Proposed 304-unit North Naples housing project rebuffed by planning commission

A proposed housing development in North Naples that has faced criticism from neighbors was dealt a blow Thursday when Collier County planning commissioners narrowly recommended denial of the plan.

Builder Stock Development is asking for a rezone and amendment to the county’s growth management plan to allow for up to 304 multi-family rental units on 35 acres at the southeast corner of Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Livingston Road. The project, known as Allura, now heads before county commissioners, who have final say over it.

Planning commissioners Thursday voted 3 to 2 against recommending the project for approval amid concerns about the number of units per acre, more traffic being introduced to the surrounding roads and whether it fits with nearby communities.

“I think that the Allura is so out of keeping with what would surround it, that you’ve got a serious compatibility issue,” Commissioner Edwin Fryer said. “And if I were a neighbor, I would be very concerned about that.”

For Commissioner Karl Fry, traffic was the main concern, especially as it relates to Livingston Road.

“There does not seem to be any kind of an answer for the north-south traffic equation that will make this possibly get better,” he said.

But to some on the board, the proposal was worthy of approval. 

Commissioner Patrick Dearborn, who along with Commissioner Karen Homiak voted in favor of the project, said discussions about challenges related to traffic could be had about “every road in this county.”

But with its higher-end apartments, the development would help attract professionals, first responders and other essential personnel to the county and would alleviate investors buying properties in gated communities and renting those out “off the record, off the county books,” he said.

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“I think at the end of the day this is a good thing, in the long run, for the county as a whole,” Dearborn said.

Representatives for the developer argued there was a need for more apartment rental housing in the county.

“We have not reached the saturation point yet to meet the demand,” said Rich Yovanovich, a land-use attorney who represents the developer. “In order to have apartment complexes, you need density.”

Thursday’s rejection of the proposal comes after the project was scaled down several times following rounds of public meetings earlier this year. First proposed as 420 units, the plan was downsized to 350 units and then to the current 304 units. 

County commissioners in March approved transmitting the plan to the state for review, but limited the building height to no more than three stories, instead of four. 

Although the apartments would be leased at market-rate prices, representatives for the developer on Thursday also offered to make 28 units available at discounted rates for essential services personnel, like teachers, nurses or firefighters, making between 80 and 100 percent of the median income of Collier County.

For a single person at 80 percent that would mean an income of $42,000, Yovanovich said.

But as it had at prior meetings, the project was met with opposition from some of the residents in nearby communities who argued it would exacerbate traffic problems and wouldn’t fit with the surrounding neighborhoods. Some residents wore red shirts in opposition of the project.

"Because red stands for stop," Katy Wrede, who lives in The Strand community, told planning commissioners. "We urge you to stop this today."

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Former Naples City Attorney Bob Pritt, representing the Mediterra Community Association, told planning commissioners that the project is “too much development on too little buildable ground for a good quality of life.” 

The proposed apartment buildings also are “incompatible” with the existing communities close by, many of which are single-family homes, he argued.

“Simply put this is in the wrong location,” Pritt told planning commissioners. 

Connect with the reporter at patrick.riley@naplesnews.com or on Twitter @PatJRiley.

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