When did a night at the movies in North Naples come to depend on a road project and a lease change? The short answer is this fall. Since early September, the theater space at Mercato has been closed. Just east of U.S. 41, Vanderbilt Beach Road is being rebuilt from four lanes to six. At Waterside Shops, a new seafood restaurant has signed for a space that another restaurant still holds. Each change has its own owner, budget and schedule, and all three reach their next stage in 2027.
For Bay Colony households coming back for season, that timing matters more than any one headline. The errands, dinners and movie nights east along Vanderbilt Beach Road will run all season through a corridor that is partway between its old form and its new one.
One Building, Three Operators
The theater at Mercato has had a busy few years. Silverspot Cinema ran an 11-screen theater there from 2009 until it closed in July 2023, WINK News reported. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema opened in the same space on April 29, 2024. It was the Austin-based chain's first Florida location, with 11 auditoriums, in-theater food and drink service and a movie-themed miniature golf course. Less than two months after opening, Sony Pictures Entertainment acquired the Alamo Drafthouse chain on June 12, 2024.
Alamo Drafthouse Naples closed on September 9, 2026. In its closing announcement, Alamo said the building would keep operating as a movie theater under Paragon Theaters. Mercato confirmed the handoff on October 21. The Naples Daily News reported that Paragon will open a 33,700-square-foot theater in the former Silverspot and Alamo Drafthouse space sometime in 2027.
That makes three operators in one building over roughly 18 years. The first ran for about 14 years. The space then sat empty for about nine months, and the second operator stayed for about two years and four months. Each time, Mercato has found another theater operator to fill it. For the 2026–27 season, though, the theater at the Strada Place end of Mercato stays dark, and the closest thing to a reopening date is a year.
The rest of Mercato has seen turnover this year as well. Shake Shack opened on February 20, 2026, according to the Naples Daily News, and Cavo Lounge closed in April 2026, Gulfshore Business reported. Whole Foods Market remains at 9101 Strada Place. That address matters because Strada Place is where the road work comes closest to daily errands.
A Road Widened Into Its Own Median
The theater closing and the road construction are separate decisions, but they overlap in time. In July, Collier County started a project to widen Vanderbilt Beach Road from four to six lanes. The work zone runs about 1.8 miles, from just east of U.S. 41 to east of Goodlette-Frank Road. Bay Colony is west of U.S. 41, so every trip east to Mercato, Goodlette-Frank Road or beyond passes through it.
Most of the new pavement is going into the existing median. In its July 6, 2026 announcement, the county explains that this stretch was originally planned and permitted for six lanes. Because the space was set aside long ago, the project mostly fills in the middle of the road. The existing sidewalks stay, and the county's project page says bike lanes will be added.
The project also includes:
- New intersection work at Strada Place and at Goodlette-Frank Road
- Changes to median openings at Bay Laurel Drive and on the west side of the Goodlette-Frank Road intersection
- An upgraded stormwater drainage system, improved lighting and better pedestrian ramps at intersections and side roads
The county estimates the cost at about $28.4 million. Of that, $26,956,179.13 is the contract the Board of County Commissioners agenda for January 13, 2026, recommended awarding to Watson Civil Construction, Inc. The other $1,482,589.86 is an owner's allowance on top. The notice to proceed went out in early June 2026, and the county expects construction to take about two years. That puts completion around mid-2028, so the project spans two full seasons.
Most of the day-to-day effect depends on the clock. The county plans most lane closures for 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. A midday Whole Foods run on a Tuesday falls inside that window. A dinner reservation at Mercato or a Sunday errand falls outside it.
The Two Months to Mark for Spring
One part of the schedule stands out. In spring 2027, the county plans to install a box culvert under the roadway. While that work is underway, traffic will drop to one lane eastbound and one lane westbound for about two months, between Strada Place and Goodlette-Frank Road. The county's advice is that drivers without a destination near the construction may want to take another route.
Here is how that stretch lines up with the places people drive to:
- Strada Place marks the western end of the one-lane section, and it is also Mercato's address and Whole Foods Market's front door.
- Bay Laurel Drive is inside the same segment, where the county is changing a median opening as a safety improvement.
- Goodlette-Frank Road marks the eastern end, where the project also includes rebuilding the intersection.
Spring is also the busiest stretch of the year for Mercato's dining rooms. During those roughly two months, the drive to Mercato from the west still works, but the section beyond Strada Place will be at its narrowest. For anything east of Mercato, the county's suggestion to use another route makes the most sense. The county lists Community Liaison Connie Deane at (239) 252-8365 as the contact for project questions.
Waterside Shops' Own Handoff
Closer to home, Waterside Shops is going through a change of its own. Buck & Rider, a seafood restaurant, is taking over the space Brio has occupied. In an April 10, 2026 announcement, Waterside said Buck & Rider was slated to open in late 2026. By August, the Naples Daily News was reporting a target of early 2027.
Naples Press explained what controls the timing. The operator's schedule depends on when it can get into the building, and Brio was still operating in the space under its existing lease. So Buck & Rider's opening depends on when Brio's lease ends, much as Paragon's opening at Mercato depends on taking over a building another theater just left.
The Corridor's Calendar
Taken together, the three projects line up on the same timeline:
| Place | Status in November 2026 | Next milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Mercato theater space | Closed since Alamo Drafthouse shut its doors on September 9, 2026 | Paragon Theaters opening in 2027 |
| Vanderbilt Beach Road, U.S. 41 to Goodlette-Frank | Under construction since July 2026, with most lane closures from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday | Spring 2027 box culvert: one lane each way for about two months |
| Brio space at Waterside Shops | Being handed off to Buck & Rider | Opening targeted for early 2027, depending on building access |
| Vanderbilt Beach Road widening, full project | Two-year construction schedule | Completion around mid-2028 |
All three projects reach their next stage in the same year, along the same few miles east of Bay Colony. Until then, the corridor runs one way. The road is open but partly coned off during weekday hours, Mercato is open without its theater, and Brio still holds its space at Waterside. In 2027, the corridor shifts. A new theater and a new seafood restaurant are expected to open, and the road narrows to one lane each way between Strada Place and Goodlette-Frank Road for about two months in spring.
For anyone planning next season's calendar, the Mercato theater space and the Strada Place intersection are the two to watch. The rebuilt road and the new theater are both meant to last longer than the construction and the empty building that come first.
Changes like these shape how a part of town feels to live in, and they rarely show up on a listing sheet. If you are thinking through a move within Bay Colony or along the Gulf in North Naples, Lickley Group can walk you through what is changing nearby and when. Request a Confidential Market Consultation.
