The Naples City Council is set to revisit a long-debated proposal for underground parking in the downtown area, according to the city council's workshop agenda for Tuesday, Feb. 18. A key consideration is whether underground parking could help the city navigate regulations that restrict commercial buildings to a height of 35 feet.
"A lot of the main parking issues we have correlate to special events, either here when they do the Farmers market on Third or when they do art shows, car shows, etc., on Fifth Avenue," said George Buonocore III, the manager of the Paper Merchant downtown.
While the exact location of the potential underground facility remains unclear, past plans focused on high-traffic areas like 5th Avenue South, 3rd Street South, and existing parking garages near Cambier Park. Naples previously had an underground parking facility where the Olde Naples Hotel is now being built, but it was demolished roughly a decade ago.
"I don't know about going underground. They have a hard time with the flooding ... I hear the city talking about not wanting to waste money and then doing something like an underground parking garage. That sounds like a waste of money to me," said Buonocore.
Others believe that the underground facility could add more spots to an area that becomes drastically more crowded during the winter months.
"Sounds good to me because Naples needs more parking, but really only during high season ... It’s a mixed bag, whether it’s good or bad, because of climate change. It can get flooded easily. We just need a couple of storms," said Judy Blaikie, a seasonal resident.
The city council will discuss the proposal during its workshop on Tuesday. The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m., and public comment is encouraged.