URGENT COMMUNITY ALERT – CITY COUNCIL MEETING AT 1 PM May 3, 2017. CITY COUNCIL BEING ASKED TO APPROVE INCREASE IN DENSITY, INCREASED TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN DOWNTOWN IMPACTING EXISTING NAPLES RESIDENTS
Dear Naples Resident
Many of you have expressed you concern that Naples is under pressure for uncontrolled development that is already causing major traffic congestion and infrastructure problems and further stress on the historical nature and charm of Naples.
Citizens For Preserving Naples shares your concerns. While we are for carefully planned development – consistent with preserving and enhancing the historical charm and character of Naples — we oppose what appears to be the current helter-skelter push for rapid, ill-conceived-development throughout the City.
Much of this proposed development is in or near the heart of the Naples business districts (surrounding Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South). But the congestion and infrastructure impacts (e.g., lack of parking and traffic gridlock) from these developments threatens to choke off traffic access for Naples residents throughout the community from Port Royal to Park Shore.
Tomorrow at 1:00 PM at City Hall, the City Council (sitting as the “Community Redevelopment Agency”) is being asked to approve major zoning changes in the Naples Code in the “D-Downtown District”.
Ironically the City staff has said that the purpose of the proposed changes is to match and meet the “need and visions of the community”.
“The purpose of this project [the D-Downtown proposal] is …to recommend changes to the zoning regulations to the redevelopment that matches the needs and visions of the community”.
March 27, 2017 Memorandum by Deputy City Manager Roger Reinke Background and Chronology D-Downtown zoning district in the redevelopment area
Yet there is scant evidence that the City staff and outside consultant ever solicited and obtained the views of Naples homeowners throughout Naples neighborhoods as to what these residents believed were the “needs and visions of the [Naples] community.
This deficit is particularly severe because the City staff and consultants never inquired as to the impact of these proposed “downtown” changes on the rest of the Naples community neighborhoods (e.g., impediments to traffic flow) and as to what Naples residential communities wanted in the “downtown” district.
Consider whether you as a Naples resident want these elements in the proposed D-Downtown District:
Increased residential density without Council oversight
Violation of the Charter height limit as additional floors are allowed beyond three-floor limit as “mezzanines”.
Increased pressure for transient “B&B’ by allowing living units of only 500 square feet.
Lack of clarity as to how sufficient parking will be developed and failure to identify the likely increaser in parking demand from development allowed by the proposed zoning changes.
Failure to examine how the development allowed by the proposed changes will impact East-West and North-South traffic flows in both the downtown area as well as in other Naples residential neighborhoods — e.g. Port Royal, Aqualane Shores, Old Naples, Moorings, Park Shore.
If you want the City Council to step back and consider the “needs and vision” of you and your fellow Naples homeowners on this proposal please do the following:
Attend the City Council Meeting tomorrow at 1 PM on Wednesday, May 3 and voice your opposition to the staff and consultant proposal.
E-mail City Council members to voice your opposition to the proposal.
Let Citizens For Preserving Naples [put in web address] know of your opposition and we will keep you up to date.
Email Addresses
Mayor - Bill Barnett
Vice-Mayor - Linda Penniman
City Council Office - email
Council:
Ellen Seigel
Naples Community Redevelopment Agency - Click Here
CitizensForPreservingNaples.org - Click to Visit Website
CitizensForPreservingNaples.org - Click to Email Us