Naples Pier won’t include a concession stand on land or mid-pier when it’s rebuilt, but City Council agreed to a smaller entry structure on land and private restrooms for Naples Police officers.
A city consultant warned that any other changes could delay the permitting process from six months to a year.
“It’s not so much what we’re proposing, it’s the stopping and starting of the review process with those agencies,” Tim Hall, of construction, engineering and inspection firm Turrell Hall & Associates, told Council during a June 16 workshop. “We lose our place in line. When we do that, we go back to the end.”
They hope to get a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit around September, he said, and that could add another six months to that review before it heads to final permit approval by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
As a result, Council discussed changes on the pier over land, not over water. Because it was a workshop, there was no vote, just direction provided to consultants and the architect that will be formalized by a Council vote at a future meeting.
The pier, which was mostly destroyed by Hurricane Ian on Sept. 28, 2022, must go through numerous local, state and federal reviews before demolition can start. The city is spending about $26 million, including design and permitting.
Once permitted, reconstruction is expected to take 1½ years, including four to six months of demolition. That cost could decrease as a result of the entry side reduction.
Project Manager Bruce Selfon, a former federal government employee hired to assist with regulatory and permitting processes, said the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service still must finish its review, but that was delayed when the Army Corps of Engineers was held up “at the last minute” last week and didn’t provide documentation.
“We’re in day-to-day, if not hour-to-hour, contact with the federal … reviewer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” Selfon said. “They’ve been decimated by resignations and firings, but the reviewer who has our project has asked to keep it even though she’s
been reassigned and we believe she will move expeditiously. We can’t ask her when she’ll finish until she gets to start.”
By law, National Marine Fisheries Service, known as NOAA Fisheries, had 135 days to review plans, finished in 60 days and recommended approval. U.S. Fish & Wildlife also has 135 days for its review.
Naples Pier rendering
The city can’t start razing the pier without jeopardizing FEMA funding because demolition represents the largest part of the reimbursement, about $7 million to $14 million. City Manager Gary Young said estimates show the city will get more than $10 million.
Built in 1888 for people traveling by boat, Naples Pier has been rebuilt six times after hurricanes, most recently after Hurricane Irma in 2017. It’s located at the west end of 12th Avenue South.
The 100 feet that still stood after Hurricane Ian reopened in November 2022, but 460 feet suffered significant damage, including 140 feet with more than 30 pilings and the shelter at the end that collapsed and sank into the Gulf. Waves completely gutted the
Cosmos on the Pier concession area, shelter and storage structures and waves lifted framing and decking for public showers.
More than 1 million visitors head to the iconic landmark yearly to watch sunsets, fish, socialize, exercise, eat and watch wildlife. A survey found that a concession stand wasn’t a top preference.
Young told council that a request to add it mid-pier would result in “major hurdles” and delays and likely would end in a denial.
Council reviewed MHK Architecture’s new options for the design after deciding last summer that a concession stand, deck and seating at the land entry point would cause visitors to congregate, stop the flow onto the pier and lead to noise, smells and other problems
for neighbors. FEMA already advised that a concession stand over water, where it was located since 1946, was prohibited.
Hall explained permanent food sales and vending machines aren’t an approved over-water activity, but a food cart rolled on and off daily is possible.
Selfon said showers will be moved to the land side, current restrooms will be renovated and city police requested the addition of private restrooms, calling it an important addition.
This portion of the pier will be reworked pending future City Council approval.
“If they wanted to use the restrooms, they would have to take off their ballistic vests and drop their weapons in a public restroom, which is undesirable,” Selfon said, adding that caused a major incident in Florida. “By having a functioning private restroom,
it would enhance police presence at the pier because they would then not have to go to the station or someplace else.”
Selfon didn’t believe adding restrooms next to existing bathrooms would affect the permitting process, noting it’s a “much reduced footprint” and federal agencies already were reviewing various connections, including water and electric. The Army Corps is now
focusing on environmental issues — turtles — and the reduction of pilings on land will help.
Hall recommended moving forward with the current design and then submitting modifications later once they have permits to start.
Costs for the stronger, higher, more resilient pier will come from federal funds, including about $14 million in FEMA reimbursements, state grants, $11 million in bonds, $2 million in county tourist-development taxes, the city’s beach fund and public donations, including from the Collier Community Foundation.
The project team also includes City Engineer Dan Ohrenstein, city staff and Shoreline Foundation Inc., which was awarded the $23.45 million construction contract, with a $1.17 million contingency allowance in case of unforeseen problems.
To donate to help rebuild Naples Pier, go to: bit.ly/DonateToNaplesPier
