State of the City

Mayor John Sorey

Exciting things are happening in the “Heart of Naples,” the
US 41 – 10th Street – Goodlette-Frank Road corridor that
extends from 5th Avenue South to 7th Avenue North. You
may remember a previous article mentioning the opening
of the new Robb & Stucky International showroom at 3rd Avenue
South and US 41. They are open for business and doing well.
Their attractive building was first in what will be a great deal of
redevelopment in this area. Over the next five years, this area of
downtown will be more attractive, in keeping with the standards
we have come to expect in our community. Here are some of the
happenings:

Forty One Ten Design Park– Phase I is currently under
construction along 10th Street North. The building is approximately
8500 sq. ft. and will be home to Raymond Building Supply’s, The
Design Studio by Raymond. There are three additional phases
planned for this property. Phase II will be
a contemporary 14,000 sq. ft. two-story
building with four 2,000 sq. ft. design
showroom units on the ground floor and
three 1,900-2,700 sq. ft. professional office
spaces on the second. Phase III, will be a
4,300 sq. ft. commercial space, ideal for a
restaurant or high-end showroom that will be
built to suit. Phase IV will consist of loft style
condominiums. Phases I and II have site plan
and Design Review Board approvals. Phases
III and IV will be subject to further staff and,
potentially, Advisory Board/City Council
review and approval.

Mangrove Bay – formerly known as Lighthouse Point –
southeast of the intersection at Goodlette-Frank Road and Riverside
Circle, and just south of the new City park on the Gordon River,
will consist of 52 single-family homes with boat dock access and
a clubhouse building. Currently, the former home of the Pulling
family is being converted to a sales center and site work has started.
Construction will begin the summer of 2014.

Naples Square –formerly known as Grand Central Station is
located near Goodlette–Frank Road and 5th Avenue South. The
development will consist of 300 residential units in four buildings
and a yet to be determined amount of commercial square footage.
Specific plans for the commercial area will be driven by the
market analysis. Prior to the certificate of occupancy for the first
building, 3rd Avenue South will be completed from 10th Street to
Goodlette –Frank Road and includes a public road that completes
the connection of 3rd Avenue South from Goodlette-Frank Road
west to the Gulf of Mexico. Construction will begin in early 2014.

Other properties prime for redevelopment include the sites
formerly occupied by the Naples Daily News located on Central
Avenue and St. George & the Dragon restaurant on 5th Avenue
South. I will keep you updated as entrepreneurs develop proposals
for the best use of these properties.

These redevelopments have its roots in the 1994 Redevelopment
Plan adopted by City Council when the Community Redevelopment
Agency (CRA ) was created. This area, and 5th Avenue South,
looked different back then. Redevelopment is a long term effort and
even with the redevelopment that is occurring, we do not have the
time, or the funds, to complete all of the planned projects by the
2024 CRA sunset date. In January 2013, the process of drafting an
amendment to the CRA Redevelopment Plan began and one major
goal of the Plan is to extend the sunset date of the CRA to 2044
to provide sufficient time and resources to complete the desired
redevelopment. Over 20 stakeholder meetings, 2 public workshops,
and other public meetings have occurred in the process of creating
the plan amendment. In addition to a longer time horizon, the
amended Plan will include a roadmap for implementing the
community’s vision for the redevelopment area.
The plan is a menu of redevelopment options to choose from
including:
• Streetscaping Improvements
• Central Avenue Improvements
• Wayfinding Program
• Pedestrian mobility and connectivity including connection to the
new park and the Gordon River Greenway
• Neighborhood plans for Lake Park, River Park, and Anthony
Park Neighborhoods
• Funding assistance for the new park on the Gordon River
• Promotion of “Blue Zone” and “Ecotourism” initiatives
• Promotion of a medical district in the redevelopment area near
Naples Community Hospital
• Assistance in providing adequate parking facilities
Some in the community have focused on changes to US 41
which is a conceptual item in the plan, however, this is only one
small part of the total plan. It is acknowledged that some members
in the Naples community are opposed to changing US 41, while
others support changes to US 41. Recognition of the barrier created
by a six-lane US highway in downtown and discussion of change to
this roadway is not new. Deliberations by the Naples City Council
date back to at least the 1970’s, and Council opposed the six laning
of US 41 with resolutions dated July 17, 1974, July 21, 1976, and
October 19, 1977, but the Florida Department of Transportation
(FDOT ) proceeded anyway. Potential changes to US 41 have been
mentioned in the 1992 Redevelopment Task Force Report, 1994
Redevelopment Plan, 1997 Naples 41-10 Plan, 1998 41-10 Master
Plan, 2000 Heart of Naples Committee, 2004 Trent Green Study,
2006 Four Corners Competition, 2008 CRA Plan Update, and the
2011 Kimley-Horn Options for US 41 Report.

Important points to remember:
• Design changes to US 41 cannot be made by the City of Naples
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Life in Naples | January 2014 9
or the CRA .
• FDOT controls US 41 and makes the final decision on design
changes.
• There is no requirement to change US 41 even if the conceptual
changes to US 41 are included in the CRA Plan Amendment.
• Including these conceptual changes in the proposed plan
amendment allows the CRA to assist in paying for design changes, if
any were to be made.
• If not in the CRA Plan, changes could still be made; however, the
CRA would be prohibited by state law from participating in the
funding of the changes.
• No changes are imminent. It will take years of community input
and communication with FDOT to determine if changes to US 41
are warranted and acquire the funding required.
For more information about the CRA Plan Amendment, visit the
City’s website at naplesgov.com and click on CRA Plan Update listed
under Current Topics.

My thanks to Roger Reinke, Assistant City Manager, for his
contributions to this article.
Social Scene
Saturday, November 2, 2013 was the annual Heart Walk. It was a
beautiful day, and a great turn out to raise fund to fight the disease that
impacts all of us. I especially enjoyed judging the great t-shirts.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013, Delores insisted that I attend the
10th Anniversary, “Hats in the Garden” event at the Naples Botanical
Garden. The ladies and their hats were stunning although the wind
created some havoc getting from the car to the tent. Thanks to all the
volunteers for the past ten years for raising over $2.5 million for the
Naples Botanical Garden.

On November 19, 2013, Mr. Alan Korest was honored as this year’s
recipient of the Heart of the Apple Award for all his contributions in
educating the young people of Collier County. Alan thanks for leaving
your legacy in the community and for sharing your unwavering talents.

On November 21, 2013, the community celebrated the memories
of Ms. Suzy Dorr. She was a great social writer who contributed so
much to the culture of the community. Everyone agreed that she was
quite a character and brought a smile to so many faces. Suzy always
had the scope about everything going on in Naples. Thank you Suzy
for the fond memories and we miss you so much.

On November 25, 2013, the holiday season got underway with the
Third Street Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. The weather was
great and the crowd was huge, and the lights looked beautiful. Thanks
to all that made the night a wonderful experience for our young people,
residents, and visitors.

On November 27, 2013, The Farm City BBQ held annually was
enjoyed by all in the community, although the weather was a challenge,
it did not ruin the fun. Thanks to all the volunteers, especially Sheriff
Kevin Rambosk for this event.
Get involved!
I am very excited about this opportunity to reach so many people
in the community and encourage each of you to become involved with
your local government as you deem appropriate. If you have any ideas,
suggestions, or comments, please give me a call at 239.248.1550 or
email me at mayor@naplesgov.com.