City of Naples continues to work on “polishing the gem,” revising design plans to transform Fifth Avenue South into a more beautiful, pedestrian-friendly and social area.
Among changes presented to the Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board on Oct. 28 were using a consistent palette of pavers, relocating benches and adding seating areas, planting shade trees to alternate with palms and making sidewalks more accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act, including curbs that gently slope down to the avenue and side streets.
Initially brought forward in 2016, the Fifth Avenue South Streetscape and Sugden Plaza Concept Plans are eagerly awaited by the Fifth Avenue South Business Improvement District, which is working with the city on revisions.
“It’s one of those things that keeps getting pushed back and pushed back and I worked real hard this year to bring it forward,” BID Executive Director Meg Stepanian said after the meeting, adding that plans were postponed until 2027. “… The last major funded project on the avenue was in 2010, when the CRA funded lamp posts.”
Conceptual plans by Pennsylvania-based GAI Consultants, which has four Florida offices, were accepted by Naples City Council, sitting as the CRA, in September 2020, when it requested further revisions to the plans, which include side streets: Eighth Street, Sixth Street and Fourth Street. The cost was estimated at $5 million, which will be funded by the CRA. Stepanian worked with CRA Administrator Anita Jenkins to spend $400,000 on design plans this year, with execution in fiscal year 2026.
The city is developing the design concept with stakeholders and GAI and plans to present the draft conceptual design, with costs, to the CRA on Dec. 2, with final CRA approval in March. Jenkins provided an overview of GAI’s plans to the CRAAB in preparation for a walk-through with staff in November or December before the advisory board makes recommendations to the CRA.
“Their assignment … was to polish the gem and to look at these concepts of landscape, hardscape, site furnishing, lighting, signage, art — all the things that make up the street and the public realm and some of the private realm,” Jenkins said of GAI. “They were also looking at how the street functions for pedestrians, for outdoor dining, for retail, how the plantings are sitting on the curbs and on the sidewalks.”
In addition to landscaping, hardscape, lighting, signs, foliage and planters, the designs consider curbside management, parking, rideshare drop-offs, connectivity, Federal Emergency Management Agency requirements, seasonal lighting, events and other factors.
Established in 1994, the CRA covers about 500 acres downtown, commercial, civic and residential uses bordered by Seventh Avenue North, Gordon River, Sixth Avenue South and Third Street South. It’s funded through tax-increment financing, which uses increases in property values to fund projects and programs under the CRA’s redevelopment plan to revitalize the district.
The CRA paid GAI $100,000 in 2019 to start conceptual plans, which began with stakeholder and public meetings. Through a $200,000 grant to The Naples Players, which the CRA approved in June, Sugden Plaza and the area surrounding Sugden Community Theatre were improved.
Due to businesses adding improvements over the years, GAI found numerous paver types, including pavers and slopes on each end of a crosswalk that didn’t match. They counted more than 100 plant species and suggested a reduction to 40, with more shade trees alternating with palms, which are lit at night.
Stepanian noted most improvements, $7 million worth, were funded by the BID, which was formed in 2010 to contribute to the avenue’s success. Taxes collected by Collier County are returned to the BID through the city to purchase supplemental services, such as advertising, promotions, special events, downtown management and administration. The BID is self-funded by 254 district businesses and homeowners, who are assessed up to $800,000 yearly.
She noted some designs won’t function year-round, such as tables and chairs during events by The Naples Players, and others may be changed since it’s been four years since the plans were developed.
“The end game is keeping the crown jewel polished and really investing in the economic engine that brings us our prosperity in the community,” Stepanian said. “We’re the No. 2 destination next to the beaches in the area, so the goal and the commitment for the BID has been to improve the experience for all.”
