Naples delays comprehensive plan for more input

After intense opposition from residents, homeowner groups and city Planning Advisory Board, Naples City Council agreed to spend five more months gathering residents’ input before approving its new comprehensive plan, a vision for the city’s future. 

Council’s discussion May 20 came a week after the seven-member PAB unanimously recommended Council not approve the plan, which also must undergo county and state approvals. The PAB also recommended that community groups and governmental agencies be given an opportunity to review and comment on the working draft, with all comments provided to the PAB by its Nov. 13 meeting. 

“I had concerns about the plan that was presented, that it wasn’t tough enough,” Mayor Teresa Heitmann said. “It was ‘shoulds’ and ‘shalls’ and was there teeth? And this is really the document that should not have any interpretations in it. 

“This is the document that should have the community values,” she continued. “It should be for a long-term expression for this community and where it’s going, and growth and redevelopment and infrastructure. … I think it should be reviewed again based on details and whether it has enough strength in the verbiage and protection mechanisms for what this community wants.” 

The comprehensive plan was to have been approved June 3 and then transmitted to the county and state, but that meeting now will be a hearing to extend the process. Numerous state and regional agencies, including the Florida Department of Commerce and Department of Environmental Protection, must review it before it is returned to the PAB and Council for a second reading, the final approval. 

The consensus agreement came after months of residents, businesses and homeowner groups urged city officials to take more time, noting Council and PAB each have three new members who need to familiarize themselves with the city’s complex issues. The push continued during Council’s workshop May 18, when a newly appointed PAB member, speaking as a resident, urged the council to take more time. 

Joe Blomker said Naples is a “city of communities,” with homeowners associations uniting to ensure their voices are heard. He said the city faces complex and costly challenges, including resiliency, stormwater and water management, and traffic, which require coordination and collaboration with Collier County. 

Blomker noted the PAB’s charter not only describes its role shepherding the comprehensive plan but also expects the PAB to coordinate with the county in that effort. He said he reached out to county commissioners to request a joint meeting, which has not occurred for five years, and they were open to that. 

The comprehensive plan process is lengthy. Local governments must evaluate their comprehensive plan every seven years under a schedule adopted by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, which requires an Evaluation and Appraisal Report to determine whether plan amendments are necessary to reflect changes in statutory requirements or local conditions. 

In August 2023, the city Planning Department’s evaluation determined amendments were needed to reflect a minimum 10-year planning period, as required. City officials notified the state a month later and engaged Johnson Engineering to evaluate necessary statutory changes and amendments, which were approved by Council in September 2024. 

Council then opted to pursue a complete review to reflect its updated vision and emerging concerns, including resiliency, balancing redevelopment while preserving the city’s small-town charm and character, and managing development pressures that extend beyond city borders and strain resources and infrastructure. 

Johnson Engineering worked with local and national planners, including Clarion Associates, which specializes in character, identity and land use; CMA Outreach Inc., which assisted with community outreach; and resiliency expert Erin L. Deady, who also provided legal support. The team worked to gather and analyze data. 

The plan underwent numerous workshops, including a joint PAB and Council meeting, as well as public sessions and discussions by the city’s Presidents Council, 17 city homeowner associations that meet monthly with the city manager. But the PAB, residents, businesses and homeowner groups contended the city had not received sufficient input. 

When the PAB met on May 13, the Ronto Group, Neapolitan Enterprises and MHK Architecture objected to the pace of approval, as did homeowner associations representing 70% of residents. They also sent letters to Council. 

Jenna Heiderman, who represents the Port Royal Property Owners Association and the HOA Coalition — including Aqualane Shores, Coquina Sands, Gulf Shore Association of Condominiums, The Moorings, Park Shore, Port Royal, Royal Harbor Homeowners Associations and Sun Terrace — urged Council to spend more time gathering input. 

In a letter to Council in April, the group cited its “overwhelming concern” for resilience and preparedness. The group noted three major hurricanes since the last comprehensive plan review, along with other large storms, and said the city must ensure the plan identifies opportunities to fortify shorelines, protect infrastructure, and safeguard private property and long-term investments — which it said should be the city’s top priority. 

“We recognize this is a huge undertaking and it’s important that we get it right,” Heiderman told Council on May 20. “… Given the seasonal nature of Naples, many residents and coalition partners are not present during the summer months. Extending the process until November as recommended by the PAB would provide the necessary time for thoughtful public input through the coalition and ensure that this process receives the engagement and input it deserves.” 

Council agreed that City Manager Gary Young will bring back a revised timeline for approval June 3 to extend the comprehensive plan process. A public hearing for plan approval already was advertised, so Council agreed it could take further comment then and would vote not to send it to the state. 

The current draft schedule shows a first reading by Council in May 2027 after public hearings by the PAB and Council. Planning Director Erica Martin said that within 10 days of the first reading, the plan will be transmitted to the state, which has 30 days after acknowledging receipt to provide comments. The city’s consultant would then review any state comments and incorporate them as amendments. The PAB and Council would hold second readings before transmitting the final plan to the state, which may have additional comments. The draft schedule shows final Council approval is expected in August 2027.