Motorsport Community Potentially Coming to Collier County

IN 1985, THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY LEASED LAND IN THE EVERGLADES TO BUILD A 500 PLUS ACRE TEST TRACK. THE LAND WAS LATER USED BY CHRYSLER AND HARLEY DAVIDSON AS A WAY TO GET THEIR VEHICLES ROAD READY BY TESTING THEM ON A SAFE CONTROLLED AREA. WELL, NOW A NEW PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT LOOKS TO BUILD ON THAT HOT ROD LEGACY. THE HYPER CLUB HAS FILED AN APPLICATION WITH COLLIER COUNTY TO BUILD A MOTOR SPORT LIFESTYLE DESTINATION. HOLMES WOULD BE EQUIPPED WITH SECURE AUTOMOBILES, STORAGE AND THE COMMUNITY WOULD INCLUDE A 2 MILE PERFORMANCE CIRCUIT AS WELL AS A 2 MILE LONG STRAIGHT WAY. AND WHILE THE CONCEPT IS UNIQUE, IT'S LOCATION TO ENVIRONMENTALLY PROTECTED AREAS. HAS SOME PEOPLE PUMPING THE BRAKES BEFORE ANY GROUNDBREAKING. FOR MORE ON THIS PROJECT, WE ARE JOINED BY WGCU SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTER TOM BAYLISS. AND TOM, YOU SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME SPEAKING WITH ONE OF THE OWNERS OF THIS NEW PROJECT. >> YES, AS I DID. AND, YOU KNOW, THE FRINGES OF THE EVERGLADES ARE SCATTERED WITH THE REMAINS OF AMERICA'S BIGGEST DREAMS. RIGHT? I MEAN, A SPACE RACE ERA ROCKET COMPLEX, A RUNWAY FROM WHAT WAS TO BE THE WORLD'S LARGEST AIRPORT COLD WAR ERA MISSILE SITES, SOME FULFILLED THEIR PURPOSE AND SOME FAILED. THE APPLICATION. ALLEN FROM THE COLLIER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PROPOSES TRANSFORMING THE FORWARD PROVING GROUNDS NEAR NAPLES INTO A PRIVATE MOTOR SPORTS COMMUNITY WHERE MEMBERS CAN DRIVE THEN STORE LUXURY VEHICLES WHILE CONNECTING WITH OTHERS WHO SHARE THEIR PASSION. IT RAISES THE RECURRING ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS ABOUT INCREASED TRAFFIC NOISE AND LAND-USE WHO GETS ACCESS AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON SOUTHWEST FLORIDA'S ECOSYSTEM, INCLUDING THE HIGHLY ENDANGERED FLORIDA PANTHER. ACROSS THE NATION. A SMALL BUT GROWING LUXURY CAR RESORT INDUSTRY IS REPLACING SOUPED UP GOLF CARTS ON 36 HOLES WITH A TURBOCHARGED RACE. CARS ON PROFESSIONAL TRACKS. THE HYBRID CLUB NEAR INTERSTATE. 75 IN DESOTO BOULEVARD SOUTH IS A 542 ACRE PROPERTY THAT HAS OPERATED AS A SECURE FENCED AUTOMOTIVE TESTING FACILITY SINCE THE LATE 1980'S KLUM IS DISTINCTIVE PURELY DUE TO ITS PEDIGREE AS A FORMER FORWARD HARLEY DAVIDSON AND FIAT CHRYSLER PROVING GROUND WHERE THE COMPANY SWAPPED OWNERSHIP UNTIL THE LAND WAS PURCHASED 2 YEARS AGO. MY NAPLES BUSINESSMEN AND AUTOMOTIVE ENTHUSIASTS, BRUCE POND AND JOHN DE ANGELES, THEIR VISION OF THE HYPER CLUB IS THE HIGH END COUNTRY CLUB. PRIVATE LAND EXCLUSIVE MEMBERSHIP GARAGES, HOSPITALITY. AND WE CAN RESIDENCES ALONG WITH FERRARI'S AND OTHER ULTRA LUXURY BRANDS OF RACE CARS. THE VISION OF ITS NEXT LIFE WAS MADE PUBLIC THIS WEEK WHEN BOND AND DEANGELIS RELEASED THE PARTICULARS TO THE COLLIER COUNTY COMMISSION IN A