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Pettit Square residents tell Naples council a new gym is shaking homes, ask for conditional‑use review
Summary
Residents from Pettit Square told council that a tenant’s plan for high‑traffic, amplified group classes is incompatible with the mixed‑use, C‑1 zoning of their 54‑year‑old residential building and asked council to block a final certificate of occupancy and require a conditional‑use process.
Residents of Pettit Square urged the Naples City Council on Feb. 18 to halt a proposed fitness tenant’s opening and require a conditional‑use review, saying the planning department’s administrative approval allowed a use they say is more intense than the C‑1 district permits.
"We don't even believe that the planning department has the authority to unilaterally approve nonlisted uses of commercial property in the city of Naples," said Craig Sutherland, a residents’ spokesperson, describing his building as a 54‑year‑old mixed‑use residential property built for traditional retail and office uses. He told council the tenant had tested a sound system that produced low‑frequency vibration and repeated sound events that shook units, prompting calls to code enforcement.
Sutherland and other residents said the city's planning memo compared Pettit Square to 15 other gym locations that were not in similarly restrictive or predominantly residential settings. "None of the 15 locations were sited in the more restrictive C‑1 District," he said, urging council to require a conditional‑use permit, a public hearing before the Planning Advisory Board and, ultimately, a council decision.
City staff acknowledged the residents’ concerns and said they had scheduled a meeting with department heads for the coming Friday; City Attorney Matthew McConnell said he needed to research whether third‑party administrative appeals are available to neighbors who are not the applicant or the city.
Why it matters: The dispute highlights the tension between administrative permitting decisions and neighborhood character in older mixed‑use properties. Residents say the combination of group classes, amplified sound, and increased foot traffic threatens livability; planning staff say code provisions and prior approvals guided their decision.
What’s next: The city manager scheduled a staff meeting with residents and department heads and the residents requested that council withhold issuance of a final certificate of occupancy until the matter receives fuller review.
