Vi at Bentley Village, the sprawling 156-acre senior living community off Tamiami Trail near Audubon Country Club, is tearing down three buildings to make way for its seventh redevelopment phase: four new buildings holding 72 luxury independent living apartments. Entrance fees for the new units are set to start around $2.8 million, with a refundable $30,000 deposit required to join the priority reservation list.
The project, reported by Business Observer, is the latest expansion for a campus that Chicago-based Vi Senior Living has reshaped repeatedly since buying Bentley Village in 1992. Construction on the new phase is expected to begin in 2027 and wrap up in 2029, per the company — though Vi at Bentley Village's own redevelopment page separately describes its newest residences as currently under construction, a discrepancy that has not been resolved. Vi Senior Living has not disclosed the project's cost, but it described the effort as a significant long-term investment in the community, the Business Observer reports.
Six Floor Plans With Water and Golf Views
The new apartments will be offered in six floor plans ranging from 1,852 to 2,838 square feet, according to the Business Observer's reporting, with lake and golf course views built into the design. Vi at Bentley Village's own redevelopment page describes the residences similarly, touting “picturesque water and golf course views” and noting the 72 apartments will offer “light-filled, stylish layouts and direct access to the East Clubhouse.”
The seventh phase will also bring an extensive overhaul of the Bentley Care Center, including redesigned rooms and updated therapeutic and activity spaces, per the company's redevelopment page. On the construction side, the plan calls for demolishing three existing buildings to clear room for the four new structures.
A Campus That Has Expanded in Stages Since the 1990s
Bentley Village's growth has unfolded in phases stretching back decades. The original developer built the first two phases before Vi Senior Living took over in 1992 and added a third phase in 1999 that brought just under 200 units and nine golf holes. Phase four followed in 2014, replacing the original clubhouses, redesigning five golf holes, and adding 72 independent living apartments in one building; those new clubhouses eventually included three full-service restaurants, a theater, a fitness center, a lap and recreation pool, and a library.
Phase five added 51 apartments, a golf studio, and a redesign of three more golf holes in 2018. Phase six, completed in 2024, included four new independent living buildings totaling 64 apartments, 84 one-bedroom assisted living apartments, 15 memory support apartments, and upgrades to significant portions of the skilled nursing center. That 2024 project echoes an earlier $92 million redevelopment the company announced in 2021, which was expected to bring 64 independent living apartments across five floor plans ranging from 2,400 to 4,500 square feet, with completion targeted for early 2024; the company was separately working on a $41 million overhaul of its skilled nursing facility and assisted living residences around the same time.
County Approval Raises the Ceiling for Future Growth
The new phase comes after Collier County commissioners signed off on zoning changes that give Bentley Village considerably more room to grow. The Collier County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a rezoning on Oct. 28 for The Retreat planned-unit development, which includes Vi at Bentley Village, according to Gulfshore Business. The amendment increased The Retreat's maximum density from 740 future dwelling units to 834 and expanded its acreage from 150 to 208.5, per that outlet's reporting.
The Naples Daily News separately reported that Bentley Village won approval to add 94 residences, raising the community's maximum allowable density from 740 to 834 — figures that align with the broader rezoning but describe a different unit count than the 72 apartments detailed in this latest phase. The supplied reporting does not fully explain how the two numbers relate, and Vi Senior Living has said only that it continually evaluates future project opportunities, per the company.
Senior Housing Demand Keeps Climbing Nationally
Bentley Village's expansion arrives as senior housing occupancy keeps tightening across the country. Occupancy in NIC MAP's 31 Primary Markets rose 70 basis points to 88.7% in the third quarter of 2025, marking 17 straight quarters of improvement, according to NIC MAP. Same-store asking rents climbed 4.3% year over year in that same quarter, with assisted living edging slightly higher at 4.4% and independent living holding at 4.2%.
New construction, meanwhile, has slowed sharply nationwide. Units under construction in NIC MAP's Primary Markets fell to roughly 17,000 in the third quarter of 2025, the lowest level since 2012, and nearly 60% of the 140 markets the firm tracks had no new senior housing projects underway at all. Investment activity has kept pace regardless, with NIC MAP's preliminary data showing $4.2 billion in senior housing transactions in the third quarter alone and a rolling four-quarter total of $21.8 billion, up more than 40% from a year earlier.
