East Naples apartment complex with workforce housing gets greenlight

A roughly 9.5-acre agricultural property on the east side of Collier Boulevard in East Naples will be rezoned to allow 92 multifamily apartments, including 28 reserved for affordable and income-restricted housing. 

Collier County commissioners unanimously approved the plan Oct. 28 after discussing high rents, developers pursuing affordable projects and the growing number of applicants seeking increased density by offering at least 30% affordable units to get market-rate luxury complexes approved. At the request of county planning staff, the applicant had already increased the number of affordable apartments. 

The petition was on the consent agenda, which normally requires no hearing or discussion, but Commissioner Chris Hall asked for a public hearing, saying it was the first he’d heard about it. 

“I don’t want us to be duped into increasing density, thinking that we’re doing something noble with affordable housing,” Hall said, noting they often approve apartment complexes with 70% market-rate units and 30% affordable. “I don’t think that we’re overbuilding at all, and I’m not against it. I’m not against growth, but I want to grow smart.” 

The applicant sought a growth-management amendment and rezoning to a residential planned-unit development for 8928 Collier Boulevard RPUD, about 1,300 feet north of Hacienda Lakes Parkway and 600 feet south of Brighton Boulevard. 

Bonita Flores 1 LLC, headed by Peter Catana of Catana Construction, purchased the land in 2017 for $775,000. It’s near a recently approved Costco and another project, Collier Boulevard Lord’s Way PUD, which will feature 690 apartments on 69 acres, with 76 affordable units. The new project’s density matches that of the larger one. 

Planning and Zoning Director Mike Bosi told commissioners the site is within a developing urbanized area, and staff supports it because of the 30-year affordable workforce housing commitment. 

“The number of jobs and employment opportunities … within a 5- to 10-mile radius are plentiful within that urbanized area,” Bosi said. 

Cormac Giblin, the county’s director of Housing Policy and Economic Development, said nearly 55,000 households countywide live “unaffordably,” with more than 26,000 spending over half their income on housing. Reported market rents in August averaged $2,724 — about $175 less than two or three years ago, he said. 

Commissioner Rick LoCastro said he wants to see fewer “gigantic luxury apartments” and more that serve nurses and other essential workers. He noted that while some residents complain about “low-income” housing, the affordable complexes are “palaces” with gyms, theaters and pools that are “10 times nicer than where I live.” 

“A lot of these smart developers — and hopefully you’re one of them, too — can jump on a lot of other incentives to balance out what this is going to cost,” LoCastro told the applicant and project team. 

Planner Josh Philpott of Stantec Consulting Services Inc. said their original plan had 10% of units renting at 80% of the area median income, 10% at 100 AMI and 10% at 120 AMI (the county’s AMI is $113,600). After working with staff, they increased the percentages to 15% at 80 AMI and 15% at 100 AMI — 14 apartments each — and removed the 120 AMI tier, ensuring lower rental rates. 

“On top of that, 50% of the affordable housing units will be reserved for essential service personnel,” Philpott said, adding the project will offer a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units 

He said they’ll spend at least $1 million to build a bridge across the Collier Boulevard Canal, $850,000 on environmental mitigation and $850,000 to $1 million in earthwork, along with utility infrastructure that includes lift stations and sewer extensions. Those costs, he said, limit their ability to add more affordable units or lower rents further. 

“It really is a challenge,” he said. “And as rents continue to abate, unfortunately, costs are not at this time. So this is what makes the project viable.”