In the more than 1½ years after Hurricane Ian severely damaged the 65-year-old Port Royal Beach Club, the posh club operated out of trailers as it worked to come up with a design that meets current codes.
After 20 months working on a design with 660 club members and one unrelenting neighbor who opposed it, the club was asked by Naples City Council on June 19 to work on the neighbor’s concerns and conditions requested by the city Design Review and Planning Advisory boards.
Council will again consider the conditional-use permit Aug. 21, after its summer break, as well as outdoor seating. The club is seeking approval for a new, expanded two-story clubhouse with indoor and outdoor dining, a new pool and pool deck, outdoor seating areas, a new parking structure, new landscaping and new lighting.
Construction on the roughly $90 million West Indies-inspired project on 5.5 acres at 2900 Gordon Drive is expected to begin later this year, followed by a grand opening in late 2026. The club still must go before the DRB again for a final design review.
The design by internationally renowned architectural firm Hart Howerton will increase the clubhouse to two stories, add additional amenities, including a gulf-front infinity pool, and valet and other parking for members of the private club, which is restricted to Port Royal residents. The plans received unanimous approval from the PAB and DRB, and 93% of club members approved them.
“We’re building for today and multiple generations to come, so we’ve got to think about the future, as well as today’s needs,” Mark Wilson, co-chair of the club’s Building & Design Committee, told Council, noting that over the past 20 months, the plans received a “huge amount” of community input, a professional survey, town hall meetings and adjustments. “When we build this club, it’ll be great for Port Royal, but I think it will also be really good for Naples.
During a roughly five-hour hearing, only one neighbor, Terry Mullen, who moved into his $31 million home two months before Hurricane Ian hit, opposed it, although he’s a member. The club’s team and attorney, Clay Brooker of Cheffy Passidomo, worked with Mullen and his attorney to allay his concerns, which persisted.
Councilman Ray Christman said his concerns didn’t “ring true,” and noted that when the DRB reviewed the project in November, Mullen wasn’t there, and he didn’t attend the last PAB meeting. “Once one problem is addressed, ‘Oh, I’ve got another ask, I’ve got another request.’ That’s the feeling I get from the Mullen team,” Christman said.
Among compromises were moving the pool from 10 feet from the property line to 80 feet; raising a wall and extending it the full length of the property line; closing an upper lounge area facing Mullen’s property; enhancing landscaping; and removing a pathway to the beach that’s been there since 1959. But Mullen wanted it redesigned, with the pool moved back to the center of the property, where it was, which would require millions of dollars more for a redesign. Club members will be assessed $45,000 for the rebuild.
