All Forum Posts by: Kristi Kandel

Multi-Sport, Wellness & Entertainment Complex
Tagline: Active fun. Local flavor. Year-round community.

Vision

We are introducing a multi-sport, wellness, and entertainment complex designed to become a year-round hub for activity, connection, and community in Southwest Florida. Unlike typical 'eatertainment' venues or sports bars, this concept puts wellness, family, and active living at the center—complemented (not driven) by food, beverage, and social programming.

Core Features

Sports & Activity Zones

Indoor pickleball courts (climate controlled, 4–6 courts)

Indoor/outdoor beach volleyball courts (convertible for basketball/futsal)

Golf simulators & mini bowling lanes

Trampoline park + gymnastics/karate zone for kids/teens

Wellness & Recovery

Yoga, Pilates, meditation, & HIIT studios

Sauna, cold plunge, cryotherapy

Stretch Lab–style recovery center (guided stretching sessions, memberships, group classes)

Waterfall garden + relaxation space away from active sports areas

Family & Community

Dog park with outdoor games + beer garden/shaded seating

Running/walking trail with landscaped connections

On-site trolley to connect 10 acres of amenities

Signature lazy river wrapping the property

Entertainment

Live music stage (concerts, DJs, open mics, festivals)

Event lawn for community markets, tournaments, and seasonal activations

Food & Beverage

Food hall with rotating local chef pods (entrepreneurship focus)

Morning coffee, juice, and healthy breakfast service tied to wellness classes

Liquor license for controlled, property-wide sales (alcohol as complement, not driver)

Programming & Activation

A 7-day calendar ensures consistent traffic and appeal across demographics:

- Mornings: wellness classes + healthy breakfast service

- Afternoons: after-school clinics + corporate team sessions

- Evenings: leagues, trivia, karaoke, esports, family game nights, markets

- Late nights (weekends): concerts, DJ sets, festivals, after-hours crowd

Revenue Streams

Court & bay rentals

Memberships & leagues

Food & beverage sales (partnership rev share)

Wellness services (stretch lab sessions, day passes, memberships)

Events (concerts, markets, corporate rentals)

Sponsorships & naming rights

Trampoline/fitness zone admissions

Target Market

Primary: Adults 25–50 seeking active, social recreation with wellness focus

Secondary: Families, sports leagues, and corporate groups during daytime/weekends

Tertiary: Tourism and visitor spillover from SWFL’s growing destination market

Differentiators

Wellness + family integration (unique for this type of complex)

Signature lazy river as both a wellness and entertainment attraction

Local food entrepreneurship via rotating vendors

Year-round activation calendar to ensure constant use

Alcohol as complement—not driver—to active recreation

Climate-controlled indoor facilities for consistent play

Phasing the Build

Phase 1: Core sports courts, food hall, bar, family/kids activity zone, and event lawn

Phase 2: Wellness + recovery center, simulators, bowling, dog park/beer garden

Phase 3: Lazy river, trolley service, expanded outdoor landscape, and concerts

Potential Challenges to Solve Early

Zoning & Permitting: Mixed-use recreation, wellness, and entertainment will require layered approvals (PD recommended)Site Selection: Large footprint and 200–300 parking spaces required; access is critical

Capital Requirements: Likely $10M+ at full scale; partnerships or phased funding may be needed

Operations: Complex amenity mix requires strong GM and specialized team leads

Land Needs

Phase 1 – Core Sports & Food Hub:

- Indoor pickleball courts: 20,000–30,000 sq ft (~0.5–0.7 acres)

- Beach volleyball courts: 12,000–18,000 sq ft (~0.3–0.4 acres)

- Bar & rotating kitchen hall: 8,000–10,000 sq ft (~0.2 acres)

- Parking: 150–200 cars (~1.5–2 acres)Total: ~3–4 acres

Phase 2 – Entertainment & Wellness Expansion:

- Golf simulator lounge + mini bowling: 8,000–12,000 sq ft (~0.2 acres)

- Yoga/sauna/wellness center: 5,000–8,000 sq ft (~0.1–0.2 acres)

- Event lawn/live music: ~0.5 acres- 

Additional parking: 0.5–1 acre

Cumulative Total: ~4.5–6 acres

Phase 3 – Signature Lazy River & Enhancements:

- Lazy river: 20–30 ft width x 1,000–1,500 ft (~0.75–1 acre water + deck, ~1.5 acres total)

- Expanded courts/event space: ~0.5–1 acre

- Landscaped greenbelt areas: ~0.5 acres

Cumulative Total: ~7–8.5 acres minimum

Why target 10+ acres: Provides buffer zones, future growth space, and avoids maxing out footprint too early.

Zoning & Entitlement Path

This project spans several land use categories, so a Planned Development (PD/PUD) overlay is the cleanest path. It integrates recreation, wellness, food/beverage, and entertainment into a unified master plan.

