Bonita Bay project in works for Hendry County.

Bonita Bay project in works for Hendry County.

The Bonita Bay Group is preparing to launch its first project in Hendry County — Murphy's Landing, a 187-acre community on the Caloosahatchee River near LaBelle."We will be breaking ground hopefully at the end of this year," said Bonita Bay director of marketing Amy Fletcher-Smith, with sales to begin early in 2007.The first phase of the development will have 403 single-family and coach homes priced from the mid-$300,000s to over $1 million. There will be a second phase but the exact number of homes hasn't been decided, she said.
Mitch Hutchcraft, Bonita Bay's regional vice president, said Hendry is a good match for the type of projects the company does."One of the things we hear a lot from our clients is 'We want a place where we can come and relax and it'll be a retreat.' They're looking for that small-town atmosphere."
Hendry, not as heavily developed as areas closer to the coast, fits the bill, Hutchcraft said. "There's just not that much that's left along the coast."Besides, he said, the inland area can provide waterfront living without the threat of storm surge that coastal dwellers have to endure.Other than Murphy's Landing, Hutchcraft said, Bonita Bay is working on two other projects in Hendry in the near future: the Wheeler Farm on the north side of the Caloosahatchee River and the 5,200-acre Bob Paul property in LaBelle