Ave Maria, Florida

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Ave Maria, Florida is a planned community and college town currently under development in Collier County, near Immokalee and Naples. Local community and business leaders have partnered with the Ave Maria Foundation to create a new community that will have a new Catholic university, Ave Maria University, at its core. The town is planned to have a population of 3,000 permanent residents and 5,000 students. The town and university are planned to open in 2007.

Detailed plans for the community and university have been posted online and have garnered both praise and criticism. The driving force behind this development is Catholic philanthropist Tom Monaghan, founder of Dominos Pizza and the Chancellor of Ave Maria University. His partner is Barron Collier Companies, a company involved in the project as part of its "Rural Stewardship" program, a program designed to conserve rural agriculture and environment while allowing for economic growth and development. Monaghan and Barron Collier Companies have exclusive control of commercial real estate in the town.

The new university at the core of the community is a follow-on to Ave Maria School of Law and Ave Maria College, both founded in Michigan. The community in Florida came about after difficulties in obtaining zoning and sundry support in Michigan. The reception of both the town and university in Florida has been quite positive, gaining county approval and breaking ground in 2005.

Monaghan once stated that commercial leases in the town would enforce beliefs consistent with the Catholic faith, including prohibiting the sale of pornography or contraceptives and banning the performing of abortions. Consequently, the American Civil Liberties Union announced it would oppose these plans in court if they were carried out.^[1] Monaghan later explained in a public statement, "I prefer not to have those things, but I am not going to break the law."^[2]

The centerpiece of the town and university will be a Catholic oratory. The announced plans are for a modernist style 100 foot tall building with a 25,000 square foot floor plan, a glass and steel exterior, and a 65 foot tall crucifix. While still sizable, this is a scaled back version of the original plan, which had a 60,000 square foot floor plan.^[3] Many people have criticized the choice of designs, saying that either a traditional European style or a local Spanish mission style would be better for aesthetic and climatic reasons. Monaghan, an admirer of the architectural style of Frank Lloyd Wright, supports the design.^[4]

The community has drawn criticism from some environmental and conservation groups, particularly for the development of urban sprawl on habitat for the endangered Florida panther [1]. The community's design, which places homes within walking distance of stores, has been praised by some.