One Naples Project and Your ResponsibilitiesEXTERNAL EMAIL: This email is from an external source. Confirm this is a trusted sender and use extreme caution when opening attachments or clicking links.
Dear Commissioners
The County Government Website says it best:
“The Board of County Commissioners serves as the governing body of the county and has the responsibility of setting policies that protect the health, safety, welfare and quality of life
of our residents and visitors. “
It further goes on to list the vision, mission, and values of the county:
Vision
To be the best community in America to live,work and play.
Mission
To deliver high quality, best-value, public services, programs, and facilities
to meet the needs of our residents, visitors, and businesses today and tomorrow.
Guiding Principles (Values)
Honesty, Integrity, Service, Accountability, Quality, Consistency, Respect,
Knowledge, Stewardship, Collaboration, Self-Initiating, Self-Correcting
Take each one of these key responsibilities - health, safety, welfare, and quality of life - that the commissioners and the county should be taking into consideration in any project
or matter that comes before them. Hold those up against the proposed One Naples project and you can instantly see how this project violates everything that the commissioners should
be standing for.
Let’s take a look at them one by one:
Health - with so much development crammed into 5.4 acres, increased traffic to an already overcrowded beach, significantly increased boat traffic on the small residential canals nearby,
and the removal of “green space” how is the health of the residents in the neighborhood and the county being cared for? If anything, the increased pollution, traffic, noise, stress
from congestion, higher density on the beach will most certainly negatively impact the health of surrounding residents.
Safety - traffic on a road that cannot be expanded will increase no doubt. The people who already enjoy the beautiful walk or bike along the roads in the area will now be in much more
danger from this increase. In addition, with so many more residents and only one nearby fire and safety facility and not forgetting the congestion, response times during peak times
of the year to emergencies could also significantly impact the safety of the community. Not to mention, cost the county significantly more to increase services.
Welfare - if you are looking for happy residents and visitors, the last thing you want is to antagonize them with congestion, pollution, and unsightly developments with little green
space that simply do not fit into the surrounding community. What are the benefits to the developments and current residents in the area? How does it benefit the residents of the
county who will now have even more crowded beaches? It’s certainly not economic progress, or expanded restaurants, shops, entertainment that the area is currently zoned for that would
bring long term additional jobs to the area. People bought in that area with full knowledge of what could be done in the surrounding area. That’s what great county planning is all
about - letting people know what they are getting into when they invest in a community and trust that their investment is sound - not devalued by pulling the rug out from under them
with a drastic change like One Naples. It simply is not going to make anyone in the area happy.
Quality of Life - why has Naples constantly been rated by numerous sources as one of the small towns to live in the country? Because of its quality of life! Naples is not Miami - with
high rise after high packed into small footprints, traffic congestion, and sprawling development. Communities in Naples have to date been carefully planned and executed according to
well thought out longstanding zoning. Why change now? To make a corporation significantly more money? Once the dam is broken there will be no excuse for developers to not “redevelop”
Naples into Miami as the opportunity arises. The attraction of people to Naples because of its small charm and beautiful neighborhoods will be gone. Having previously lived on the
other coast for 10 years, and now in Naples for over 10 years I can tell you I breathe a sigh of relief every time I return from the other coast, and thank God that I live in Naples
- not Miami.
So, commissioners, I ask you - how are you going to honor your responsibilities to the citizens of Collier County? If you don’t see by the 1000’s of emails, letters, and other communications
from concerned citizens who are your bosses and do not understand how you can not see the detriment this development does to the values that we as citizens of Naples & Collier County
hold so dear, then you must be living in an alternate reality. And no doubt at the ballot box you will be swiftly brought back to the true reality of what your constituents desire.
What you do now will not just affect this one development, but has the potential to radically change Naples for all time.
Is that the legacy you want as an elected official? Is that what you want for your children and grandchildren? Is that your vision of how “to be the best community in America to live,
work, and play”?
Actions have consequences. Make sure your action is to stop this development that goes against all the responsibilities and policies you are sworn to uphold as a county commissioner
and instead hold true to the vision for Naples & Collier County to be the “best community in America to live, work, and play”.
Thank you.
