Sprouts opens newest store in Fort Myers

Sprouts Farmers Market opened its newest store on July 21 on College Parkway in Fort Myers.

“We are incredibly excited to have Sprouts Farmers Market here in Lee County,” said Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass. “In addition to providing fresh, healthy, and specialty foods to our residents, Sprouts also brings hundreds of jobs to our area, playing a vital role in Lee County’s vitality and resiliency as we continue to grow and thrive in the business community.”

A customer appreciation event will be held on Sept. 16 where guests will be treated to giveaways. sahatchee River waters and celebrating the beauty that the region has to offer.

Sprouts Farmers Market works with local farmers like Alderman Farms, Santa Sweets, Wish Farms and others to source produce.

Through Sprouts’ Food Rescue program, this store will donate groceries that are no longer fit for sale but remain perfectly edible and nutrient rich to Harry Chapin Food Bank a local food bank that provides wholesome food to families and individuals at risk of hunger.

“This is a unique concept for the Cape Coral region and brings together the waterfront experiences that Southwest Florida residents and visitors love, while supporting our region’s thriving food truck community,” said Gary Aubuchon, owner of Slipaway Food Truck Park & Marina. “We are proud to celebrate all that makes the Cape a great place to live, work and play as we embrace yet another exciting opportunity to enhance the region’s growing list of food and entertainment options.”

Slipaway Food Truck Park & Marina is slated for completion in late 2024. Project partners include Stokes Marine, Chase Builders, Christopher J. Lee Architects, Wegman Design Group and Sanibel Captiva Community Bank.

Slipaway has opened applications for its available food truck spots and will consider established food trucks as well as new food truck concepts. Water, electric and sewer hook-ups will be provided for 10 food trucks.

Best commercial agents offer development expertise

Polls show real estate agents rank just above used car salesmen in public opinion, which is troubling for a professional Realtor. A common belief is that all an agent does is put up a sign, fix themselves a beverage, then sit back and wait for the closing. Members of the “anybody can do it club” do not understand how a house or a building gets built.

Anyone talking to government workers or tax collectors would walk away thinking they literally own all the land in their jurisdiction. It’s feasible, although ironic, that they can actually make a case to support their attitude. 1. The land has been there since God made it. 2. You cannot do anything with it — without their permission. 3. You cannot build anything or even clear the land without their permit. 4. They tell you how much you can build. 5. They tell you where it can be placed on the lot. 6. They tell you what type of structure and design you can build, and even how you may use it. In other words – you sort of own it!

When a construction project is conceived, the developer (any person or entity who is paying to have a structure built) must have a clear understanding of land use and local government. Building codes are similar in all jurisdictions, but not only are the laws not identical, they may have different names.

A competent commercial real estate practitioner will have a thorough knowledge of the industry, including zoning, future trends, building codes such as environmental rules, local endangered species restrictions and roadblocks in the area, density requirements, plans for the development of streets, roads and other projects, as well as local and state government incentives. And if that’s not enough, a seasoned professional in this business must be up to date on moderate taxation requirements (such as capital gains, opportunity zones, Tax Increment Funding, IRS Chapter

BY RANDY KRISE Guest Columnist

1031 exchanges) and utility availability, which can quickly become a major obstacle to beginning a project.

Building an enviable reputation as a “go-to” real estate advisor is greatly enhanced by being familiar and experienced with competent builders, companies you can trust with a modicum amount of certainty to whom you can refer your clients, members of the construction and engineering community who, in addition to having reputable skills, are honest and competent.

Site selection is critical. How many times do you hear location, location, location? There’s a reason for that. I see relatively new buildings, especially chain restaurants, that open and close very quickly. Generally, it is not due to a lack of customers who desire to use the restaurant, but due to a lack of customers. When a building does not have easy access and/or sufficient parking in a given area, people will choose one that does.

There is no substitute for local knowledge and expertise. Does the commercial Realtor build the building? No. Can a developer have too many advisers? Acquisition of the entitled (government permission granted) land will be much smoother and less costly with the help of a qualified commercial real estate practitioner on the team in the very beginning. Mistakes are always costly in the construction process. Don’t be fooled by thinking the construction process begins with the first shovel of dirt.

Randy Krise, CCIM, is the broker/owner of Krise Commercial Group in Fort Myers. He can be reached at (239) 633-8672 or Randy@krisecg.com.

GMA completes Bacino Vista in Cape Coral

GMA Architects & Planners completed work for Bacino Vista Condominiums, a new multi-family building located on Coronado Parkway in Cape Coral.

Located along the 80-foot-wide Atlantic Canal in South Cape Coral, the 49,000-square-foot, two-storyover-parking residential building overlooks boat slips with wooden decks available to each unit. The canal provides direct access to the Caloosahatchee River.

GMA’s design showcases a Bahamas-inspired architectural style featuring flat tile-covered pitched roofs with gable accents including characteristic exposed end trusses and support brackets. Wide soffits, open balconies and Bahama-style shutters complete the illusion. The ground floor-covered parking also provides individual storage space for each tenant.

The plan includes 12 two-bedroom and four three-bedroom upscale living units with upgraded appliances and fixtures, tiled showers and granite counter tops. Open balconies accessible from the living rooms and master bedrooms bring the outdoors inside.