Rezoning lets all Park Shore residents buy slips

Fifty-three dock slips restricted to Park Shore high-rise condos along the bay are now available to other residents of the posh development, who had expressed a demand for the unsold slips.

City Council on Wednesday voted for a rezoning to allow sales of the unsold slips at Venetian Bay South and North Yacht Clubs to other Park Shore residents. They’d been restricted to Units No. 2 and No. 5 due to a pre-existing Collier County approval that hadn’t changed when Naples annexed that section in 1989, following annexation of other sections.

Dock slips and boat storage areas are dwindling throughout Naples as developers snap up prime waterfront property for condos and hotels. Meanwhile, demand for slips is increasing as the population and visitors rise. Internet real estate listings show Park Shore slips are being offered for $75,000 to $104,900.

The rezoning was recommended by the Naples Planning Advisory Board, which held a public hearing May 10. City Planner Steve Olmsted also recommended approval, noting 206 parking spaces near the slips satisfied the demand for Park Shore residents who would have to drive about a mile to the slips.

The rezoning means that the dock slips along 2½ miles of the beach between Horizon House and Le Parc can be sold or leased to residents in units one, three and four — single-family homes and condos east of Venetian Bay between Venetian Bay and U.S. 41. There are 276 slips at the development, but 53 hadn’t been sold due to the restrictions, attorney John Passidomo, who represented The Scottsdale Co., told council.

Park Shore was developed by Raymond Lutgert, who purchased 750 acres in 1964 for $3.5 million. The planned development includes more than 11 high-rise buildings, the Village on Venetian Bay and Neapolitan Way Shopping centers. Lutgert’s son, Scott, now runs the real estate company.