Council approves Old Naples Hotel valet license; intersection fixes approved after reconsideration

Naples City Council approved a valet licensing agreement and related right‑of‑way permit for the Old Naples Hotel on Oct. 1, 2025, but only after separate debate and a subsequent vote to reconsider a companion intersection permit that had initially failed.

The valet agreement passed 4–3. The council later reconsidered a failed vote on intersection improvements and unanimously approved a revised intersection improvement agreement that requires the developer to pay initial construction costs and allows the city to commission a follow‑up engineering study paid for by the developer.

The decisions follow months of engineering and staff review and a June 4 council discussion that set broad expectations for changes at the Broad Avenue South and Gordon Drive intersection. Developer Old Naples Development LLC and its project team presented engineering plans that show a new northbound right turn lane on Gordon Drive, a westbound left turn lane on Broad Avenue South, gore striping to separate the ramp that serves the hotel garage, and relocation of a nearby crosswalk to improve sight lines.

Developer representatives said the valet drop‑off will use a horseshoe driveway on Broad Avenue South and that cars will be parked in an on‑site garage. Clay Brooker, attorney for the developer’s team, told the council “Everything you see here and hear today is consistent with these approvals from back in 02/2018,” referring to the site‑plan, conditional‑use and valet approvals the council granted in February 2018. Patrick Walsh, one of the developers, told the council the project is a hometown investment: “This is one of my favorites,” he said, adding the team intends to operate the hotel and its valet in‑house but may retain a third‑party operator.

Nut graf: Why this matters — The hotel’s valet operation will use public right‑of‑way for part of its pick‑up/drop‑off circulation and will change traffic patterns on Broad Avenue South and Gordon Drive. Council approval establishes operational conditions and a legal license for valet activity in the right‑of‑way; the intersection improvements are intended to reduce delay and safety risks associated with projected traffic and service vehicles serving the hotel.

What council approved

Valet license and right‑of‑way permit (Agenda item 13A). The council voted 4–3 to approve a valet licensing agreement between the City of Naples and Old Naples Hotel Management LLC and a public right‑of‑way permit that authorizes a valet pickup/drop‑off area on Broad Avenue South and operational conditions for valet in the right‑of‑way. Conditions adopted in the agreement and permit include: valet limited to hotel guests and patrons of the hotel’s cafe, sundry shop, spa and retail spaces; valet service limited to attendants and employees (no public access to the garage); 24/7 valet hours allowed; signage and a hinged gate arm to prevent public ingress; insurance naming the city as additional insured; indemnification provisions; an annual administrative review by the city manager and a council review/renewal every three years.

Motion and vote (valet): Motion to approve the valet licensing agreement and exhibits (motion text: approve the resolution approving a valet licensing agreement between the City of Naples and Old Naples Hotel Management LLC and accompanying exhibits). Mover: Council Member Ray Christman. Second: Council Member Bill Kramer. Vote: Yes — Ray Christman, Burn Barton, Bill Kramer, Linda Penman; No — Beth Petronoff, Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison, Mayor Teresa Heitman. Outcome: approved, 4–3. (Transcript evidence: council roll call after the motion.)

Intersection improvements (Agenda item 13B). The intersection item was more contentious. On June 4 council had reached consensus for interim intersection improvements — new turn lanes while keeping the existing 4‑way stop — and the developer offered to pay 100% of the initial design and construction cost, with credit toward a later, larger project (for example, traffic signalization). The council initially failed to approve the intersection right‑of‑way permit and improvement agreement by a 3–4 vote. Council then voted to reconsider and, after amendment, voted unanimously to approve an intersection improvement agreement that (a) requires the developer to construct the interim improvements at its cost as soon as practical, (b) gives the city 12–16 months after the certificate of occupancy or completion of the interim improvements to evaluate intersection performance, and (c) requires that if council later elects a larger improvement (for example, signalization), the developer will receive credit for the interim work already paid toward its 50% fair‑share obligation.

A city staff estimate cited in the discussion put the expected cost for the interim turn‑lane construction in the neighborhood of $156,000. The developer told council it had offered to pay 100% of the initial construction costs to allow work to be completed before high season, and the agreement spells out the credit‑and‑reconciliation process should the city later move to a signal or other higher‑cost improvement.

Motion and votes (intersection): Initial motion to approve the intersection permit (mover: Council Member Ray Christman; second: Council Member Barton) failed 3–4. Council then voted to reconsider (motion to reconsider passed unanimously). After reconsideration council approved an amended motion that (a) approved the right‑of‑way permit and intersection improvement agreement, (b) added a clause that if a future signalization study is needed the city would select the consultant while the developer would pay the study cost, and (c) added several safety and traffic‑management conditions suggested during debate (no‑u‑turn signage, rapid‑flasher consideration for the relocated pedestrian crossing, and physical on‑street measures to discourage left‑turn shortcuts into the garage driveway). The reconsideration motion passed unanimously.

Discussion and staff concerns

Staff and council members debated multiple operational details that informed the conditions the council ultimately added. Topics included: how valet vehicles will enter and exit the garage; a proposed hinged gate arm to limit public ingress; loading and refuse truck access and a live roll‑off demonstration that city staff observed; relocation of a crosswalk to the south side of Twelfth Avenue South to reduce pedestrian conflicts; and whether interim stop signs plus turn lanes or a full signalization should be installed immediately. Traffic staff and the petitioner said the interim lane work should be completed before high season and that the developer is offering to pay the initial cost so the city can re‑evaluate whether a traffic signal is later warranted.

