically designed destination.
“That will be a really cool food hall,” said Mr. Dror, noting that it is being imagined by the same architect as Tampa’s Armature Works, a mixed-use community hub and commercial center with innovative eateries. “I’m really trying to create experiential retail, a place where people can have a really good time and feel relaxed.”
The first phase of the development includes a seven-story, 110-unit luxury condominium building and the addition of the proposed Cabana Cove or Cabana Island, 7 acres of pools and water features, including a long and winding lazy river, on the eastern end of the property. At least one water feature, a triple FlowRider surf machine, will be available for public use, Mr. Dror said. “This one actually creates real waves so you use real surfboards,” he said.
Cabana also will offer public spaces to enjoy a book, share a picnic or stroll along its perimeter promenade. The property’s front corners are proposed to be bookended by a performance lawn and a neighborhood park, the project’s site plan shows. Special events such as holiday pop-ups or art and music celebrations may be hosted there.
Initial plans were to go vertical with Cabana Resort in March 2020, but Mr. Dror paused construction because of pandemic risks. “We restarted everything again,” he said this week.
With an anticipated completion in spring 2022, the new condominium complex is projected to take 14 months to build while some of the other amenities also will be developed. Pricing for two- and three-bedroom residences with spacious floorplans are starting in the $500,000s. Pre-construction pricing is still in effect during the site clearing and planning stages.
“Our sales are going well,” Mr. Dror said. “That’s our main focus right now is selling our condominiums. We are getting contracts every single day.”
Extra-deep outdoor living spaces will be incorporated into each residence. The building’s rooftop garden will offer unobstructed views of sunsets, and its sun and shade areas will have comfortable seating and a pavilion for private events.
Renovation and redesign of Bonita Village’s resort pool and tiki hut common areas also will begin this year. Its existing buildings will be resurfaced and updated to reflect the new facade of Cabana Resort’s contemporary architecture.
The Collier Boulevard extension is proposed to eventually meet the existing Logan Boulevard extension and connect to Bonita Beach Road at the same roundabout in Bonita Springs. COURTESY CITY OF BONITA SPRINGS
Collier Boulevard extension