"That was a sad day for me," Jim Weeks said at the end of Coconut Road on June 22, remembering 2006, when his family sold the 40-acre property their grandparents had settled. He said it at a ribbon-cutting on the same ground. Two 22-story towers now stand behind it, and boats are back in the water in front of it.
Saltleaf Marina opened to the public that day. London Bay Development Group is building Saltleaf as a 500-acre community that is otherwise private, and the marina is its one public piece. If you live at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Estero Bay, the water at the foot of your building is also the town's boat launch, and an agreement with the City of Bonita Springs keeps it that way permanently. That one fact shapes the daily life of this waterfront more than any amenity on the towers' spec sheet.
A Promise Written Into the Plan
The Weeks family opened the marina area to the public in 1942. For decades it was where Bonita Springs boaters, anglers and families went to get on the water. After the 2006 sale to private developers, the launch closed in 2014 and stayed closed for more than a decade.
London Bay bought the property in 2018. Gulfshore Business reported that public access became a sticking point for city officials and the Weeks family early in planning. CEO Mark Wilson persuaded Jim Weeks, a board member of the Bonita Springs Historical Society, that he would honor an agreement to keep the marina public. That agreement with the city makes the marina a public amenity in perpetuity. WINK News reported that public water access and parking were both points of controversy as the project moved forward.
London Bay and contractor Kelly Brothers finished the $8.5 million marina and ship store "on time and under budget," Wilson said at the ceremony. Jim and John Weeks attended, along with Bonita Springs Mayor Mike Gibson and Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass. Pendergrass thanked the developer for keeping public access and suggested other cities in the region should follow the model.
"Just to have our name and being part of it, it means a lot to me." John Weeks, at the Saltleaf Marina ship store
The history is visible inside, too. Photos of the old Weeks Fish Camp line the ship store shelves, showing the family and the coastal village they built.
Who Uses What at the End of Coconut Road
Since the marina is part public and part private, it helps to know which is which before you tow a trailer down Coconut Road or walk over from the towers. Here is how the published sources divide it.
| Feature | Who it serves | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Boat ramp | Public | Open to the public under the city agreement |
| 10 transient-use slips | Public | Listed among the public facilities |
| Ship store | Public | Snacks, fishing gear, apparel and Weeks Fish Camp photos |
| 72 marina slips | Saltleaf residents | Annual leases for vessels up to 30 feet |
| Kayak and paddleboard borrowing, boat club, storage | Saltleaf residents | Described as resident services |
| Acqua Bistecca | Public restaurant | Dockside, open for dinner with reservations |
Some practical details have not been published. As of early October 2026, neither the marina's site nor the city materials we reviewed list public hours, launch fees or passes, trailer-parking rules, fuel service, or how to reserve a transient slip and what it costs. Call the marina before your first trip instead of assuming any of these. The same applies to arriving by boat for dinner. Acqua Bistecca's site lists valet parking at 5500 Coconut Road but does not describe dockage for diners.
The Shortest Way to the Bay Just Got Shorter
Mayor Gibson summed up the local case for the ramp after the ceremony. "So many people used to launch their boats here instead of having to drive all the way out to Lovers Key (State Park)," he said. "So, this is giving a connection closer to home."
The timing helps. Florida State Parks posted a notice, effective June 11, 2026, that the Lovers Key State Park boat ramp would be partially closed for improvements beginning in July 2026, with limited parking during the work. The notice gives no end date, so check the park's page for current status. For the past several months, the reopened Coconut Road launch has been a close alternative to the ramp Bonita boaters used to drive to.
From the ramp, you head straight into the Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve. Three nearby trips stand out in the published sources:
- Mound Key Archaeological State Park. You can only get there by boat. There are no docks and no facilities, so smaller boats, kayaks and canoes land on the shore. It is open sunrise to sunset with no entrance fee. State Parks places it about a mile and a half north of Lovers Key State Park.
- The preserve itself. It is open around the clock, subject to the rules at each access point. Water can be shallow outside marked channels, three Critical Wildlife Areas have access and fishing restrictions, and manatee slow-speed zones apply seasonally.
- Lovers Key from the water. The park offers paddling, fishing equipment and beach rentals daily. Since May 1, 2026, it has had no gift shop, bait shop or food and beverage service. That makes the Saltleaf ship store the nearer place to pick up snacks or tackle on your way out.
Past Big Carlos Pass
If you head for the Gulf, the route changed this summer. Lee County celebrated the completed Big Carlos Pass Bridge on June 30, 2026. The new fixed span gives 60 feet of navigation clearance and replaces the old bascule bridge between Estero Island and Lovers Key. Lee County's project page still carries some older construction notices, so boaters should rely on current Coast Guard and county notices for conditions in the pass.
The old bridge has a second life offshore. More than 2,400 tons of it now form the Big Carlos Bridge Artificial Reef, about 4 nautical miles west of the pass at 26° 22.850'N, 81° 57.733'W. The county calls it a new destination for anglers and divers. The marina's own description puts the Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve, the barrier islands and the Gulf all within reach of the Saltleaf slips.
Dinner at the Dock, and a Tower Still Rising
When you come back in, the closest table is Acqua Bistecca Estero Bay, the Italian-inspired waterfront restaurant from Michelin-starred chef Michael Mina. It opened in January 2026, before the marina, so the marina grew up around it. Dinner runs 5 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with happy hour daily from 4 to 6 p.m. The restaurant has scheduled a limited-seating Buffalo Trace dinner for Wednesday, October 28.
The skyline behind the marina is not finished yet. The North Tower topped out at a September 18 ceremony attended by more than 400 workers. That completed vertical construction on the second of two 22-story towers, which together hold 224 residences. Coastal Construction counted 779,385 labor-hours to that point. Gulfshore Business reported about eight more months of interior work, with move-ins targeted for August 2027. When it opens, the North Tower will add a sports simulator for golf and soccer, a screening room, and an Experience Studio that books spa appointments, training sessions and dinner reservations.
London Bay's portfolio page says a third Ritz-Carlton tower, villas and more amenities are in the works, with no dates given. Whatever is built next, the boat ramp, the 10 transient slips and the ship store stay open to the public under the agreement London Bay made with Bonita Springs. Our earlier look at the development and our Bonita Springs and Estero guide cover the wider community around it.
If you own at Saltleaf or are considering a residence near the marina, it helps to understand how the public ramp, the resident slips and the construction calendar fit together. Abreu Group can walk you through what is in place today and what is still coming to Estero Bay. Schedule a Private Consultation.
