Council approves revised conditional-use and parking plan for Naples Community Church

Naples City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the conditional-use approval for Naples Community Church, allowing the congregation to redevelop its property at 849 Seventh Avenue South and expand its sanctuary to 316 seats while meeting parking requirements through on-site, off-site and city-lot arrangements.

City planning staff and the church’s project team told council the plan replaces existing restaurant and office uses on the parcel with a raised sanctuary, additional fellowship and support spaces and upgraded stormwater and landscape systems. “The plan is to redevelop the building in phases to create a beautiful, resilient FEMA and code compliant sanctuary with increased seating,” attorney Clay Brooker said during the presentation. Architect David Corbin described a design that lifts the sanctuary over parking to improve resiliency, provide covered drop-off and increase green, usable outdoor space.

Why it matters: the church’s expansion triggered a code requirement to address parking for the larger sanctuary. City code requires one parking space per four seats; the 316-seat…