Naples Park condo project delayed after neighbors object

Plans to build a four-story building with 28 luxury apartments were put on hold after neighbors objected, saying the project was incompatible with their Naples Park neighborhood. 

Commissioner Chris Hall, whose district includes the project area, requested that the Oct. 28 hearing be postponed until Dec. 9. He said he wants more time to meet with the developer’s land-use attorney and residents to clear up confusion, including the project’s name, Mercato West Rezone, which is not affiliated with the adjacent Mercato development. Hall told fellow commissioners he has already spoken with neighbors and promised to listen to their concerns. 

“When the public sees a petition like this come forth, all they see is 28 units, all luxury,” Hall said, adding that the proposed four-story height has fueled opposition. “The neighbors don’t care. All I know is there’s nothing there now, and they don’t want something else. … It’s just something that’s in their backyard, and the stereotype is huge.” 

Commissioners unanimously agreed to delay the hearing and limit future speaker time, noting they’ve already heard residents’ concerns. 

The developer applied to rezone 1.86 acres of commercial property on the west side of U.S. 41, across from Mercato in North Naples, from commercial to residential multifamily. The land, which includes an auto repair shop, a former Burger King and a single-family home, is bordered by 92nd Avenue North and 93rd Avenue North. The county Planning Commission previously recommended approval. 

Minnesota-based firms Rachel Development Inc. and Vincent Real Estate Development LLC, operating as Ripley Land Co. LLC, purchased the five parcels last year for $8.3 million, property records show. 

The proposal calls for a U-shaped complex with three floors of condos above 60 covered parking spaces. The height would be limited to 50 feet — the same as existing commercial zoning — even though the proposed RMF-16 district allows up to 75 feet. The development would be accessed from 92nd and 93rd avenues, as direct access from U.S. 41 is prohibited. 

The developer’s land-use attorney, Rich Yovanovich, told commissioners the project would generate less traffic than commercial uses and said it fits the area’s character. 

“We are compatible with the neighborhood,” Yovanovich said. 

He noted that under Florida’s Live Local Act, the developer could build a larger project with up to 47 units — 28 market-rate condos and 19 affordable apartments — and a height of up to 100 feet without a public hearing 

“That option would be purely go get a site development plan approved — and there would be no public hearing today,” Yovanovich said 

Naples Park resident Marcia Oenick, former president of the Naples Park Area Association, submitted a letter opposing the plan, which a neighbor read during the hearing. 

“This density and height is not consistent with most homes in Naples Park and creates a block of housing with 260% the density of this already densely populated neighborhood,” Oenick wrote. 

She proposed limiting the project to six units per acre and cited a 2025 amendment to the Live Local Act requiring new affordable housing near established neighborhoods to blend in, limiting building height to 150% of adjacent homes or three stories, whichever is greater. 

Two other residents also opposed the plan, but one neighbor — Realtor Julia Alessi — urged approval. 

“Approving this thoughtfully designed rezoning now gives the county and community far more control over the scale, design, parking, traffic mitigation and neighborhood integration than if the alternative route were pursued,” Alessi said. “… Naples is not a small town anymore. It’s growing, evolving and attracting people who want to live, work and invest here. Growth is happening whether we like it or not, so you can either get on the train or get left behind.” 

The project team includes Guzman Hicks Architecture, Hole Montes/Bowman Consulting, TR Transportation Consultants Inc. and J.R. Evans Engineering.