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Stats: Ave Maria - the Town
 on target: Town project manager Blake Gable says developer Barron Collier is comfortable with the pace of home sales — about 250 so far — and is on target for a 10- to 15-year buildout. [Photo: Jeffrey Camp] |
» Scope: 11,000 households on 5,000 acres at buildout
» Projected population: 25,000 at buildout
» Home prices: Pulte homes from the $200,000s to the high $400,000s. (The developers have set aside 900 units for low-income housing and 1,000 homes for moderate-income buyers.)
» Theme park connection: The managing director of construction is William J. “Bill” Moss, who oversaw the building of Epcot and later served as vice president of construction for MCA Inc./Universal Studios Florida.
» Schools: The nearest public schools are six miles away, but the developers have set aside 46 acres for the county to build an elementary and middle school in several years. This fall, 150 students have enrolled in Ave Maria Grammar & Preparatory, a private (K-12) parochial school located within the town.
» Amenities: A water park, sports fields and a golf course.
» Retailers: A Mexican restaurant, a bike shop, a jewelry store and a coffee shop have already signed leases. Two hotels are looking at locating to the town. Florida Community Bank is building a headquarters on the site. A gas station, grocery store and fast-food restaurant are forthcoming, insiders say.
» Medical facilities: NCH Healthcare System plans to operate a clinic, and the Dental Health Group is opening an office. There will also be a fire station and EMS presence on site.
» Religious facilities: The oratory at Ave Maria cost more than $25 million and can seat 1,100.
» Roadwork: The county plans to widen an 11-mile stretch of Oil Well Road, the two-lane road leading to Ave Maria, by 2010 at a cost of about $100 million.