Mark Boyce
Pelican Bay Resident
ABR®
Naples resident since 2000
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Dear Commissioner,
In the coming weeks, you will be given the opportunity to do a great service to the citizens of Collier County in general and to the Pelican Bay, Vanderbilt Beach and Naples Park communities
specifically. You will have the opportunity of strongly and in no uncertain terms, recommending to the Board of County Commissioners that they deny the application of Stock Development
for the approval of its One Naples project at the corner of Gulfshore Drive and Vanderbilt Beach Road as it is currently proposed.
Why should you take this action? I know that the corner of Vanderbilt Beach Road and Gulfshore Drive is currently an eyesore, and I know that it needs to be redeveloped. Stock may
be a good choice as the developer, but his current plan is a significant overreach.
The current design which includes a 700-foot long 35-foot high wall 15-feet off his property line and a mere 35-feet from edge of the pavement along the length of Gulfshore and VBR,
no matter what the planting in front of it, is not in the public interest. It will be a monstrosity for decades to come. And the towers, two 208-foot high structures as close as 25
feet to the property line will dominate the landscape, dwarfing the surrounding buildings.
Save Vanderbilt Beach Inc has provided the County Planning Staff with its recommendations as to how One Naples might be redesigned to be neighborhood compatible. These recommendations
address building height, density of residential units, setbacks, open space and more. Latitude is provided to Stock, giving the development flexibility vis-à-vis the existing C-3 zoning
restrictions. I encourage you to request that the staff provide you with the Cover Letter and the Compatibility Standards document provided by Greg Stuart Associates, Planners to the
County planning staff.
Can I count on you to recommend denying his current design? Ask him to review the documents referred to above. You need not wait until the formal meeting. A call from you today indicating
that you can’t vote for today’s design, but that you would fully support a project more sensitive to neighborhood wishes and compatibility would go a long way to bringing Stock back
to the table It’s not too late.
Stock is asking the county to donate nearly .8 acres to him in the form of the vacation of various roadways that run throughout his property. What is he giving in return? A project
not in the public interest, adding density, traffic, safety concerns, and additional beach usage to an area already overburdened.
One more thing. At the Neighborhood Information Meeting and elsewhere, Stock has always stated that if the zoning is not approved, Stock would market the property to a commercial developer
who could build a Costco or a gas station there. That’s just not a real possibility. No such business would desire to be at that location. Stock recognizes that as well but thinks
that a hotelier might have an interest. Remember, hotels are not approved in the existing C-3 zoning. To protect his investment, however, and to give himself more flexibility, Stock
is asking that a hotel use be part of his new zoning.
Not only that, but Stock has not qualified that request in any way. There have been no site plans showing a hotel. There are no elevation drawings of a hotel. There is no way to know
if the ballroom will hold 200 or 700, or even if there will be one. There is no mention of restaurants serving large Sunday brunches. Nothing. Only that it can have up to 172 rooms.
This is not acceptable. Do the right thing, and recommend that the County Commissioners deny the project in its current form. Protect the public interest.
Thank you.
Ann Darwish
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My Additional Signed Letter and agreement with the opposition letter below.
Dear Commssioner,
As a Collier County Commissioner, I hope you are listening to the growing level of concern among North Naples residents opposed to the One Naples project, as proposed.
What is the value of planning when you can arbitrarily change zoning and request variances that conflict with safety, rights and common sense? The hundreds of walkers from Naples Park,
Beachwalk, Pavilion, etc. with chairs on their backs will wonder what happened, when people, not previously zoned, can simply cross the street to take their place at Vanderbilt Beach.
One Naples will add more than 500 vehicles that will be forced to use local streets not built for traffic. Vanderbilt Beach Road east of 41 is being widened to six lanes and is being
extended further east to the proposed 360,000 vehicle Rural Lands Service Area (RLSA) while west of 41 the two lanes can’t be widened.
Please note that Emergency Services must pass through Vanderbilt Beach Road from Hammock Oak Drive. Furthermore, the county has built an expensive four-mile bike path, including bridges,
north of Bluebill Avenue to Bonita Springs and you must use Vanderbilt Drive to access.
Please consider these facts before deciding. Thank you.
Ann Darwish
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