Naples-based DeAngelis Diamond and Miami-based McDowell Housing Partners will break ground this summer on two affordable housing communities in Fort Myers and East Naples, adding more than 300 affordable housing units with a combined construction value of more than $75 million.
The Fort Myers community, Ekos on Evans, will include 144 affordable housing units across five garden-style residential buildings and a central clubhouse at 3501 Evans Ave., west of Metro Parkway and a half mile south of Lee Tran Boulevard.
Ekos Creekside, located off Collier Boulevard, near Tamiami Trail East in East Naples, will feature a seven-story, garden-style residential building and a clubhouse, with 160 affordable housing units.
Both developments will be delivered under the guidelines of Florida Housing’s 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, and Ekos on Evans in Fort Myers is also receiving support through Lee County’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funding, designated for areas impacted by Hurricane Ian.
For the East Naples project, McDowell Housing Partners was the first developer approved in 2024 by Collier County commissioners to use county infrastructure surtax dollars for an affordable housing project. The Board of County Commissioners approved up to $3.75 million in financing for what was formerly Ekos Collier, now Ekos Creekside, McDowell’s fourth planned project in the county.
In 2018, Collier County voters approved a surtax to fund capital improvement projects, including workforce housing, which received $20 million from the 1-cent tax.
Michael Puchalla
Michael Puchalla, CEO and executive director of The Housing Alliance Inc. in Naples, said he sees Ekos on Creekside as a great step forward.
“We’ve had a number of multifamily developments where we’ve had local commitments at some higher income levels, serving individuals earning up to 80% of area median income, and even between 80% and 100% of area median income, but we’ve had a very minimal number of units that have been produced recently that are going to serve some of the lower-income thresholds,” Puchalla said.
He said demand for another lower-income McDowell Housing Partners development, the 82-unit Ekos Santa Barbara in East Naples, had been much higher than the availability.
“Having another 160 units come into the marketplace to help with those lower-income workforce categories will certainly be welcome,” Puchalla said.
He cited recent statistics showing that 54% of working households in Collier County are earning $45,000 or less.
Ryan Anderson
In announcing the Fort Myers and Naples developments, Ryan Anderson, director of preconstruction for DeAngelis Diamond, said the company is “honored and thrilled to collaborate with McDowell Housing Partners on these impactful projects that will benefit our Southwest Florida communities.”
“From the very beginning of the preconstruction phase, McDowell Housing Partners’ unwavering dedication to creating high-quality, affordable housing for local residents has been the guiding force behind our team’s efforts,” Anderson said. “We’re eager to break ground and continue working closely with MHP’s construction team to bring these developments to life.”
He estimated that construction on Ekos on Evans in Fort Myers would be complete in late 2026, and Ekos Creekside in early 2027.
