Mixed-use condo project planned along Gordon River bridge in Naples 

The Viceroy, a three-story, mixed-use development with condominiums, commercial space, boat slips and an underground garage, has been greenlighted along the Fifth Avenue South bridge over the Gordon River in Naples. 

Naples City Council voted 4-1 on June 17 to approve the conditional use petition allowing transient lodging as part of the development proposed on 1.81 acres of vacant land at 599 River Point Drive. Transient lodging refers to accommodations rented to guests on a short-term basis. 

Calling the 12-unit condo proposal a low-density development that will be a beautiful project at the gateway to the city, Burt Saunders of the GrayRobinson law firm represented the petitioner, developer Harry Zea and Viceroy Naples LLC. 

“You’ll be proud of this project when it’s completed,” Saunders told council members. 

For Zea, developing this spit of waterfront land has been more than 10 years in the making. A decade ago, he wanted to build The Promenade on Fifth, comprising five restaurants with rooftop and outdoor dining overlooking the water. The Prom was proposed over two levels of below-grade parking. Deciding to go in a different direction, Zea went back to the drawing board to create The Viceroy, which will not create the traffic that his previous restaurant-intensive project would have generated. 

“We came up with a concept that would be the least impactful, while still maintaining what the vision of the original city plan was, which is to have something in the gateway to the city that gave a flavor to what we’re about, and that’s what we tried to construct,” Zea said. 

Zea’s new proposal, which he describes as softer than a square shoebox building, is costlier to design and build, he said, but he feels it is the best outcome for this piece of property. “Anything else that goes there is going to be driven by economics, period,” he said. “This project works for the city. It works for all of us. It works for me as a developer. It’s certainly a profit center. I’m not doing it for philanthropy. It’s something I want to do.” 

The Viceroy will continue the growth along U.S. 41 East near the edge of the city. The Hyatt House hotel is directly across the street north of The Viceroy property, and Naples Bay Resort is across the Gordon River to its east. 

The Viceroy’s 12 transient units will each range from 3,885 square feet to 4,432 square feet with six units on each of two floors above one floor of commercial, Saunders said. 

“The commercial space consists of office space and a marina ship store,” he said. “There will be 14 boat slips constructed, one for each of the 12 units and two that will be open to the general public, the general boating public. Parking is provided through a mixture of surface parking and one level of below-grade parking.” 

The underground garage will have 34 public spaces and 30 private spaces. Ground-level parking with 29 spaces also will be provided, plans show. 

Mike Valentine of Karins Engineering acknowledged public concerns about the viability of the project’s underground parking. “It is a challenge, but it’s a challenge that has been met many, many times,” Valentine said. “It’s something that’s done all over the place.” 

Peter Kulicki, president of PK Studios, provided a walkthrough of the plans for the building, which will not have direct access off U.S. 41. 

“Coming in from River Point Drive, you have the option of ramping down to the underground parking or ramping up to the main level parking level,” Kulicki said. 

The Viceroy will include a ground-floor lobby for the condo units overhead. The majority of the main level will be for commercial office space, and a 4,200-square-foot ship’s store with boating goods, restrooms and showers — “things that will serve the boaters during their day,” Kulicki said. 

Rooftop amenities consist primarily of a private terrace for each unit, which has a pergola that’s partially shaded but still open to the sky, Kulicki said. Individual pools and spas also are available and each condo unit has covered balconies. 

“Balconies are included on both the north side and the south, so each unit has views from both sides of the building,” Kulicki said. 

The project received unanimous support from the Naples Airport Authority. Conditional use criteria included issues regarding ingress and egress, parking and loading and screening and buffering. 

John Krol, questioning the need for additional lodging in a high-traffic area, was the only council member voting against the proposal. Council member Berne Barton abstained from the discussion and vote because he has a business relationship with the project petitioner; and Council member Linda Penniman was not present at the meeting. 

A construction timeline is not available yet for the project, which still requires more regulatory approvals, including a final review by the city's Design Review Board.