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When Jack Antaramian makes a move in Naples, business owners and developers take notice.

The developer postponed construction on Renaissance Village last week, citing the real estate market slowdown and refusing to say when construction would start.

Nearby mixed-use developments in Naples such as Enterprise Plaza, the Six10 Building and the final phase of Bayfront will continue as planned, and small business owners in Bayfront, along U.S. 41 and along 10th Street have mixed opinions about Antaramian’s construction delay.

Roger Weatherburn, owner of The Weatherburn Gallery at Bayfront, found out about the construction delay from a newspaper headline when he peeked over the shoulder of a fellow airline passenger on a flight from New York City.

“It’s a large piece of land in downtown Naples and with nothing there it’s just a vacant lot, which is disappointing,” said Weatherburn, who opened his art gallery business on Broad Avenue South in 1998 and later moved to Bayfront.

Bayfront, developed by Kevin Stoneburner, is a mixed-use community across the road from the vacant 22-acre Renaissance Village site along Goodlette-Frank Road and Fifth Avenue South. When the village is complete, Third Avenue South will connect U.S. 41 and Goodlette-Frank Road near Bayfront’s entrance.

Weatherburn’s gallery has thrived in Bayfront, which has a good mix of fine art, retail and dining, he said.

The gallery is a destination business that doesn’t depend on high foot traffic, but Weatherburn is looking forward to Renaissance Village’s completion because he believes it will connect Bayfront to the rest of the city and generate more visitors.

In the short term, the construction delay won’t hurt the plaza, he said, but if it is delayed long-term, it could.

Bayfront’s first phase included 156 residences which have been sold out since 2001, leasing agent Fahada Saad said. The second phase of residential, commercial and office space was released to the market about two weeks ago.

Renaissance Village’s construction delay is positive for Bayfront’s second phase sales, Saad said, because it means that people who are interested in living downtown will look to the Stoneburner development.

Developers and agents working on Enterprise Plaza, on First Avenue North and U.S. 41, and at the Six10 Building, at Sixth Avenue North and 10th Street North, agreed.

Enterprise Plaza, which will include seven shops and six offices, will be released to the market within the next couple of months, developer Daniel Dufault said.

Construction is slated to start in late 2007 for completion in mid-2008.

Antaramian’s decision to hold off encouraged Dufault to go ahead, release and develop “because it means less competition,” he said.

Construction on the Six10 Building will begin in two to three months, said Joe Belz, who is handling sales and marketing for Adam Smith, the developer. Four of the 12 residential loft units are sold, as well as two of the six commercial units.

“Anytime an Antaramian project gets put on hold it’s negative to some degree because ... it puts another piece of negative news out there that the market’s still not recovering,” Belz said. “... We’re excited that we’re one of the few projects that has been released (recently) and has had enough sales to go in for construction.”

After making the announcement recently, Antaramian predicted that the market may take an upward turn at the beginning of the 2007-08 season. He is continuing with the Imperial Landing project in downtown Bonita Springs, as well as Naples Bay Resort and plans to redevelop the Naples Daily News property on Central Avenue in Naples.

Jeff Hatton, owner of Another Man’s Treasure Furniture Mall on 10th Street South, is ambivalent about the delay.

The project sounds great, he said, but it probably won’t change business too much for the resale and antique shops clustered around 10th Street South and U.S. 41.

It may increase foot traffic, but it also may turn other developers’ eyes to the area, encourage redevelopment and ultimately drive up rental rates in the district, he said.

Hatton anticipates that in 5 to 10 years he won’t be able to afford the space he has rented since 2000.

A few blocks away, Jo Carter’s real estate office occupies the end space in a plaza on the corner of Third Avenue South and U.S. 41. When Renaissance Village is completed, the Third Avenue South connection from U.S. 41 to Goodlette-Frank Road will put a lot of foot and vehicle traffic right past her office.

Carter, who has worked in real estate in Naples for 34 years, is looking forward to the activity she anticipates Antaramian’s development will bring, but she wasn’t surprised that he decided to wait.

As for the market, “I’ve been here a long time and so I’m optimistic about the market. ... I’ve seen it quiet before but I think Naples will always hold its value,” said Carter, who has lived in Naples since 1954. “Just look around you. It’s beautiful.”