Naples...Florida

A Businesswire story sings the praises of mixed-use development. First, it points out that this concept existed since the beginning of American cities in the 17th century, when, for example, there would be homes above small shops. Then, the segregation of land uses began in the 1920s, mainly in an effort to keep industrial uses away from residential and lighter commercial uses.

“The mindset of many Americans today is changing. They want to be in a place where there is activity, where they can walk to work, get a cup of coffee, enjoy community events and rely less on their cars,” said Jack Antaramian of Antaramian Development Group, a Naples, Florida-based company that specializes in mixed-use development.

Antaramian’s newest offering, Naples Bay Resort, encompasses three distinct locations within the City of Naples that together provide a variety of residential and commercial environs, each with its own unique character, including a state-of-the-art marina, a four-star condominium hotel, a 15,000 square-foot club that just opened, and waterfront shopping and dining. Renaissance Village, the third and final component of Naples Bay Resort, will have 300 luxury residences with up to 2,935 square feet of living space. Pre-construction pricing starts from the mid-$700s. Construction is set to begin in the summer. In addition to the luxury residences, Renaissance Village will also have over 200,000 square feet of commercial space, including a boutique grocery, restaurants, shops and office space. Additionally, Florida Gulf Coast University will locate its Naples Educational Center and Renaissance Academy there, which includes a 350-seat performance venue.

Keys to success:

“You need to be careful to have the right amount of retail and commercial uses and the right residential density,” said Matthew Kragh, partner of Architectural Network Inc., a Naples, Florida-based architectural and planning firm and the designer of Naples Bay Resort and Renaissance Village. “There needs to be a sense of cohesiveness and connectivity with the project’s surroundings. Renaissance Village is a great example of this with its mix of residential, commercial and retail. Plus the bonus of a performance venue and open spaces for community events in an open and ungated location. It’s important to see activity with people enjoying all the project offers.”

Some of the challenges of mixed-use development cited are the presence big box retail with vast surface parking lots and the need to build at much higher densities (than surrounding areas) in order for these projects to make sense financially.

For many of us, deciding where to live has a lot to with affordability. For ski/ride bums, this often entails couch surfing, living in closets or commuting to resort communities. The Town of Vail wants 30% of its workers live in Vail, which is about where it stands right now, but there is a concern that escalating rents and home prices will drive too many workers out of Vail. A story in the Vail Daily introduces an eight-year resident and Australia native who plans to move this year to New Hampshire since "rent these days is out of control". Vail's $1 billion Lionshead redevelopment will be subject to stricter affordable housing rules. Council Mark Gordon is pushing a program that purchases then sells "buy downs" to qualified buyers with ownership subject to deed restrictions.