Posted : Thursday, January 23, 2003
By PHIL BORCHMANN
The recently constructed entry gate at
a Pelican Bay condo development has become quite the conversation piece.
Neighbors comment on the balustrades atop
two-story towers, massive arches and other bold features. And it's for
those reasons that many people would like to see the structure torn down.
Nearly 600 area residents have complained
about what critics call the "Arc de Cap Ferrat" in front of Crown Colony
at 6531 Nicholas Blvd. They don't like the building's looks and believe
it's a traffic safety hazard. Critics wonder whether Collier County officials
considered these issues before approving construction, or whether any public
input was sought by the developer, Gulf Bay Group of Naples.
"Monstrosity," "hideous" and "east-coast
ugly" are just a few entryway descriptions sent to the Pelican Bay Property
Owner's Association. The feedback followed a column about the portal in
the association's newspaper.
"Visually, it is out of place. It doesn't
fit in Pelican Bay," wrote Libbie Bramson of the Pelican Bay Post. "At
best, it belongs |
|
| Libbie Bramson, a member of Pelican Bay Property Owners Association,
stands in front of the gates at Crown Colony at 6531 Nicholas Blvd. in
Pelican Bay in Naples on Wednesday. Nearly 600 Pelican Bay residents have
complained about the way the entryway looks and the safety hazard that
they say has been created by the Gulf Bay Group of Naples. |
|
in Disney World. It's a non-attractive nuisance."
The association has roughly 3,000 members
out of an estimated 11,000 people who live in Pelican Bay, said Bramson,
a member of the organization. Pelican Bay is bounded by U.S. 41 North,
Vanderbilt Beach Road, the gulf and Seagate Drive. The area is known for
its abundant nature areas, such as mangroves.
In response to the criticism, the county
said the entryway's dimensions and placement conformed to codes, and the
design decisions are made by the developer.
Gulf Bay Group's reaction to the negative
comments?
"We disagree. We have received a lot of
compliments, as well," said Joseph Parisi, a vice president at Gulf Bay
Group. "It's difficult with design to appease everybody."
Workers completed construction of the cream
and light brown stucco gate late last fall.
It is a guarded facility that serves multiunit
buildings, including St. Kitts, St. Marissa and Cap Ferrat. Four tall arches
move traffic to and from Pelican Bay Boulevard, which is fewer than two
car lengths from the entry.
Harris Tucker lives about half a mile from
Crown Colony and can't see the gate from his condo. But he does drive by
it and he's concerned.
"It's just so out of step with everything
about Pelican Bay. It looks like a casino entrance," Tucker said. "How
many more of these things are going to be put up?"
Cheryl Young returned to her Pelican Bay
condo in November for the season and was shocked when she noticed the gate.
| Young questioned
the proximity of the entrance to the road. If more than two cars are waiting
to get through one of the arches, the vehicles would reach the street and
obstruct traffic, creating a safety hazard, particularly this time of year,
she said.
The aesthetics of the structure do not
appeal to Young either.
"It's more appropriate for a theme park.
It is oversized and garish," said Young, who also lives in Midland, Mich.
"I think it should be removed."
|
| "It's just so out of step with everything about Pelican Bay. It
looks like a casino entrance. How many more of these things are going to
be put up?"
— Harris Tucker, Pelican Bay resident |
|
That's not a likely scenario.
The gate and the Crown Colony buildings
are within a planned unit development. A PUD is like a tailor-made zoning
district for a large tract and allows greater flexibility for developers
because they don't have to run everything through hearing processes.
County staff generally reviews work proposals
and give the OKs. Under that PUD, the gate and guardhouse were allowed
as "accessory structures," said Lisa Koehler, spokeswoman for Collier County's
Commu nity Development and Environmental Services division.
Gulf Bay's Parisi said the gate is at the
same position where a former guardhouse stood.
"The county approved all the plans," he
said.
But Bramson said parts of the Pelican Bay
PUD are ambiguous and allow "key players who know how to manipulate the
PUD to modify its original intent." And because the entrance is in the
PUD, public hearings are not required, as they might be with regular zoning
issues.
Gulf Bay Group was under no legal obligation
to submit the design to the property owners association, Bramson conceded.
Still, the company did many Pelican Bay
residents a disservice by not seeking input, she said.
"We like the open space and the natural
beauty of Pelican Bay, said Bramson, who lives about half a mile from "Arc
de Cap Ferrat," a term she coined, satirically recalling the Arc de Triomphe
in Paris. "This will really change the character. The bottom line is that
Gulf Bay can do anything it wants." |
