Doug Hartman

Naples

The Nov. 21 guest commentary by a representative of the East Naples Civic Association indicated that Collier County’s limited program to build affordable housing is unfairly centered on new construction in the East Naples area and it is a development project that “lacks sense.”

The writer claims that up to 2,000 “affordable homes” are to be constructed within a few miles of the Manatee Elementary and Middle schools and that new residents will overwhelm the schools, which are already full. He goes on to claim that the jobs for these new residents are all in the north end of the county.

Both assertions are questionable. The majority of the new residents will be retirees, not workers. Before a developer can receive a development permit, he must demonstrate that the school system can handle the new students within the time frame that they are expected to arrive. It will take four to five years to permit and construct these new homes — plenty of time to increase the size of the schools or even build new ones. More than adequate land is available.

As for jobs, the writer seems to ignore the fact that for every new 100 homes placed in a region, 10 homes need to be allocated for the workforce needed just to provide nurses, policemen, firemen, teachers and government workers to serve these new home occupants. Currently, the young professionals needed to man the existing schools, hospitals and fire stations live elsewhere because the homes already built are beyond their means. We need balanced communities with mixed-use housing, not more single-family, middle-class sprawl extending east as far as the eye can see.

As for using funds from the recently passed 1 percent sales tax increase to purchase land elsewhere, these funds are already allocated for badly needed, publicly-approved infrastructure projects deferred during the Great Recession.

While U.S. 41 is certainly crowded, particularly during season, that is not the likely route to North Naples from the Manatee area. Interstate 75 would make more sense. Some 20,000 of the jobs in the north of the county are currently filled by workers who are living outside of the county, not the south of the county.

It is not clear why the residents of East Naples want to drag up these questionable arguments in support of their opposition. However, a few things should be clear:

First, affordable housing is not “public housing.” It does not bring shoddy neighborhoods. These are houses for working-class people and seniors who cannot afford the mega-mansions and waterfront properties associated with downtown Naples. They are you and me, one or two generations removed. They are young people, mostly college-graduates who are starting their professional careers and their families. They are seniors who cannot afford the half-million-dollar fees to enter Collier’s assisted-living communities.

Secondly, school district plans encompass growth. We have known for several years that the population of Collier County was going to rise to the 500,000-plus level, and plans are in place to accommodate it. U.S. 41 and Collier Boulevard have already been expanded into divided six-lane highways and their intersection near Lely Resort has been upgraded at great expense.

We must be careful not to buy questionable NIMBY arguments. The Manatee area is a logical space for Collier development to extend into. It has open land, infrastructure, planned schools and parks. Collier County, in an attempt to reduce the cost of some workforce housing, wants to use land already in its possession. There would still be plenty of land for a new park, bigger schools and new housing for seniors and workforce families.

We must proceed with reasoned and balanced development in the areas that make sense for the long haul while assuring ourselves that we are creating mixed communities that are livable for all ages and incomes.

Hartman is chair of the Senior Advisory Committee to the Collier County Commission and the co-chair of Step Smart Collier, the senior fall prevention program.

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