McGarvey Development’s Newest Mixed-Use Endeavor Showcases Excellence, Opportunity in Bonita Springs

Having built more than six million square feet of high-quality commercial space, McGarvey Development Company has nothing to prove in the marketplace. But that’s not likely to deter company founder John McGarvey from pursuing the next great development opportunity.

Since 1985, commercial development has been as much a passion as a profession for McGarvey, who established his namesake company in New Jersey before relocating it to Southwest Florida in 1996. Over the last 21 years, the Estero-based company has designed and built approximately two million square feet of premier office, retail, industrial flex and warehouse space in Lee County, as well as 20 charter schools. Some of its most prominent projects include Riverview Corporate Center and Bonita Bay Executive Center in Bonita Springs, Westlinks and Eastlinks Business Parks in Gateway, Corkscrew Commons in Estero, the Mid Cape and East Cape Corporate Centers in Cape Coral, and the Gartner Building in Gateway, among others.

Recently, the company unveiled SouthLinks Commons, its first commercial development in years and one of its most ambitious projects to date. The 26+-acre mixed-use commercial park is located on Bonita Beach Road, just east of I-75 in Bonita Springs. When completed, SouthLinks will contain approximately 260,000sf of warehouse buildings, office-industrial flex units, retail and general/medical office space, including 13,000sf for McGarvey Development’s offices. All of it is being designed and built on spec.

“When we say design-build, we use our own people to design and build projects to our specifications,” says McGarvey. “We don’t prelease before we build. Our philosophy is to build what the market needs and where we envision growth.” The company only builds projects it intends to own, lease and manage for the long term.

Developing Solutions, Meeting Needs

SouthLinks is a major undertaking in an area that has remained relatively undeveloped until now. But McGarvey says the time is right to resume building new projects, particularly ones that are located in an area he calls “the epicenter of growth” in Southwest Florida.

“The market’s been stagnant for the last few years and until recently, the numbers just didn’t justify new development,” he says. “But now, the real developers are coming back, occupancies are on the rise and the market is tightening to where the numbers make sense to build. That’s why I’m hot on that Bonita Beach Road corridor. It’s an outstanding location.”

In October, construction began on SouthLinks Flex I, the first of a series of 42,700sf warehouse/industrial buildings designed for maximum utility and flexibility. In addition to 18-foot drive-in clearance, the building provides convenient, four-foot high loading docks — a rare commodity in this market. “At older ground-level warehouses, loading and unloading materials is cumbersome and requires a forklift,” says McGarvey. “At SouthLinks, trucks can either drive into the warehouse or load and unload materials using the tailgate door. It’s much more efficient.”

Further, McGarvey says he expects the new warehouse design will help alleviate in-town traffic congestion. “If we can keep the large tractor trailers coming to us at the distribution points (near the interstate), they can unload their goods onto smaller delivery trucks and be on their way,” he says. “From a long-term planning perspective, we believe this will help reduce the amount of traffic on local roads.”

At buildout, SouthLinks will contain:

• 150,000sf of flex space in as many as four buildings starting from approximately 4,800sf. Each includes a 16-foot drivein door and side loading docks, designed for small, locally owned businesses including constructionrelated trades;
• Approximately 50,000sf of general or medical office space in three courtyard buildings. Offices will start at around 1,700sf and may be combined. Each suite will have an individual entrance off the parking lot and open onto a central common area;
• 60,000sf of retail space.

The project will be built as demand warrants. After the first building is 75% leased, construction will begin on the next. “We’ll let the market dictate what we build,” says McGarvey. “At the same time, we want to have product available as business comes our way.” Industrial lease rates will start at approximately $9psf NNN plus fit-out costs.

Designed to Attract & Protect

McGarvey says he wants South- Links to be a showcase that draws attention to Bonita and spurs additional development around the Bonita Beach Road/I-75 corridor. Accordingly, all SouthLinks structures will exemplify the highest design-build standards.

As with nearly all of McGarvey Development’s design-build projects, the company is using tilt-wall construction at SouthLinks . Besides saving time and money, tilt wall is durable and timeless, and can accommodate almost any building size or design. This is especially useful when designing and developing a diversified product.“We’re trying to give the buildings distinctive identities,” says McGarvey. “We want people to see them and say, ‘Wow, this is unique!’ So we’re adding a lot more architectural details to our buildings.”

Technology and forward thinking figure prominently in SouthLinks’ design and construction, as reflected in the park’s first commercial building now underway. Unlike the windowless warehouse/office structures of yesteryear, the building will feature an abundance of glass.

“We haven’t used much glass in the past to save on cooling costs and guard against storm damage,” says McGarvey. “But the newer glass is wind-rated and manufactured for increased energy efficiency. It’s hitting the numbers we’re looking for while also keeping the tenants’ power bills in check.” What’s more, the new and improved glass allows commercial buildings to be attractive and interesting, inside and out.

For example, SouthLinks Flex I’s interior is open and airy, with high ceilings (10 to 12 feet) and expansive views. To add dimension and depth to the façade, cast concrete panels have been stacked and staggered to create a cascading effect. Also, the exterior walls are set back 12 feet to help define individual entryways and enhance a feeling of privacy.

Building for the Future

Some of the more pragmatic aspects of SouthLinks’ design are less visible but arguably more important in a floodprone area. To mitigate the risk of waterrelated damage from future storms or excessive rains, the developer and his team made significant site improvements. Besides adding four feet of fill dirt to increase building elevations, they set aside numerous water retention areas to address possible issues with run-off. McGarvey says it’s worth the added cost.

“Our goal is to figure out how to make buildings better. So many (developers) reduce the size of the retention areas so they can build more square footage and they wind up getting into trouble,” he says. “So you have to ask, is it worth it to make that extra investment now or have people mad at us later? Our answer is to spend the money now.” He says he’s confident that SouthLinks tenants will agree.

At press time, McGarvey Development and its leasing agent, LandQwest Commercial, were in negotiations with several businesses interested in leasing at SouthLinks Flex I. Although their names could not be disclosed due to existing agreements at other commercial parks, McGarvey is hopeful they’ll be moving when the building opens in January.

All have their reasons for finding SouthLinks’ location so desirable. For instance, one is a Naples-based HVAC contractor that wants to move to a less congested, more central location, while another is a North Fort Myers manufacturer whose customer base has shifted south and is largely in Estero, Naples and Marco Island. The third potential lessee is a company that requires the technology SouthLinks offers, such as low voltage fiber and data wiring. If all three prospects commit to join McGarvey Development as tenants, they will account for 65% of the building’s space.

McGarvey predicts that once South- Links’ first building is completed, interest in the park — and the entire area — will skyrocket. “Right now we’re planning to develop all three quadrants of that I-75 intersection,” he says. Also in vicinity, another developer is about to break ground on an assisted living facility. McGarvey adds that while the activity at SouthLinks has been beyond what he expected at this point, it’s just the tip of the development iceberg.

“We were the first one out there, but there’s a lot that’s happening and that’s going to happen there. That corridor is poised to take off.”