Commission continues NC Square PUD amendment after hourslong hearing over density, daycare and traffic

The Collier County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday continued consideration of a proposed amendment to the NC Square mixed‑use planned unit development after a multi‑hour public hearing that drew developers, county staff and dozens of residents.

The applicant, HAA Capital LLC, asked the board to amend the growth management plan and the NC Square PUD to reduce allowed commercial space from 44,400 square feet to 36,500 square feet, remove a 12,000‑square‑foot day care, and increase the maximum residential units from 129 to 205 by replacing the previously approved for‑sale townhomes with predominantly rental multifamily housing that would include income‑restricted units.

The applicant’s attorney, Rich Yovanovitch, said the change reflected market conditions and the county’s recent growth‑management amendments that allow affordable housing density bonuses in the Rural Fringe Mixed Use District. "Market conditions changed significantly with regard to the cost to construct residential units," Yovanovitch said. He told the board the revised plan would reduce the PUD’s PM‑peak trip cap from 467 to 267 two‑way trips, a reduction Yovanovitch and planner Jessica Harrelson said would meaningfully lower traffic impacts…