Fifth Third Bank continues to grow its presence in the region with construction starting soon on a new North Naples branch office at Collier Health Park on the northwest corner of Immokalee Road and Health Park Boulevard.
A 2,800-square-foot full-service banking center will be built in the parking lot area on that corner in front of a one-story commercial strip that includes dental offices, a pharmacy, Quest Diagnostics, Bobby Yanks Burgers and Tartine & Tartelette French restaurant. The property is near NCH Healthcare System’s North Naples Hospital and NCH BirthPlace, also on Health Park Boulevard.
If all goes as planned, the new bank office will open in late 2022, said Jennifer Auray, vice president of regional marketing and communications for Fifth Third Bank in Florida. “We’re projecting the end of the year, so fourth quarter,” Auray said. “We are excited for the location to open. We think it’s a great spot for us.”
Plans for the future Fifth Third branch will be similar to another freestanding bank with a drive-thru that Fifth Third opened in early February at Gulf Gate Plaza on the corner of U.S. 41 East and Bayshore Drive in East Naples. “The design style will stay the same,” Auray said. “It will be that next-gen configuration similar to Bayshore and what we’ve been rolling out the last couple of years.”
The customer-centric design of Fifth Third’s next-generation concept replaces traditional teller lines with multiple options for conducting banking business. Technology allows mobile bankers in the office to meet customers in a flexible, open environment that is more casual, while other spaces are available for private conversations.
During construction of the new North Naples branch, the entire parking lot in front of the commercial strip at the Collier Health Park property owned by Boston-based Farley White Interests LLC will be reconfigured and the center’s entrance will be relocated north away from Immokalee Road and nearer the northern end of the center, site development plans show. While fewer spaces overall will remain after an approved parking reduction, nearly 20 new parking spaces will be created directly in front of the retail strip and more than a dozen spaces are planned on the north and west side of the bank.
The parking lot reconfiguration means that Bobby Yanks Burgers will lose its small patio area out front that has provided outdoor seating for the casual eatery since it opened last summer, said restaurant owner Peter Karey. “They will essentially build that part of the parking lot first,” Karey said. “Hopefully, it will all work out.”
Ironically, Karey has noticed a boost in business since the green construction fence was recently erected. Despite being partially shrouded from view by the temporary fence, retail businesses will remain open during the construction of the bank.
The first phase of construction will move the center’s access drive and create the new parking spaces directly in front of the stores and offices. The bank will be built during the second phase.
Expect several additional locations of Fifth Third Bank coming to Colier and Lee counties within the next several years, Auray said. “We do have plans for a few more, so you’ll continue to see us growing in Lee and Collier,” she said. “We’re committed to the market.”
