Can anyone comment on the Town of Ave Maria? (Country Club: condos, high crime)

[mpr19]

I believe it's part of Immokalee. Has anyone visited/lived here? Younger or older crowd? elementary schools? Is it safe?

Thanks!

[TANaples]

It was supposed to be a self contained Catholic community for all ages from young families to seniors. I believe they were supposed to have everything from condos to villas to single family houses. We went there a little over a year ago and drove around. There didn't seem to be too many homes which had been built. The church was there, but most of the shops were empty. They have different builders for the different sections. I don't know how far to completion there are by now, but they advertise a lot in the paper and on the radio. Yes, it is in Immokalee, not too far from the Seminole reservation.

[justNancy]

Immokalee itself is one of the poorest cities in Florida and the home to many migrant farm workers.
http://www.city-data.com/city/Immokalee-Florida.html
Often 2 or more families reside in one trailer. So IMO they really took a gamble building a planned community with $300,000 homes in an area so far from downtown Naples and shopping. Lately there have been some burglaries, but it's not a high crime district according to this article in our local paper.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/...ove-public-sa/
I took a drive out to Golden Gate Estates to look at some properties very close to Ave Maria, and you can get a lot of house for under $150,000 in today's market. If you enjoy a planned, gated community, Valencia Country Club has newer homes overlooking the golf course or with a lake view listed in the low $200s. (depends on the size house you need of course)

Regarding the town of Ave Maria, there's been some controversy since they want to control everything according to the rules of the Catholic Church. That's fine, since anyone has a right to live in a community based on personal beliefs, but then there's a problem with government funding if it makes its own rules. For example, pharmacies are not allowed to sell birth control AFAIK.

Regarding the empty homes, I think it's just the economy that is holding up development. Pulte Homes has had financial trouble like most large builders. Bloomberg.com reports that Pulte has reported a loss for the past 9 quarters due to the recession and housing slump.

[RMD3819]

Ave Maria is NOT in Immokalee. It is close to Immokalee, but worlds apart if you are trying to compare the two.

AM is huge and beautiful. The university is there so, at least for now, it is a younger crowd. It is a ghost town on weekends when the school is closed, except for the tourists coming to take pictures of the church in the town square. There is very little to do there right now. The economy has drastically slowed down the development there. There is a gas station and Publix being built.

It is somewhat remote for shopping or employment right now. The nearest full service grocery is in Immokkalee, about fifteen miles away. While I've been in that store a million times, you have to drive through Immokalee and that may not appeal to a lot of folks. The next closest is the Publix in North Naples, about 20-25 miles away.

While the Catholic theme is undeniable, they seem to have backed off the strict doctrine since the economy tanked.

There was a lot of fanfare concerning birth control. There is no pharmacy right now so I don't know how that will play out. I seem to remember when this all started that the pharmacy chains said they would not allow restrictions on what they were allowed to legally sell. The medical clinics said the same thing. The clinic that is out there now, part of a chain, says they don't prescribe BC in any of their clinics, anywhere as a matter of their policy.

Read here: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/ave_maria/

[justNancy]

I wrote that post at 5:30 in the morning (and hadn't yet got to sleep) so maybe my sentence structure was poor. Excuses, excuses! I said I went to Golden Gate Estates to look at homes not far from Ave Maria, meaning it isn't in Immokalee. It still is very far from the heart of Naples, however. Anyway, that's what I meant.

On the one hand, I believe people should be able to practice whatever religion they want to and live in a private & restricted community, if that's their desire. But doesn't this violate the laws of our land? As my previous posts indicate, I actually like living in a community with some rules. However, I don't see how someone can say a town that was built solely to fulfill a man's dream, which is how Tom Monaghan has described it, has "backed off the strict doctrine" unless it's just to get people to move there in tough economic times, which would be hypocritical. Anyway, let's say you go to a restaurant that doesn't want to serve you, but it does so it won't get fined or needs the business. Would you want to eat there? In October the Naples Daily News published this article.

Sunshine Law trouble on Ave Maria boards? : Collier County : Naples Daily News

After the Bush administration, I wouldn't want to live in a community that was so secretive & restrictive and was built because someone had a "vision" of the perfect, sinless community, but I'm not Catholic. Yes, I agree that, in order to be in compliance & obey laws, the developers had to give into some pressure and actually allow residents to be governed by the Constitution.

However, if every wealthy businessman started doing this, then our country would be even more segregated. I'm wondering if a Gay person would be welcome in this town or someone who is pro-Choice. Again, I say "good for you" to anyone who finds his Paradise. But my Heaven would be a place where all are welcome, even us sinners.