Ave Maria, Florida, is evolving from a master-planned community centered around faith and education into one of the most significant growth areas in eastern Collier County.

Founded through a partnership involving Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan and Barron Collier Companies, Ave Maria was developed around Ave Maria University and the community’s prominent Catholic church and town center. Today, residential development, new businesses, schools and employment opportunities are rapidly expanding the community’s economic footprint. (Ave Maria University)

Residential Growth Continues

Housing has been one of the biggest drivers of Ave Maria’s expansion. The community recorded 515 new-home sales in 2025, ranking No. 20 among the nation’s top-selling master-planned communities according to John Burns Research and Consulting. Approximately 5,700 homes had been sold by the beginning of 2026. (Ave Maria)

Builders including Lennar, Pulte Homes, Del Webb and CC Homes offer everything from condominiums and villas to single-family homes. The growth has helped transform what was once a relatively isolated development into an increasingly self-contained community. (Ave Maria)

Collier County estimated Ave Maria’s population at 7,369 residents in 2024, with a median household income of approximately $95,179. (Collier Clerk)

Retail and Employment Follow the Rooftops

The growing population is also creating greater demand for commercial development.

Ave Maria now has more than 75 businesses, including restaurants, retailers and service providers, with Publix serving as one of the community’s major retail anchors. Local entrepreneurs have also become an important part of the business environment. (Ave Maria)

This progression illustrates an important commercial real estate trend: retail follows rooftops. As the number of households reaches the critical mass necessary to support national retailers, restaurants, healthcare providers and other businesses, previously underserved growth areas become increasingly attractive for commercial investment.

Ave Maria Could Become Much Larger

The community’s next phase could dramatically increase that opportunity.

A 2026 expansion proposal calls for adding approximately 2,033 acres to Ave Maria’s Stewardship Receiving Area. The proposal would permit another 6,738 homes, potentially increasing the community’s maximum residential entitlement from 11,000 to 17,738 homes. (Ave Maria)

Even more significant for commercial real estate, the proposal would allow another 996,000 square feet of nonresidential development. The developer has indicated that additional population could support uses including hospitality, healthcare, big-box retail and other services. (Ave Maria)

The expansion has also generated concerns about traffic, environmental impacts and Florida panther habitat, illustrating the infrastructure and conservation challenges accompanying large-scale development in eastern Collier County. (Gulf Coast News Now)

Eastern Collier County’s Commercial Opportunity

Ave Maria provides an example of how large master-planned communities can eventually establish entirely new commercial nodes.

What began primarily as a residential and university-centered community is increasingly becoming an employment, retail and service destination for eastern Collier County. More housing creates additional customers, while new businesses and jobs make the community more attractive to future residents.

For commercial real estate investors, developers and landowners, the next phase will be particularly important to watch. Continued residential construction and potential expansion to more than 17,000 homes could create opportunities for retail, restaurants, medical, hospitality, office, service businesses and larger-format commercial users.

As Southwest Florida’s population continues expanding inland, communities such as Ave Maria demonstrate how growth beyond established coastal areas can create entirely new commercial real estate markets.

Extended Reach USA continues to track major developments, land transactions and growth corridors shaping commercial real estate throughout Florida and the Southeast.