Articles & News
The city of Naples hasn't approved a new gas station in years, and when it did, the station was put in the city's poorest neighborhood, according to a newly filed lawsuit against the city.
According to the lawsuit, 22 River Park residents claim their civil rights were violated by the city council's approval of an eight-pump 7-Eleven gas station.
Naples City Council approved a controversial Fifth Avenue South redevelopment project last fall, more than a decade after a previous council rejected a near-identical concept based on an analysis that the plans violated the city charter. By voting against a developer's request in 2003 to construct a three-story hotel above a level of underground parking, the council followed the opinion of its lawyer, Bob Pritt, who said the project likely violated charter limits on building design.
The developer responsible for this Fifth Avenue Redevelopment is “Naples developer Phil McCabe who drew praise, criticism as he forges ahead with new Fifth Avenue vision.” It's an interesting time to be Phil McCabe. One of a handful of developers often credited for revitalizing the city's main business district, McCabe has made a living for much of the past 30 years investing millions into downtown retail, hotels and restaurants. But last year, McCabe may have taken his most ambitious steps yet. He went public with plans for two projects that, by his words, would create a new look for Fifth Avenue South and the surrounding area.
Property owners in Naples filed a petition to appeal Naples city Council's decision to approved a mixed-use building on Fifth Avenue South that would remove all of the outdoor dining around Cafe Luna and put in an underground parking facility. In a Naples Daily News Poll nearly 80% of respondents agreed that Council should reverse their decision to approve this huge overdevelopment of Naples.
Underground parking up in the air in Naples. Old Naples residents and others who frequent Fifth Avenue South want more public scrutiny of redevelopment projects that are setting a new precedent for downtown builders. But there was no finality Monday to the issue of whether plans that include underground parking should receive oversight from Naples City Council.
