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Panera Opens in South Fort Myers and Update on Ave Maria University

By Stephen A. Cunningham

Commercial Real Estate Agent with LandQwest Commercial

August 05, 2008 02:05 AM

Panera opens new location in south Fort Myers today

Panera Bread opened its newest bakery-cafe in south Fort Myers this morning.

The new store is located at South Cleveland Avenue and Fowler Road in the Page Field Commons Plaza.

Panera Bread currently operates four other locations in Southwest Florida.

The nation’s "bread expert," Panera Bread offers a variety of artisan breads and other specialty breads, along with bagels, pastries, baked goods, and hot and cold espresso beverages.

The new bakery-cafe in Fort Myers is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"We are excited about our continued growth," said Jay Disser, district manager for Panera Bread. "We are thrilled to introduce Fort Myers residents to Panera Bread’s artisan bread making tradition and the warm, welcoming environment of our bakery-cafe.”"

Panera Bread now has 1,100 locations in 40 states.

The new Fort Myers bakery-cafe features intimate seating areas, comfortable chairs, a community table and free WiFi Internet access.

Hours of operation for Panera Bread at 5037 South Cleveland Ave are 6 a.m.through 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday. For more information, call 274-0294.

Ave Maria plows ahead despite weak economy

Ambition has met reality in the year since Ave Maria had its official opening in eastern Collier County.

One of the boldest projects in the history of Southwest Florida — to build a 5,000-acre town with a 6,000-student university on former rural tomato fields — has had the misfortune of arriving amid a severe local economic downturn.

The result is a development functioning well below initial projections in home sales and new businesses, but producing strong numbers in this market, according to a local real estate expert.

The Collier County Property Appraiser’s Office has recorded 295 residential deeds in the town from when the first homeowner arrived in May 2007 through last week.

Those figures are 13 percent of what the town’s development order had predicted when passed in 2005.

But they’re good enough to be considered a success, said Shelton Weeks, director of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development and Finance.

“Given how bad things have been locally and nationally and what’s going on in the mortgage market, it’s impressive or at the least respectable,” Weeks said of the town’s sales.

Blake Gable, a vice president at town co-developer Barron Collier Cos., said town founders adjusted their plans as market conditions became clear.

“I think everyone involved in the project lowered their expectations to match the reality,” Gable said.

Home sales, he added, weren’t the primary concern in the first year.

“It really isn’t something that we’re spending a lot of time talking about,” he said. “We set out to establish a foundation for a town that’s going to be around for hundreds of years. When you plan out for 11,000 residences, you know it’s something that’s not going to happen overnight.”

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Stephen A. Cunningham; MAI, CCIM

Managing Director

Email: scunningham@landqwestcommercial.com

Office Phone: 239-275-4922 ext. 225

Fax: 239-275-4699

Mobile Phone: 239-910-4085

Professional Affiliations/Community Activities: MAI Member of The Appraisal Institute, CCIM Designee of the CCIM Institute, Member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, Florida State Certified General Real Estate Appraiser #RZ300, Florida Licensed Broker.

Fort Myers · 5245 Big Pine Way, Ste 102 · Fort Myers, FL 33907 · (239) 275-4922 · Fax: (239) 275-4699
Tampa · 2203 N. Lois Ave., Ste 704 · Tampa, FL 33607 · (813) 876-2455 · Fax: (813) 876-5757

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Linda Flack

Realty Executives in The Villages - The Villages, FL

The Villages is where you retire with attitude

Thanks Steve, I love Panera Bread. I didn't know it was coming to Page Field Commons. My office is on College so now I have a new destination. I'll spread the word.

Aug 05, 2008 02:10 AM

Randall Schrader

Competitive Insurance of Dundee - Dundee, FL

Good deal! It's a crazy time to start a Panera bread, in my opinion, but I suppose the long term numbers will be fine. Good Luck and Good Food.

Aug 05, 2008 02:32 AM

Sean Allen

International Financing Solutions - Fort Myers, FL

International Financing Solutions

Hey Stephen,

We've eaten at the one in Coconut Point a couple of time. They have good food.

Aug 05, 2008 02:38 AM

It's great that a company can expand just as Benigan's heads the other direction.

Aug 07, 2008 07:55 AM

Stephen A. Cunningham

LandQwest Commercial - Fort Myers, FL

MAI, CCIM

Landqwest provides site selection services for the following companies:

Advance America - Florida except Dade,Broward & PalmBeach Counties For more information contact: John D. Jones	Bahama Breeze - Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties For more information contact: John P. Mounce
Edible Arrangements - All Florida For more information contact: John D. Jones	Longhorn Steakhouse - Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties For more information contact: John P. Mounce
McDonalds - Collier County For more information contact: Tom Strauss	Office Depot - Manatee To Collier Counties For more information contact: John P. Mounce
Olive Garden - Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties For more information contact: John P. Mounce	Panera Bread - Southwest Florida Manatee to Collier Counties For more information contact: John D. Jones
Red Lobster - Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties For more information contact: John P. Mounce	Rita's Water Ice - Florida except Jacksonville For more information contact: John D. Jones
Ruby Tuesday's - All Corporate Locations in Florida For more information contact: Tom Strauss	Salad Creations - SW Florida For more information contact: Tom Strauss
Stefano's Gelato - All Florida For more information contact: John D. Jones	Sweetbay - Lee & Collier Counties For more information contact: John P. Mounce
WineStyles - SW FL from Manatee to Collier Counties For more information contact: Tom Strauss