Naples council sends updated traffic‑impact study rules to planning board for refinement

Johnson Engineering presented revised Traffic Impact Study (TIS) requirements designed to modernize how the city evaluates transportation impacts from development. The proposed rules replace the old acreage thresholds with four tiers based on net new peak‑hour trip generation (de minimis: <=10 trips; small: <50; minor: 50–99; major: 100+). Johnson Engineering also proposed:

- Fee tiers and a progressive review structure to fund city or third‑party review; - Directional, peak‑season analysis (adjusting trip counts for tourist season); - Mandatory crash‑history reviews for larger projects and requirements to model cumulative phasing for multi‑phase developments; - Internal circulation and queuing plans for drive‑throughs and drop‑off facilities; - Authority for staff to require a third‑party audit of a developer's TIS, with the developer responsible for the audit cost.

Council members asked about one‑way street scenarios, impacts from cross‑border county development and the mechanics of the de‑minimis threshold. Staff said the policy will be sent to the Planning Advisory Board for formal recommendation and then return to council for ordinance readings; they seek an October target for adoption and proposed an effective date of Oct. 1, 2026, to align fees and procedures.

Representative quote: Josh Hildebrand of Johnson Engineering said, 22We are proposing the introduction of review fees as part of a progressive TIS review process22 and explained the four trip‑generation tiers.