Growth Management Planning- Important Planning Advisory Board Meeting (PAB) scheduled to be held May 10, 2017- Please Plan to Attend !

Meeting Alert: Proposed Changes to the City of Naples Comprehensive (Growth Management) Plan Scheduled to be Reviewed at the May 10, 2017, Planning Advisory Board Meeting (PAB)

Introduction

The Planning Advisory board is scheduled to review proposed changes to the Comprehensive (Growth Management) Plan at the upcoming May 10, 2017 PAB Meeting. The meeting will be held in the City Council chamber.

The meeting agenda and materials to be reviewed by the Planning Advisory Board are posted on the city of Naples web site at: http://naples.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=14&event_id=108

Unfortunately, there is no time certain for the discussion of the Comprehensive Plan on Wednesday May 10th. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 and there are two other items on the PAB agenda so we anticipate that the Comprehensive Plan will be discussed mid morning.

Please do not let the tremendous amount of information to be reviewed by PAB at the meeting deter you from attending this so critical meeting! If you are not inclined to participate as a public speaker, please know that your presence alone will make a substantial difference!

What is the Comprehensive (Growth Management) Plan ? and Why the Concern?

The Comprehensive Plan is a very important document for it is intended to serve as a definitive guide for managing all growth in the City of Naples

We are very concerned about where we are at in the process of reviewing and updating of the Comprehensive Plan. The Community is still for the most part very much in the dark on this. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, essentially all of the initiatives discussed back at the November City Council Workshop to actively educate and engage members of the community in a meaningful way have not been implemented.

We are also concerned that there has been no meaningful discussion among members of city council or PAB or community involvement in the review of the VISION---which is intended to serve as THE foundation of the Comprehensive Plan.

Why is it So Important to Attend the Meeting?

We are drifting dramatically from the Vision and primary goals that have been consistently voiced over many years (in the original Duany Plan in 1994 , in the Vision 2005 Plan and also in the most recent 2007 Vision Plan) which focused on maintaining the small town charm and character of the city, insuring that there is adequate infrastructure to support development and recognizing that Naples first and foremost is a “residential” community.

Over the years there has been a substantial watering down in the Comprehensive (Growth Management) Plans of many of the checks and balances/safeguards to support these primary goals.

If you are concerned about the relaxation of the zoning code to “incentivize/support” development, the ability of the infrastructure to support the level of intense development recently approved and on the drawing board it is important to attend the meeting.

Where do We Go from Here ?

Florida Statutes require a review and evaluation of local Comprehensive Plans every seven years to insure compliance with any changes in Florida Statutes than may have occurred during the prior seven years. The city is working towards a September 2017 deadline to achieve this mandate. It is very important to note however, that there is no deadline regarding additional changes above and beyond what is required to be in compliance with the Statues.

While we can appreciate that specific updates may be required to comply with Florida Statutes, we do not understand how we can move forward with other substantive changes at this time –over and above what is specifically required by the Florida Statutes---without first addressing the VISION Plan.

Given the concerns about community involvement and the Vision Plan (and related Vision Element in the Comp Plan) we propose:

1) that the specific changes required by the Florida Statutes be clearly identified and that we adopt these changes only at this time and

2) that there be a well thought out process—providing for significant input by the community-- for reviewing the 2007 Vision Plan and updating it as may be necessary.

3) And once the Vision (and Vision Element) are clearly established, we can “pick up where we have left off” in the process of updating the other components of the Comprehensive Plan.

Planning Advisory Board (PAB) Member Contact Information

In addition to attending the meeting, we would also encourage you to reach out and communicate directly with members of the Planning Advisory Board (PAB) and copy Robin Singer, Planning Director, and members of City Council. Please note that advisory board members along with City Council members very much welcome input from the Community.

It can be a simple message—highlighting a specific issue that is of concern to you (traffic congestion, stormwater management, infrastructure challenges etc) , or a general concern regarding the intensity of development and growth management.

Citizens for Preserving Naples
Let’s not East Coast the West Coast

For additional information on Citizens for Preserving Naples and to sign up for updates please visit www.citizensforpreservingnaples.org

PAB Members:

JIM KRALL-Chairman
JKrall@MooringsPark.org

DAVID J. FEIGHT-Vice Chairman
jafdjf@aol.com

ROBERT McCASHIN
rmccashin@comcast.net

THOMAS McCANN
tdmccann10@gmail.com

JAMES MELICAN
pelican9840@hotmail.com

GARY PRICE
gary@5advise.com

Thompson Dyke
dykeromdyke@ooutlook.com

BRUCE SELFON - Alternate
surffish@ix.netcom.com

Robin Singer, Planning Director
rsinger@naplesgov.com