Minto withdraws from Collier County development

Home builder Minto Communities withdrew from a joint venture to build a rural master-planned community in central Collier County with as many as 10,000 homes.

Canada-based Minto had been planning the 4,000-acre development, called Rural Lands West, with Collier Enterprises, which traces its heritage to Barron Gift Collier, for whom Collier County is named.

But William Bullock, a vice president of Minto, told the Ave Herald that Minto withdrew due to uncertainty about the duration of the environmental permitting process for Rural Lands West.

“With the time frame associated with the environmental permitting, it made the most sense that Collier Enterprises move the project forward themselves,” the Minto executive told the newspaper.

The impact of Minto’s withdrawal on the Rural Lands West development was unclear. Calls to Collier Enterprises by the Ave Herald were not returned.

The master-planned community would require permitting under Collier County’s Rural Lands Stewardship program, plus approvals from state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Collier County’s Rural Lands Stewardship program requires developers to protect natural resources.

Rural Lands West would be built next to a large residential development called Golden Gates Estates. In addition to as many as 10,000 homes, Rural Lands West would have a town center with office space, retail stores, restaurants and entertainment centers.