The Collier Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday in favor of the Boat House Commercial Subdistrict at the intersection of Radio Road, Davis Boulevard and Radio Lane in East Naples. The proposal for the 3.5-acre property includes a 20,000-square-foot boat sales and service center, or 32,500 square feet of commercial space.
The property has a future land-use designation of urban residential, requiring the county to approve a small-scale growth management plan amendment. Directly east of the property is a Circle K gas station and to the west across Radio Road is a RaceTrac gas station, both zoned as commercial. Land use attorney Rich Yovanovich said commercial development has been on the property since the 1980s.
Jessica Harrelson, planner with Peninsula Engineering, said the current plans are to develop the site into a boat sales and service facility rather than a commercial building. The repair and maintenance of the boats will occur in an enclosed building on the north side of the property and the boat storage will be single level only. Abutting Radio Lane will be a 25-foot buffer with an 8-foot solid wall.
County staff said the proposal is being made by an existing business in the county that is looking to relocate closer to Interstate 75. The application was made by Kevin Code, CEO of The Boat House, currently located on Davis Boulevard closer to U.S. 41.
Although commercial zoning can bring more traffic to the area, Yovanovich said that this type of facility is less intense than other uses such as a restaurant or another gas station.
Planning Commission Chair Edwin Fryer said that this is a good use for the property as the county starts trending toward stricter scrutiny when it comes to allowing growth management plan amendments.
“This is an organization that’s moving its site from one place to another, and with the lack of available supply from other vendors combined with the location, I realize there’s residential on two sides, but there’s also commercial on two sides. So, it seems to be a very appropriate fit for me, and the 8-foot wall should mitigate to a significant degree the noise, and it would be a lot noisier if they go to [commercial],” Fryer said.
The proposal will go in front of the Board of County Commissioners at a later date.
