The building with the drive-thru lane on the southwest corner of Airport-Pulling Road and Golden Gate Parkway is a Starbucks. It sits at 2180 Airport Pulling Road North, and inside there are walnut finishes, several kinds of seating and a coffee-themed mural by Chalk & Brush Design. Behind it is a single-story strip of storefronts. Most of them have been leased and are open in the morning. The bays meant for dinner are still empty.
That's the pattern at the corner this fall. The businesses that opened first are built around short morning visits: a coffee drive-thru, 30-minute strength sessions and Pilates classes you book ahead. The spaces set aside for restaurants with outdoor seating are the ones that haven't been leased. For Grey Oaks residents, the corner on the community's edge now covers the start of the day, and the evening half is still unbuilt.
The last phase of a professional park, opened in morning order
Poinciana Plaza wasn't designed as a shopping destination. Halstatt, the Naples-based family investment firm behind it, describes the new retail as the last phase of what is now a 115,000-square-foot professional park. The company announced the 10,000-square-foot retail center complete in a June 2, 2026 release. Gulfshore Business reported that the site covers about 2.5 acres, that both buildings got certificates of occupancy on March 10, and that MHK Architecture designed the project and Build LLC built it.
Halstatt's CEO, Katie Sproul, described the goal in the company's announcement:
"From the beginning, we were focused on bringing in a mix of uses that fits naturally with the existing professional park and serves the surrounding area."
The tenants opened in an order that suits office workers before 9 a.m. and residents getting a workout in before the day starts. Discover Strength was first. According to Gulfshore Business, it was scheduled to open April 6 in an 1,820-square-foot unit. It offers trainer-led 30-minute strength workouts twice a week, one-on-one or in small groups, and it's the brand's first studio in Florida out of more than 35 nationwide. LVL Fitness, the Pilates studio, now takes class bookings and posts studio hours on its Poinciana page. By early September, RetailBoss was reporting the 2,500-square-foot Starbucks as open. In the spring, Halstatt had aimed for late June or July.
Where each storefront stands this week
| Business | What it is | Status as of mid-October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Starbucks, 2180 Airport Pulling Rd N | 2,500 sq ft standalone drive-thru | Open; reported open by Sept. 2 |
| Discover Strength | 30-minute trainer-led strength sessions | Open since spring |
| LVL Fitness | Pilates studio | Taking class bookings |
| Fresh Monkee | High-protein shakes and smoothies | Announced; Naples opening date not yet published |
| The Retreat Aesthetics | Med spa | Halstatt expects it to open before year-end |
| Remaining bays | About 1,400 to 4,300 sq ft | Marketed to restaurants, including ones with outdoor dining |
The two tenants still building out follow the same morning-and-midday pattern. Fresh Monkee is a Connecticut-based chain. Bonita Springs resident Brian Wasko opened his first area location at Coconut Point in Estero in April, and Naples Press reported that the Naples franchise is headed to Poinciana Plaza. The shakes are made to order. Signature flavors include Almond Coco Loco, Antioxidant Berry, Caramel Coffee Buzz and Chunkee Monkee, a banana, peanut butter and Nutella blend that Wasko told Naples Press is his favorite. In that same report he estimated the store would be "set up in August, maybe September." That window has passed, and as of this writing the chain's online location finder doesn't list a Naples store.
Wasko told Naples Press why he chose the site: "It's easy to get in and out of that plaza and I think with Starbucks it's going to generate a lot of traffic." The coffee shop is meant to be the draw, and the tenants next to it are counting on that morning traffic.
The empty bays are the evening
Every business open or announced at the corner keeps daytime hours. The last vacancies are where that could change. Halstatt says the remaining spaces run about 1,400 to 4,300 square feet and are being marketed specifically to restaurant and food-and-beverage operators, including ones that want outdoor seating. In the spring, Gulfshore Business reported that leasing was nearly halfway done and that Halstatt expected five or six tenants besides Starbucks. No restaurant has been named publicly.
Whoever takes those bays will decide whether the corner stays a morning stop or becomes somewhere to go after dark. A patio at Airport-Pulling and Golden Gate Parkway would be the first place in the plaza to sit down for dinner. Halstatt itself calls the intersection one of the busiest in Naples.
Farther up the same road, a quick-service change came earlier in the year. Saucy! by KFC replaced the PDQ at 5088 Airport-Pulling Road, near the Pine Ridge end, and Naples Press listed it among the first-quarter 2026 openings.
A short drive down Goodlette-Frank, the zoo runs on the same daytime clock
The other nearby place with new things this fall also closes in the afternoon. Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is at 1590 Goodlette-Frank Road. It went back to its regular 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. hours on Oct. 1, with last entry at 3:30 p.m. Its summer schedule had been 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There are some new animals since last season. Xander, a giant anteater born Jan. 8, 2013, at Caldwell Zoo, made his public debut at Naples in January, according to the zoo. Three toco toucan chicks also hatched this year. Mango came first on April 6, followed by Cassava and Guava.
The Gordon River Greenway is next door at 1596 Goodlette-Frank Road. The county lists it at 140 acres, with 2.5 miles of mixed trails, piers, kayak and canoe storage, restrooms, a playground and picnic pavilions, according to Collier County Parks. If you want to walk on a weekday morning without driving to the beach, it's the nearest long trail.
These are the dates on the zoo's calendar from this week through February:
- Saturday, Oct. 24 through Monday, Oct. 26. The second and final weekend of Boo at the Zoo runs 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's included with regular admission and has movie-themed scenery, costumed characters, trick-or-treating for children and live entertainment.
- Saturday, Nov. 7. Admission is free for Collier County residents from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., per the zoo's events calendar.
- Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The zoo is closed. On Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve it closes at 3 p.m., with last entry at 2 p.m.
- Friday, Feb. 19, 2027. Zoobilee, the zoo's annual fundraiser for ages 21 and over. VIP entry is at 6 p.m. and general entry at 7 p.m.
The one evening on the calendar
Of all these dates, Zoobilee is the only one that runs past sunset. The zoo, the Greenway and every business open at Poinciana Plaza are built around daylight.
That will change only if a restaurant signs for the Poinciana bays and puts tables outside. The leasing materials are clearly written for that kind of tenant. Until one is announced, the corner closes for the day well before dinner.
Mark Paige Riley keeps track of changes like this corner, the openings near Grey Oaks that affect how a weekday goes. If you'd like a straightforward conversation about Grey Oaks this season, whether about your own home or the area around it, Mark Paige Riley is glad to talk. Let's Connect.
