The first building scheduled to open at Estero's Village Center Hub is High 5, a 40,000-square-foot venue with bowling and pickleball north of Williams Road and east of Via Coconut Point. Under the public-private agreement, the Village of Estero receives payments equal to 40 percent of High 5's net income. That money goes back into managing the roughly 100-acre SportsPark taking shape around it.
That arrangement explains the order things will open. The private entertainment building is on track for soft openings in February 2027. The public fields, lawns and lake follow in stages, and some of the most talked-about features have no construction date yet.
What opens in February
High 5 Entertainment President and CEO Scott Emley updated the Estero Village Council on June 17, 2026. Gulfshore Business reported that a series of soft openings is planned for February 2027, with a grand opening in late February or early March. At the October 7, 2026 council meeting, the Village's development update still listed High 5 among projects under construction.
Here's what Emley described for the building, according to Gulfshore Business's account:
- Estero Pickleball Club: 6 indoor courts and 15 outdoor courts for year-round play, a pickleball pro shop, and "cosmic" neon court lighting for events.
- Bowling and games: a 16-lane bowling alley, an arcade, and two 18-hole miniature golf courses.
- Food and drink: an indoor-outdoor bar with oversized LED walls, plus a Scratch Ranch-branded kitchen for on-site dining and catering. The kitchen will also make prepackaged meals sold through participating local businesses.
- Event space: conference and party rooms for private events and corporate gatherings.
High 5 has hired Pete Dellaluna, a Southwest Florida pickleball coach and pro player, as pickleball director. A job fair for servers, bartenders and what Emley called "party professionals" is planned for early 2027. The venue will be open to the public. It will also offer general, pickleball and bowling memberships, plus a separate benefits program for Estero residents.
The published specs don't all match. The Village's Entertainment Campus page still says "Opening in 2026" and lists 26 bowling lanes and 18 holes of mini-golf. Emley's June presentation gave 16 lanes and two 18-hole courses, and a soft-opening window in 2027. Estero Today's project tracker, updated September 26, 2026, adds laser tag, axe throwing and an outdoor digital wall for community movie nights. Expect the final lineup to come into focus as the soft openings get closer.
The deal behind the building
According to Estero Today's summary of the public-private agreement, the Village put millions into site development, including $5 million for the pickleball facilities and $1.25 million for an 18-hole miniature golf course. In return it gets 40 percent of High 5's net income, which it will reinvest in managing the SportsPark. High 5 develops, builds and finances its own operations. Wright Construction is handling the entertainment district site work.
The public side already has an operator. In June 2026, the council renewed its agreement with Kemper Sports Management for 24 months. The agreement covers day-to-day maintenance and oversight of the high school football stadium, hard courts, soccer and baseball fields, and support facilities, at a total of $218,688.
Estero also kept the land cost down. As Estero Today reports, in January 2024 the Village and the School District of Lee County agreed to a 99-year lease on just over 50 acres of the playing fields next to Estero High School. Sports organizations and the public can use those fields when school is not in session, and the Village avoided buying land that Estero Today estimates at about $500,000 an acre.
The Village's Village Center Hub page describes the goal as a "park once and stay the day" setup for family entertainment, sports and recreation. High 5 is the first piece of that plan. Its income is set up to help pay for the rest.
The public park arrives in phases
Some of the SportsPark is already open. Hellas Construction installed a new turf football field at Estero High School in 2024, and the hard courts were renovated in 2025 with pickleball, tennis and basketball. The rest is planned in phases:
| Piece | What it includes | Latest stated timing |
|---|---|---|
| SportsPark Phase 1 | New main entry off Via Coconut Point, lake, northern parking lot, long fields and practice fields; Suffolk Construction mobilized January 2026 | Phase 1A finish 02/19/2027 per the Village's June schedule; "late 2026" per Estero Today |
| SportsPark Phase 2 | Two synthetic turf fields for soccer, football and Little League, a great lawn pavilion, restrooms, and an extension of the main spine road | Design est. Feb. to Aug. 2027; construction est. Aug. 2027 to Aug. 2028 |
| Later phases | Design and permitting on hold until construction funding is available | No date |
The two Phase 1 dates come from different sources and don't line up. They may describe slightly different scopes, so plan on early 2027 for the first new public fields and treat anything earlier as a bonus.
Phase 2 got smaller over the summer. On July 2, 2026, the council approved a change order that cut $2.1 million from the SportsPark preconstruction contract. The Village explained that funding won't be available to finish every phase within the current five-year capital plan, so design and permitting now stop at Phase 2.
That matters for the features people tend to picture first. Estero Today's list of the final plan includes a splash pad, playground, climbing wall, a zip line across the lake, a new football stadium with expanded seating, and a Veterans Memorial area. None of those appear in either of Estero Today's descriptions of Phase 2. The golf driving range is less clear. One line in the same tracker puts it in Phase 2, but the scope described after the July change order lists only the turf fields, pavilion, restrooms and spine road. Under the July change order, the features that fall outside Phase 2 won't be designed or permitted until construction funding is available.
Getting in: the new front door on Via Coconut Point
Most of the work you see from the road is the Hub's new entrance. In July, Gulf Coast News reported that new median left-turn lanes were going in for both the SportsPark and the nearby Lumio project. Michael Comparato, a consultant for the Village with Vieste LLC, described them in that report. Infrastructure work was expected to wrap up by the end of 2026, and the full entertainment district by 2028. The northbound closure at Williams Road, set for July 20 through July 31, is over.
Walking and biking access is getting work too. FDOT has wider sidewalks and bicycle ramps at the Williams Road and Pelican Colony roundabouts on Via Coconut Point in its current work plan. FDOT is funding design and construction, and in July the council agreed the Village would maintain them once they're installed.
On the other side of U.S. 41, the Village has designed a roundabout for Williams Road at Atlantic Gulf Boulevard to fix long-standing traffic flow and safety problems. On September 9, 2026, the council authorized eminent domain to acquire about 0.28 acres along the south side of the road for that project. If you live west of 41, that intersection is likely part of your route to the Hub.
The calendar from here to spring
High 5 shows up on the Village's October 7 under-construction list next to other new businesses, including Whataburger, Shake Shack, Chick-fil-A, Aldi and the Lyden Hotel. Here are the dates on record:
- October 22, 2026: Whataburger's scheduled opening at 22927 Lyden Drive, open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, according to Gulf Coast News.
- End of 2026: Via Coconut Point infrastructure work for the Hub expected to finish.
- January 2027: High 5 pre-opening and temporary certificate of occupancy on the Village's June schedule.
- Early 2027: High 5 job fair.
- February 2027: High 5 soft openings begin. February 19 is the Village's target for finishing SportsPark Phase 1A.
- Late February or early March 2027: High 5 grand opening. The Village schedule lists its certificate of occupancy for March 3, 2027.
The next big date for the public side comes after that. Phase 2 construction is estimated to start in August 2027, with the two new turf fields and the great lawn pavilion expected about a year later.
I'll keep following the Hub as High 5's soft opening dates firm up and the SportsPark phases hit their milestones. If you'd like to talk through which parts of Estero sit closest to the new Via Coconut Point entrance, or how a project like this fits into your own plans here, Hunter Kent is glad to help. Let's Connect.