Collier County:  

Commercial (C-4 / C-5 equivalent) or parcels with Commercial/Mixed Use in the FLUM are natural fits. A PUD overlay ensures all uses—wellness, food hall, entertainment, and family recreation—are approved together.

Lee County (per LDC guidance):

• Sports courts, golf simulators, mini bowling → Recreation Facilities Group IV (LDC 34-622)
• Yoga, wellness, recovery → Personal Services Group II (LDC 34-622)
• Live music & event lawn → Parks Group II (LDC 34-622)
• Food hall → Restaurant Group III (LDC 34-622)
• Lazy river & water features → Recreation Group III (LDC 34-622)
• Parking & circulation → LDC 34-2020
• Because these uses don’t align in one zoning district, a PD is the recommended entitlement vehicle.

In short: A PD/PUD overlay is the key to bringing this vision together. It provides design flexibility, sets clear conditions for wellness, recreation, and entertainment, and ensures county partnership in aligning with community goals.

@James Mays be careful who you trust with online "gurus" especially in the multi-family space. Many are starting to come full circle on deals and the endings aren't ideal. Development in general has been gatekept so while college has theory the real experience comes from doing. I personally do put a LOT of free information out there since I've been a developer for nearly 20 years and there are more than enough deals to go around. 

If you do go with this guru I'd get an exact list of deliverables that you'll get from the 6K. 

 @Nikki Pritchett here's something you can do initially to find / vet a property. Send me a DM and I'll send you more information too. 

Desktop Due Diligence Report Checklist

• Property Address:
• Owner:
• Proposed Project:
  • Brief description of project:
• Parcel Number:
• Property Size:
  • Square Feet (SF):
  • Acres:
• Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ):
• Zoning Code Link:
  • Zoning Designation for property:
• Allowed Uses Link:
  • Is the proposed use an allowed use for the zoning designation?
    • Insert response:
  • Will a special use permit be required or is the use allowed by right?
    • Insert response:
• Zoning Code Requirements:
  • Setbacks:
  • Parking:
    • Required parking spaces based on formula:
  • Max building height:
  • Allowed Density for the property:
    • Allowed units for property based on density formula:
  • Landscape requirements:
  • Stormwater requirements:
  • % Floor Area:
  • Other key zoning requirements for proposed project:
• Summary of Findings & Impact to Proposed Project:
  • Insert response:

 @Bob Ross It completely depends on the project but here's a desktop due diligence checklist that anyone can do themselves without spending money. 

Desktop Due Diligence Report Checklist

• Property Address:
• Owner:
• Proposed Project:
  • Brief description of project:
• Parcel Number:
• Property Size:
  • Square Feet (SF):
  • Acres:
• Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ):
• Zoning Code Link:
  • Zoning Designation for property:
• Allowed Uses Link:
  • Is the proposed use an allowed use for the zoning designation?
    • Insert response:
  • Will a special use permit be required or is the use allowed by right?
    • Insert response:
• Zoning Code Requirements:
  • Setbacks:
  • Parking:
    • Required parking spaces based on formula:
  • Max building height:
  • Allowed Density for the property:
    • Allowed units for property based on density formula:
  • Landscape requirements:
  • Stormwater requirements:
  • % Floor Area:
  • Other key zoning requirements for proposed project:
• Summary of Findings & Impact to Proposed Project:
  • Insert response:

@Charles Becoat sounds like some negotiations might be a play with the county... If your client would like to have a strategy call to see if there is a way to structure the development COAs with the county and push the water meter costs down the road a little further I'm happy to discuss.  

 @Rob Solomson Hey Rob nice to meet another developer on here! I've been doing development for nearly 20 years, investing, consulting, and now teaching locals how to get into development projects in their towns. Happy to connect with others doing the same! ...and it looks like you might be a buckeye too ;) 

 @Kimberly Parmelee Agreed on finding a commercial broker ideally in Islamorada or Miami who understands development and development in the keys. I help developers all the time and most don't actually know what they are doing BUT if they hire the right team members it works out. 

@Keith Lanier FYI if I'm not @ mentioned I won't see the comments based on my notification settings. 

We work with communities to obtain TIF for our projects and our students projects in towns as small as 3000 people. We are by no means the experts as that is a program the jurisdictions coordinate so if your city doesn't understand it you would need to work with them to work with neighboring communities who do so they can learn how to do it. Development is not easy or linear and you typically need to do a lot problem solving to make a deal happen. 

 @Jesse Johnson Check out Beth Azor (google her). She's in South FL. 

 @Jaycee Greene exactly that. Those are the stories we spotlight on our podcast Local Real Estate Developers. They are longer holds in smaller communities but the impact and purpose are the driving factors instead of profit only. Then the locals watching step up and start taking on other projects and the ones with capital reach out to the people doing the things and help with the equity on the deals. It's awesome to watch and sharing the stories helps to inspire locals in other communities to do it too. Main Street > Wall Street.