Naples launches elective comprehensive-plan update; public outreach planned through 2026

City planning staff and a consultant team led by Johnson Engineering introduced an elective, city-initiated update to the City of Naples comprehensive plan, describing a roughly 22-month schedule of data-gathering, public engagement and draft amendments aimed at aligning long-range guidance with the community’s 2021 vision and recent technical work on vulnerability and stormwater.

What the kickoff covered: Planning director Eric Martin told the council the city sought a comprehensive, elective update rather than a narrow statutory compliance amendment; Johnson Engineering was selected through an RFP and will work with subconsultants including Clarion Associates (future land use and community character), CMA Outreach (public engagement) and resilience specialists to prepare recommended changes.

Scope and schedule: Consultant Chrissy Fisher described a seven‑phase work plan beginning March 2025 and running through December 2026. Key phases include data collection and an extensive public-engagement program (the team proposed multiple workshops and targeted outreach during peak season), drafting recommended amendments and public hearings with the Planning Advisory Board and city council. The consultant team said they will coordinate this update with recent and ongoing city efforts including the stormwater master plan and the downtown mobility study.

Resiliency and character: Consultant Erin Dede (resiliency specialist) told the council the update is an opportunity to bake vulnerability-assessment findings and adaptation priorities into multiple comp‑plan elements (not just the coastal or conservation sections) and to position the city for available state and federal adaptation funding. Clarion’s Lianne King emphasized preserving the “small-town character” expressed in the city’s 2021 vision and translating that into policy and implementation tools.

Public engagement: CMA Outreach will manage public input with web tools, postcards, small groups and in‑person workshops; the team has launched a project web page and an email list for updates. The consultants said they would tailor outreach to neighborhoods and include online and in-person opportunities to maximize resident participation.

Council questions and staff commitments: Council members urged that outreach and workshops be scheduled to avoid storm season interruptions and to reach residents who do not typically attend meetings (events such as the Fourth of July parade and other seasonal gatherings were suggested outreach opportunities). Members also asked that the analysis include scenario or "build‑out" visuals showing how the city could look under current rules and under proposed changes; staff and consultants said the scope could be expanded to add such visualizations and agreed to return with a proposal.

Next steps: The consultant team will continue baseline data collection, prepare a public-engagement plan with staff, and begin the first round of community workshops in the coming months. Council and the Planning Advisory Board will be invited to multiple workshops and interim briefings during the study, and staff said draft amendments will return to the boards and council for consideration and eventual state review.