Page 60 - august2017lifeinnaples

Ninth Street

Naples’ Opportunity

for Smart Growth

by Beth Brainard
Executive Director of NPC
T he population of Collier County is expected to triple in the

next few decades. Although these people will not live or pay
taxes in the City of Naples proper the majority will have a
Naples address and will lay claim to the City’s amenities –beaches,
shopping, and dining. The “activity centers” that county developers
are planning to service the new residents include the mundane –
CVS on one corner and Walgreens opposite, grocery store, sketchy
nail salon, dry cleaner, box stores – but the fun is still downtown.
Winter Park, FL, a community similar to Old Naples, faced
the same challenge in the 90’s when Central Florida’s population
began to explode. Its charming, upscale shopping district on Park
Avenue was lined with interesting boutiques and specialty stores,
excellent restaurants, and art galleries. One end of the street ran
into a residential neighborhood and the other into Fairbanks Ave.,
an Anywhere USA arterial road lined with ancient strip malls and Smart Growth planning in the City of Naples will
maintain comfort and cachet, but more to the point,
auto tire centers.
More and more people flocked to Park Avenue. It was it upholds real estate values, stimulates economic
development, and addresses traffic issues. No one pays a
becoming overcrowded, but the city planners did not have the
foresight to expand the Winter Park “brand” around the corner million plus dollars to live in space above a T-shirt shop.
onto Fairbanks. They did nothing, and Park Avenue rents Naples planners and elected officials get it. The
redesign of Naples’ Central Avenue and pending
skyrocketed until only the giant retail chains like Gap and Black/
White could afford space. The interesting boutiques and galleries redesign of 3rd Street S, are promising. They contain
many of the elements that could expand the 5th Ave.
were replaced with T-shirt shops. Beautiful understated signage
was replaced with the garish. The clientele on Park Avenue experience onto 9th Street. The plans for redesigning
changed – drastically. the Four Corners area on 5th Ave. from 9th St. to Davis
to accommodate the new mixed-used buildings across
Eventually Winter Park’s leaders caught up and some side
streets were developed, but Park Avenue remains a shadow of what the river are coming along. Hopefully, this will prompt
city residents to let go of the idea of the old 41N and
it once was.
The City of Naples has the opportunity to maintain the plan for the very near future.
Naples brand and address the crowds we know are coming. The
opportunity lies on 9th Street going north from 5th Ave. to
perhaps the hospital. Imagine an intersection that keeps traffic
Beth Brainard is the Executive Director of Naples
flowing. Imagine a thoroughfare that accommodates cars but
also provides safe passage for pedestrians and bicyclists. Imagine Pathways Coalition (NPC), a non-profit organization
storefronts near the sidewalk for easy access and street parking. that works to create safe, bikeable, walkable communities in
Collier County. For more information or to join, visit the
Imagine shade trees and benches that welcome pedestrians from
the nearby hotels and condos. Imagine being able to get a decent NPC web site at www.naplespathways.org or contact Beth
directly at bethbrainard@naplespathways.org.
dinner reservation during season.

60 Life in Naples | August • September • October 2017