By unanimous vote, Naples Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board has recommended that a parking garage be built near the proposed Gulfshore Playhouse theater and education center. The three story, four level parking garage will be located on First Avenue South and 12th Street South. While the city has budgeted a total of 10 million dollars for the project, the parking construction is estimated to cost between 4.1 and 8.4 million dollars from groundbreaking to completion.
The Naples CRA recommends the parking garage be large enough to increase the potential of developers buying parking spaces from the city. Additional parking spaces will be created north of Central Avenue.
In 2017, the Playhouse proposed a partnership with the city of Naples that would involve the Playhouse donating an acre of land to the city in exchange for construction of a new parking project. The Playhouse then reached out to local property owners to help create the space needed to accommodate the parking garage. The Wynn family, a local business owner, is willing to donate a quarter of an acre of the Wynn Family Properties land to the city for the parking structure. This is a noteworthy step forward for this Naples reinvigorating effort. The family plans to demolish their current catering business building to develop the property as a commercial building with various offerings like office space, residential, and retail space. The Wynn family and Gulfshore Playhouse may receive parking space allocations in the proposed parking garage.
The Gulfshore Playhouse theater and education center space will occupy 40,000 square feet at the corner of Goodlette-Frank Road and First Avenue South. The famed H3/Arquitectonica architecture firm designed the striking property. H3 is known for their work on iconic cultural buildings such as Lincoln Center Theater in New York City, the Denver Performing Arts Complex and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
The plans for the theater and education center are currently in the design review and permitting process. If all goes as planned, the proposed parking project will take eight months to complete. The timeline for the Gulfshore Playhouse theater and education center has the grand opening slated for Fall 2023 after an 18 month construction. The completion of the performing arts center and additional parking area is another step in affirming the commitment to the arts in Naples.
These items will be considered by the Naples City Council, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, at a public meeting in January.
