Naples council, airport authority agree to rewrite utilization-and-site-plan process; seek NAA input

City Council and staff presented a draft of ordinance changes on Sept. 3 to clarify how the airport utilization plan and subsequent site-plan petitions will be reviewed and approved, beginning a process to align the city’s Land Development Code with comprehensive plan language.

The issue: City staff and the airport authority agreed there is ambiguity in local code over which documents must be approved by council and which steps are administrative. Council passed a May 2025 resolution directing staff to align the city code, the utilization plan process, and site-plan review. The Sept. 3 public discussion was a redline review between airport staff and city attorneys to find common language.

What staff proposed

- Adopt a defined “airport utilization plan” (AUP) that will act as a formal, city-acknowledged map of proposed, existing and planned airport development parcels and uses; the AUP would be prepared by the Naples Airport Authority (NAA) and submitted to the city for review every three years or more frequently as needed.

- Require that certain site-plan petitions for projects in the C-4 (Airport Commercial) district be reviewed by the Planning Advisory Board and then be presented for final approval or denial by City Council. Site-plan review thresholds (for example, new principal buildings, additions over specified square footage, or material changes to runways/taxiways) are being drafted so not every utility or maintenance action need come to the dais.

- Improve application requirements for the AUP: scaled, geospatial graphics and narrative descriptions; a clearer “sufficiency” review by the city manager; and a 90-day deadline to place a sufficient submittal on council’s next regular meeting agenda.

Why it matters: For several years the city and airport had differing expectations about when council must consider a plan or site petition. Council members said the change is intended to preserve council review on major changes — and create faster administrative routes for maintenance and small projects — while avoiding repetitive or ambiguous review steps.

Council and airport reaction

Council members and airport representatives repeatedly urged that any final draft be jointly reviewed. Staff proposed that the NAA board preview ordinance drafts before they go to the Planning Advisory Board and then to council. Councilman Ray Christman said he wants to ensure the airport authority embraces the final process, adding that a jointly supported code will be more defensible if challenged in court.

City attorney Matthew McConnell noted the recent passage of state preemption bills and said that any final ordinance must be carefully drafted to avoid conflicts with the new state laws. "I will be involved in drafting the ordinances," McConnell said, "and will suggest clear recitals about why the city is adopting the changes and how they relate to the comp plan and existing state law."

Next steps

Council asked staff to: finish a cleaner ordinance draft, circulate the draft to the NAA for review and comment, return for a joint staff/board discussion with the NAA, then send the draft to the Planning Advisory Board for its recommendation before the council considers adoption.

Ending

Council members emphasized coordination and asked for a formal record of NAA comments before the Planning Advisory Board reviews the ordinances. Staff said it will return with revised, ordinance-form language and a timeline for Planning Advisory Board review.