Fifth Avenue South
A Florida Main Street

What is Fifth Avenue South?

Fifth Avenue South, Naples, is a six-block long area which served as Main Street from the 1950s into the 1970s. The grocery store, bank, hardware store, pharmacy, stationer, gas station, and restaurants were all there. The street linked the highway (U.S. 41) to the Third Street area, which had been the heart of Naples when access was by boat.

What was wrong?

By the late 1970s, other choices for shopping had sprung up around Collier County, and the mall began to replace downtown as the place to shop. Retail left the street, to be replaced by stockbrokers and real estate offices. Most of the properties did not conform to parking requirements, eliminating the possibility of upgrading. People still came to the area, but for specific purpose visits only. After 5:00 p.m., Fifth Avenue South was deserted.

What did we do?

In the late 1980s, elected officials expressed concern that the City of Naples was losing its place in the commercial life of the County and efforts began to reverse the trend. In 1992, a task force was appointed to determine what could be done. The task force recommended that a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) be established. While the City was in the process of gathering the data for the findings of necessity for a CRA, for the larger downtown area, a group of property owners on Fifth Avenue South got together and funded a study of their street, with participation from the City. The Fifth Avenue South Master Plan, prepared by Andres Duany, was adopted in March of 1994, just two months after the creation of the CRA and two months before the redevelopment plan for the larger area was adopted.

What did the Fifth Avenue Master Plan say?

The Fifth Avenue South Master Plan recommended changes to the City’s zoning code for the area, as well as changes to the landscaping and parking which existed on the street. The code changes included:

• Change in building height to 42 feet from sidewalk to third story eave in order to improve the building height to street width ratio.
• Change in parking requirements to three spaces per 1,000 square feet of commercial use, whether retail, office, or restaurant.
• Outdoor dining with no parking required.
• Establishment of a parking reserve from on-street spaces which were to be allocated (on a first-come basis) for redevelopment.
• Requirement that third stories be for residential use only.
• A color palette for the street; buildings must be white or in the cream to coral range.
• Establishment of a Staff Action Committee to oversee changes on the street.

In the public realm, the plan recommended modernization of the landscaping, addition of coordinated street furnishings (in Naples yellow), and a reorganization of the on-street parking.

And what has happened?

In the eight years since the passage of the overlay district for Fifth Avenue South, and with the catalyst of free parking to meet the requirements for building additions, the area has blossomed. Sixteen new buildings have been completed, including a theater, community art center, and public parking garage; two are under construction. Five others have had major upgrades. Thirty dwelling units have been constructed on upper floors; 14 others have been approved over commercial parking lots. Some $64 million in permits have been issued for improvements. Appraised values have almost quadrupled.

Twenty-five cafes and restaurants are located on the street; all but a handful of them have outdoor dining. People come to the area, park and stroll. They have dinner, visit an art gallery, shop, take in a show, and meet their friends. The street is THE place in Naples to see and be seen.

Fifth Avenue Uses:

• 552,000 sq,ft, commercial
• 82 hotel units
• 344 seat community theater
• 30 dwelling units
• Supported by 1,700 parking spaces, including 341 in City-owned garage

Before and After

399 Fifth Avenue South
BEFORE: Two parcels, two one-story office buildings totaling 5,045 square feet with 17 parking spaces. APPRAISED VALUE 1991: $443,500	AFTER: Single parcel, one three-story mixed-use building totaling 17,442 square feet, plus five dwelling units, with 12 on-site parking spaces. APPRAISED VALUE 2001: $3.6 million
701 Fifth Avenue South
BEFORE: 7th Street South right of way, providing approximately 16 on-street parking spaces. APPRAISED VALUE 1991: $0	AFTER: Community theater and public plaza APPRAISED VALUE 2001: $14.1 million
800 Fifth Avenue South
BEFORE: One-story, 11,000 square foot building with retail occupants APPRAISED VALUE 1991: $607,000	AFTER: Two-story, 18,000 square foot building with retail and office occupants (including the owner) APPRAISED VALUE 2001: $2.4 million
435-467 Fifth Avenue South
BEFORE: Plaza area without defined use creates dead space between building and sidewalk APPRAISED VALUE 1991: $417,000	AFTER: Outdoor seating adds liveliness to the area APPRAISED VALUE 2001: $1.1 million (with only cosmetic improvements to building)
853 Fifth Avenue South
BEFORE: One-story retail building with large “eyebrow” awning APPRAISED VALUE 1991: $211,000	AFTER: One-story restaurant; awning removed; doors and windows changed APPRAISED VALUE 2001: $473,000

For more information, contact:

Robin Singer, Community Development Director
City of Naples, Community Development
295 Riverside Circle
Naples, FL 34102
Phone: 239-213-1050
Fax: 239-213-1045
e-mail: rsinger@naplesgov.com

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