Monaghan Asks for Donors to Cover 40% of AMU building costs; Preview of AMU Chapel; "Affordable" Housing in AMT

This story from the Southwest Florida News-Press has many interesting items of note, including a photo of the new model of the AMU chapel (above), a piece that says Tom Monaghan is looking for donors to cover 40% of the building costs (in bold below), and "affordable" housing in the town starting at $170,000 (see link to story for full details)


AVE MARIA FACTS
Ave Maria University today

In the fall of 2003, the university opened an interim campus north of Naples in The Vineyards community. Its current enrollment is about 400. The new campus will have a capacity of about 6,000 students.

Environment

Ave Maria is the first project under Collier County's Rural Land Stewardship program. In remarks Friday, Gov. Jeb Bush said Ave Maria preserves the natural and rural heritage of this part of the state. In return for developing the town and campus, land owner Barron Collier Companies of Naples set aside environmentally sensitive land for preservation.

The look of Ave Maria

Designers of the town and campus aimed for the charm of an old-world Mediterranean village combined with the vitality of a college town. The town center, called La Piazza, includes six buildings. First floors will house retail and commercial tenants. Five buildings will have a total of 70 condos one the upper floors. One will hold only offices.

The oratory

A 100-foot high church will anchor La Piazza. The wood, stone and steel structure will seat 1,100. Outside the church, there will be a 65-foot crucifix, a water feature, and a bell tower. The church is called an oratory because it is not associated with a Catholic diocese or religious order.

Pulte neighborhoods

Pulte, a national homebuilder, will build three communities in the town. No prices are being quoted at this time.
• Del Webb at Ave Maria will cater to active adults 55 or older and offer up to 2,500 home sites. It includes fitness centers and a golf course with a community center that offers classes and clubs ranging from ceramics to computers to personal investing. In the past 24 months in Florida, home prices in Del Webb developments have ranged from $165,000 to more than $300,000, according to Pulte's Web sites.
• Pulte Traditional Communities will build about 3,400 homes for first-time buyers and young families. Past Florida prices for similar neighborhoods have begun at about $260,000.
• DiVosta at Ave Maria will offer about 2,000 home sites for multi-generational neighborhoods, similar to Village Walk of Bonita Springs.

Campus buildings

The first phase of the campus development will include:
• A student activity center with 400-seat dining hall, game room and 24-hour study lounge.
• Residential student housing which will be organized into neighborhoods of seven buildings. Each building will house 85-100 students.
• Library with special and rare book collections, and a Frank Lloyd Wright collections room.
• Science, mathematics and technology building. It will include a 200-seat lecture hall.
Thomas Monaghan, founder and chancellor of the university, is now looking for donors to cover 40 percent of the cost of the buildings. They will be named for donors.

What's on site now?

Site work and construction of the main roads and water management system began in April of 2005. The water and sewer treatment facility is already built. Ave Maria Boulevard, which connects to Camp Keais Road, is nearly complete. All buildings are staked, and the first of six town center buildings is already under construction.