Parking and valet operations

The hotel’s approved February 2018 site plan included a parking‑needs analysis that identified 124 parking spaces in the garage. That 2018 analysis estimated 91 valet parking spaces and 33 employee/overflow spaces. City staff and the developer said the valet attendants are required under the 2018 approval to park off‑site; the valet operator must provide proof of insurance naming the city as additional insured before operations begin. The permit and license preserve city oversight and allow the city to revoke or suspend the permit in case of life‑safety or code violations.

Implementation and follow up

The intersection agreement requires a 12–16 month evaluation window after the interim improvements are completed or after issuance of the hotel’s certificate of occupancy. If the city later decides to install a signal or other larger improvement, the developer will receive credit for the interim work already paid toward a fair‑share obligation. City staff said the capital budget already includes money to participate in a future mast‑arm/signal project if council elects to move forward later; the agreement adopts the credit‑and‑reconciliation math the parties outlined in the presentation.

Why council split the votes

Council members who supported the valet license said the valet license and site‑specific operational rules were consistent with the 2018 approvals and included added protections for the city in the license (insurance, indemnity, revocation authority). Members who opposed the initial intersection permit vote cited concerns about loss of on‑street parking, removal of trees on Broad Avenue, and whether interim stop signs plus turn lanes were the right long‑term solution. After additional discussion and an amendment to require the city to select any future traffic‑study consultant (with the developer paying study costs) and added safety measures, council coalesced around an amended agreement.

What happens next

The valet operator must provide a certificate of insurance and otherwise meet the permit conditions before right‑of‑way operations begin. The developer will construct the interim intersection improvements at its cost; the city will observe and evaluate performance for up to 12–16 months and may later authorize larger improvements and seek cost reconciliation under the agreement’s credit formula.

Speakers (selected)

- Clay Brooker — Attorney for Old Naples Development LLC (petitioner). (developer team representative) - Patrick Walsh — Family principal, Old Naples Development LLC. (developer) - Andrew Rath — Davidson Engineering (valet/right‑of‑way engineer). - Norman Trebilcock — traffic engineer (consultant referenced). - Lisonbee Vickett — Deputy city engineer, City of Naples (staff presenter). - David Rivera — Traffic Operations Supervisor, City of Naples (staff presenter). - Mayor Teresa Lee Heitman. - Council Member Ray Christman (mover of key motions). - Council Member Bill Kramer (second, supporter). - Council Members Linda Penman, Burn Barton, Beth Petronoff, Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison.

Clarifying details

- Developer offer: Old Naples Development LLC offered to pay 100% of the initial interim intersection design and installation costs, with a credit against a later 50% fair‑share obligation if larger work is approved later. - Estimated interim cost: City traffic staff cited ~ $156,000 as an approximate cost for the interim turn‑lane construction (staff estimate referenced in council discussion). - Parking: The 2018 approved parking needs analysis required 124 total parking spaces in the garage; the 2018 analysis identified 91 valet spaces and 33 employee/overflow spaces. - Evaluation window: 12–16 months after completion of interim improvements or after certificate of occupancy to evaluate intersection performance.

Authorities (referenced in council materials)

- City resolution(s) approving Old Naples Hotel site plan and conditional uses (February 2018 approval referenced in packet). - City right‑of‑way construction/permit standards (City of Naples code chapters referenced in staff packet).

Searchable tags: ["Old Naples Hotel","valet","intersection","Broad Avenue South","Gordon Drive","right of way","Davidson Engineering","traffic","parking"]

Provenance (evidence spans from the meeting transcript)

- {"block_id":"t-1496","local_start":0,"local_end":220,"evidence_excerpt":"Resolution approving a valet licensing agreement between the City of Naples and Old Naples Hotel Management LLC, ... right of way permit application PRRW2502489 to provide valet services at the Old Naples Hotel located at 200 Broad Avenue South.","reason_code":"topicintro"}

- {"block_id":"t-1525","local_start":0,"local_end":240,"evidence_excerpt":"Approving public right of way permit application PRRW2505442 ... to improve future traffic deficiencies related to the development of the Old Naples Hotel located at 200 Broad Avenue South. Approving the Broad Avenue South Gordon Drive intersection improvement agreement...","reason_code":"topfinish"}

Salience":{"overall":0.78,"overall_justification":"High local impact: changes affect traffic, public right‑of‑way, and hotel operations in downtown Naples; formal votes taken.","impact_scope":"local"},

discussion_decision":{"discussion_points":["Valet circulation and public right‑of‑way use","Intersection turn lanes, crosswalk relocation, and whether to signalize later","Who selects engineers for later study and who pays","Parking counts and valet attendant off‑site parking"],"directions":["Staff to verify insurance/certificates before operation","Developer to construct interim improvements at its cost; city to observe performance for 12–16 months"],"decisions":["13a valet license approved 4–3","13b intersection initially failed 3–4; after reconsideration, amended agreement approved unanimously"]}

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proper_names":[{"name":"Old Naples Hotel","type":"facility"},{"name":"Old Naples Development LLC","type":"organization"},{"name":"Old Naples Hotel Management LLC","type":"organization"},{"name":"Davidson Engineering","type":"organization"},{"name":"Walker Parking Consultants","type":"organization"},{"name":"Gordon Drive","type":"location"},{"name":"Broad Avenue South","type":"location"},{"name":"Twelfth Avenue South","type":"location"},{"name":"City of Naples","type":"agency"}],

searchable_tags":["valet","intersection","transportation","right_of_way","parking","Old_Naples_Hotel","Broad_Ave","Gordon_Drive"],

provenance_annotations":[{"type":"topicintro","block_id":"t-1496","evidence_excerpt":"Resolution approving a valet licensing agreement between the City of Naples and Old Naples Hotel Management LLC..."},{"type":"topicfinish","block_id":"t-12575","evidence_excerpt":"Motion by Council Member Christman approving 13B following reconsideration; vote passed unanimously."}]},{