COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — After months of debate and permit approvals, construction has begun on Collier County’s newest affordable housing community, Ekos Creekside.
The 160-unit development is located at the corner of Collier Boulevard and Henderson Creek Drive. The project will provide affordable homes for local working families. Collier County purchased the land using funds from the one-cent surtax voters approved in 2019.
WATCH TO SEE HOW NEIGHBORS ARE REACTING TO THE NEW MULTI-YEAR PROJECT ON HENDERSON CREEK DRIVE:
The development will include 98 one-bedroom, 48 two-bedroom, and 14 three-bedroom units, ranging from 767 to 1,287 square feet. Units will be available for households earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income, according to developer McDowell Housing Partners.
“So we’re providing stability in housing, we’re providing them with amenities that people use on a regular basis that would find at a much more expensive rate in the market rate community,” said Christopher Shear, president of McDowell Housing Partners.
Neighbors in the nearby Holiday Manor mobile home community have expressed concerns about traffic and safety as construction begins. Julie Dana, the community association manager, said increased construction traffic is dangerous for children and drivers.
“You’re dodging between cars because the traffic never stops coming up 951 towards 41,” Dana said.
Dana also said children have nowhere safe to walk while construction is underway. She and other neighbors had pushed for adding an entrance and exit on Collier Boulevard.
The developer said the benefits of the project outweigh the drawbacks and that state regulations made a Collier Boulevard entrance unfeasible.
“There’s always going to be someone impacted by new development who sees it negatively," Shear said. "But I think the county did a good job of looking at the public benefit here, he added.
Despite the challenges, neighbors hope for continued coordination with the county and developer as construction moves forward.
Ekos Creekside is expected to open in the second quarter of 2027.
