City Council approves Naples Beach Club golf course and tennis center redesign by Fazio team

City Council on April 16 unanimously approved Amendment No. 4 to Site Plan Petition 19‑SP‑8, clearing the way for an 18‑hole Tom Fazio–designed golf course, supporting buildings and a renovated Mary C. Watkins Tennis Center at the Naples Beach Club redevelopment.

The vote follows multi‑year review of the master redevelopment and a public hearing that drew technical presentations from the project team and city staff. The amendment covers about 102 acres of the larger planned development and includes new lakes, cart paths and several modest new buildings tied to the golf and tennis operations.

The approval allows the developer to build a par‑70, approximately 6,224‑yard course designed by Fazio Design and its golf‑course architect Thomas A. Marzolf, who told council the design fits the site’s constraints and uses large, varied greens and a new lake system to improve drainage and pre‑treat stormwater. “We’re excited about the potential here,” Marzolf said, describing compact routing and perimeter buffers intended to reduce the chance of errant shots leaving the site.

City staff and the project’s civil engineer said the new lake system will capture and treat stormwater to standards that exceed the city’s basic ordinance. “The system exceeds City of Naples stormwater requirements by nearly five times,” said Andrew Rath of Davidson Engineering, summarizing a three‑basin plan the South Florida Water Management District approved in December 2023. Rath told council the ponds both improve water quality and attenuate peak flows before controlled discharge into the city system.

Planning Director Erica Martin reminded council that the Planning Advisory Board tied up the petition with a 3–3 vote, which under PAB rules results in no recommendation; staff then completed a sufficiency review and recommended approval subject to three conditions. Those conditions require the petitioner to work with city departments and obtain required right‑of‑way permits before building permits are issued, and to execute a right‑of‑way agreement approved by the city attorney.

Developer Jay Newman and the Athens Group said the golf course is intended to integrate with the larger Naples Beach Club project and market square, and that work on lakes and related infrastructure already is advancing. Tim McCarthy, the project architect, described setbacks, conservation‑easement limitations and a plan that keeps overall plan‑development coverage under the PD cap: the amendment documents show total lot coverage of about 4.305 percent of the PD area, below the 5 percent PD maximum.

Council members and staff asked technical questions about long‑term stormwater performance, visibility from Gulf Shore Boulevard and the footprint of new buildings such as the pro shop/snack bar and a small pump house. The project team said the new lakes will be visible on the landscape, that the pro shop building is set back more than 500 feet from South Gulf Drive, and that the renovated Mary C. Watkins Tennis Center will reuse the existing footprint while upgrading courts and adding limited parking and a small equipment/storage building for emergency access.

The developer also removed previously proposed pickleball courts from the tennis center plan; staff explained the courts were withdrawn and that any future request to add pickleball would require a separate conditional‑use review. City staff and council repeatedly emphasized that code and permitting conditions remain and that final design review board approvals and right‑of‑way permits must be completed before construction.

Council member Bill Kramer moved approval. The roll call was unanimous: Council members Christman, Barton, Kramer, Petronoff, Peneman, Vice Mayor Hutchison and Mayor Heitman voted yes.

Why it matters: The vote clears the last major planning‑stage hurdle for the landward portion of the Naples Beach Club redevelopment and authorizes substantial stormwater infrastructure intended to reduce runoff and improve water quality on the landward side of Gulf Shore Boulevard while preserving open space and recreation within the PD.