2020: A SUCCESSFUL YEAR
As we reflect on our work in 2020, we have much of which we can be proud. We have enlisted the support of neighborhood groups including the Pelican Bay Property Owners Association, the Naples Park Association, and the Vanderbilt Beach Residents Association, as well as the boards of several condominium associations.
We successfully navigated the Collier County Planning Commission, the members of which were finally, after three days of hearings, unable to recommend approval of the .
Stock plan to the Board of County Commissioners. We raised $125,000, allowing us to engage attorneys, planners, traffic engineers and others to make our case, and to allow us to embark on a marketing plan to get us successfully to the finish line. No doubt we will require additional funding, but those who have made more than six-hundred-fifty donations are still with us and continue their willingness to help. All of this is quite remarkable, and each of you should be proud of the part you have played
What Now
We have two priorities as we move forward. The first is to influence the Commissioners to reconsider the location of the County Commissioners’ hearing on One Naples to be held on March 1, 2021.
It is currently scheduled at the County Building in the Commissioners’ hearing room. At a recent BOCC meeting, the Commissioners voted three to two to hold the hearings there.
LoCastro and Taylor voted to hold it in a larger venue. We would have preferred that. I think that it will be difficult to get that changed as it was a formal vote, and only one of the three Commissioners who voted to have the meeting at the County Offices can bring it up again for reconsideration. I don’t think that’s likely, but we are working with those Commissioners who voted against it to change their minds.
Here’s how you can help.
Commissioners have received an overwhelming communication about One Naples, and they are now trying to assess how much of it comes from their constituents.
It is imperative that we not only generate support from other Districts, but also that those who contact the Commissioners identify themselves as living in each respective Commissioner’s District. If you have contacts who live outside of Andy Solis’ District, please ask them to write their own Commissioner asking that he support a change of venue.
The opportunity to write each individual Commissioner is one click away at https://savevanderbiltbeach.com/contact-the-county-officials-outdoor/. While there is a prewritten letter there, please edit it to reflect your thoughts, and be sure to indicate you reside in that Commissioner’s District.
What We’re Doing Now
For the moment, the other work of Save Vanderbilt Beach is in a hiatus. It is too soon to begin our marketing plan which will include print media, radio, cable TV, social media, and of course, support from you. I and members of our Board will continue to converse with Commissioners one-on-one as they are available, and we will be ready to act if there are any changes from Stock’s side.
The thrust of our media campaign will be to generate support from throughout Collier County, not just District 2, and the neighborhoods surrounding the location who will be most impacted by the development. We have a great case to make for the fact that One Naples impacts everyone. Its location directly across from the area’s most popular public beach is certainly the lead item, but equally important is the message that an approval of Stock’s plan would send to all the County. It would show that the Commissioners, at heart, have little regard for the will of the people, that they side with developers and endless unrestrained growth. Frankly, that’s how it’s been in the past.
Remember what happened in the City of Naples last March when the voters threw out the City Council and the Mayor for allowing too many variances to building codes, including too much height and density. (Does that sound familiar?)
The fact that the Conservancy of Southwest Florida found it necessary to sue the County over the decision regarding Rivergrass Village is another indicator. Times are changing, and it is clear that no one wants another Miami-Dade on this side of the Florida peninsula.
We are making the case that an approval of One Naples is a danger to neighborhoods everywhere. This could you happen to you
So, here’s what you can do today and right up until March 1.
If you know people who live outside of District 2, please ask them to contact their Commissioner, identifying themselves a constituent, and asking the Commissioner to vote against the amendment to the County’s Growth Management plan that Stock’s application seeks.
We only need two of the five Commissioners to vote in our favor. They can find a one-click opportunity to write at https://savevanderbiltbeach.com/contact-county-officials.
The letter that appears there expresses opposition to One Naples as proposed and underscores the belief that this is a countywide issue. Again, we would hope that folks personalize the letter. That has much more impact than the form letter provided.