Bonita Bay is the flagship master-planned community of Bonita Springs, conceived in 1979 by David Shakarian, founder of GNC, and opened for sales in 1985. Developed on 2,400 acres by Bonita Bay Properties (now Bonita Bay Group / Phoenix Bay Ventures), the community was designed with a radical-for-its-time environmental stewardship ethos — 1,400 of the 2,400 acres remain open space, including 230 acres of lakes, natural preserves, and 12 miles of walking and biking paths. All five golf courses are Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary certified, and the two off-site Tom Fazio courses became the world’s first 36-hole Audubon Signature Sanctuary. Bonita Bay is the largest gated community in Southwest Florida to earn Blue Zones Recognized Community status.

The community includes 56 distinct neighborhoods with ~3,300 planned residences at buildout (2,193 built to date per 2023 data). Housing types span: estate single-family (Bay Woods, Creekside, Woodlake, Crossing Creek), coach homes and villas (multiple clusters), and 12+ high-rise towers including Omega (2022, newest), Esperia, Horizons, and Azure. The community features 5 championship golf courses (3 Arthur Hills onsite + 2 Tom Fazio at Bonita Bay East in Naples), a 55,000 sqft West Club + 8,200 sqft East Club, 18 Har-Tru tennis courts, a Lifestyle Center with 60,000 sqft of wellness amenities, and the Bonita Bay Marina with direct Gulf access.

For kitchen remodels, Bonita Bay spans the widest quality spectrum of any Bonita Springs community. Coach home and villa kitchens work at Good tier with $42K–$65K budgets. Estate single-family kitchens (Bay Woods, Creekside) work at Better tier with $95K–$145K budgets. Omega / Esperia penthouse kitchens work at Best tier with $160K–$250K budgets to match the new-construction high-rise comp set. 2025 pricing: $1.84M SF average, $1.12M condo average, with top sales hitting $5.9M in both categories. Every Bonita Bay renovation factors in neighborhood-specific HOA approvals, Bonita Bay master ARC review for exterior changes, and Lee County permitting.