BID FOR SOME ZONING CHANGES TO ALLOW FOR OVERNIGHT STAYS AND SEVERAL OTHER AMENITIES. THIS PROPERTY IS. >> ALREADY >> ZONE FOR THIS USE. HIGH SPEED CAR EVALUATION AND TESTING. AND IT'S BEEN DONE THERE FOR 40 YEARS. AND SO WE THINK WITHOUT CHANGING THE ZONING, WE CAN DO MUCH OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO DO ALREADY. THEY'RE JUST A FEW SMALL THINGS THAT WE'D LIKE TO ADD TO THE ZONING SO THAT WE COULD HAVE THE CLOG AND IT COULD BE AS A WONDERFUL, AN AMENITY TO SOUTH FLORIDA IS WE THINK IT CAN BE. >> THE HYPER CLUB IS DISTINCTIVE FROM OTHER SIMILAR MOTOR SPORTS COMMUNITIES BECAUSE IT BEGAN AS AUTOMAKERS PROVING GROUND RATHER THAN AS A PURPOSE-BUILT LUXURY CLUB. THE FACILITIES STILL ADVERTISES A 2.1 MILES STRAIGHT AWAY. A 1.1 MILE HANDLING COURSE SKID PAD TESTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND SECURE VEHICLE STORAGE FOR MANUFACTURERS AND OWNERS WITH A LOCATION ALONGSIDE THE FLORIDA PANTHER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, CONCERNS OVER ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ARE BEING BROUGHT UP AND BOND SAYS THOSE HAVE BEEN WORKED INTO THE DESIGNS OF THE COMMUNITY. >> I'M A HUGE WILDLIFE LOVER AND TREE LOVER. I MEAN, I PLANTED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF TREES IN OUR SHOW, WE WANT TO WATCH AFTER IT. THE WILDLIFE THAT'S THERE. BUT AS WE LOOK AT THIS PARTICULAR SITE, IT'S RIGHT ON. I-75, WHICH IS VERY LOUD. YOU KNOW, WE'VE WE'VE GIVEN UP A 200 FOOT VEGETATIVE BUFFER BETWEEN US AND THE FAMILIES TO OUR WEST, TO THE NORTH AND THE EAST. SO YOU CAN REALLY NOTHING THERE. YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S REALLY ALL CONSERVATION LAND. AND SO. TO HAVE A PLACE LIKE THIS AND NAPLES, WE THINK THAT THIS IS AN IDEAL LOCATION. >> THE TOM, LIKE MOST PROPOSALS LIKE THIS IN THE AREA, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS OFTEN COME OUT IN OPPOSITION. HAS THIS HAPPENED? >> YES, YES, ONE OF THE MORE PROMINENT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, THE CONSERVANCY OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA CITES THE PANTHER REFUGE IN A LETTER TO THE ARMY CORPS PERMITTING AGENCY OPPOSING 9 PER CLUBS. REVENGE SAYING THE PROJECT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC'S INTEREST AND THE 560 ACRES WOULD BE BETTER USED BY FOLDING IT INTO THE PANTHER REFUGE WOULD TURNING THIS LAND OVER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. EVEN BE A CONSIDERATION. >> I DON'T THINK SO. THE DEVELOPER, ONE OF THE DEVELOPERS, BRUCE POND, SAYS THEY'RE GIVING NOT JUST THE ENVIRONMENT BUT THEIR NEIGHBORS. A LOT OF CONSIDERATION SUCH IS LEAVING A BUFFER ZONE. THE THICK WOODS ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE COMPLEX WHERE THERE ARE SOME RESIDENCES NEARBY. HE ALSO PROMISED THE COUNTY TO LEAVE MORE THAN 70% OF THE PROPERTY OPEN SPACE, ALONG WITH EXISTING LINKS ON THE PROPERTY UNTOUCHED. >> WELL, I'M SURE YOU'LL KEEP