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F E B . 2 8 - M A R C H 6 , 2025
3A | STALEMATE
5B | RETAIL SMILES
5B | FLAVOR GUY
a vacant seat remain deadlocked at 3-3
Naples through a positive attitude, cards
eateries and turns area into Flavortown
Marco City Council’s attempts to fill
Publix worker distributes kindness in
Food Network’s Guy Fieri visits Naples
A tail-wagging day in the park
Tim Aten Knows Tim Aten
Redesign delays hotel on Bayshore Q: What happened to the 239 project on Bayshore? It is dead in its tracks. – D.R., Naples Q: What is going on (or not going on) with the 239 building on “Kelly Road”? – Charles Brady, Naples A: Plans for a new boutique hotel with a restaurant at 3467 Bayshore Drive in East Naples are still alive but they are undergoing revisions. Changes in the plans have slowed down the project. Initially announced as The 239, the local project was redubbed The Hotel on Bayshore last year, but the four-story, eight-suite hotel is expected to be rebranded again before opening. “The owners, which are me and my partner, Adam Homan, hired a hotel operator/manager, a management firm that is helping us with sort of a redesign,” said Michael Whalen of New Era Construction LLC. “They’re called the Palisociety. They’ve got 40 or so boutique hotels around the country and 20 or so restaurants inside of them, and it’s a perfect fit for us.” A hospitality operating company, Palisociety specializes in distinctive hotels and residences. While the majority of its properties are near its California headquarters, the lodging company has locations in nine states, including one in Florida: the 36-suite Palihouse Hyde Park Village in a historic neighborhood of Tampa. “So, they have helped us tweak our design and our direction since they’ve come on board with these See ATEN KNOWS, Page 7A
Sara Lamont plays with her dog, Winifred, at Naples Dog Park at 99 Riverside Drive, across from Baker Park. Naples officials will be seeking input and considering a public-private partnership, user fees and fobs and private fundraising to continue maintaining the park. A proposed survey for dog owners will be outlined at the Community Services Advisory Board’s March 18 meeting. See story Page 3A. Photo by Liz Gorman
Collier Senior Center-Golden Gate recipient of March to a Million Meals By Aisling Swift
It’s 10 a.m. on a Friday at Collier Senior Center-Golden Gate, and cars and people are lined up in the parking lot to receive their monthly “Care & Share” meal kits. The program, funded by Harry Chapin Nutrition for Seniors, ensures more than 200 seniors at the center get a nutritious meal kit that supplements their nutrition each month.
“Our emergency direct-assistance program ensures no senior has to choose between life-saving medication, safe housing and their next meal,” Center Director Esther Lully said. “We’re a hub of vitality, connection and care — a place to socialize, engage in meaningful activities and receive essential services that enhance your life.” The center, at 4898 Coronado Parkway, Naples, is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and serves more than 1,900 seniors. Care & Share is offered free to senior county residents at 10 a.m. the third Friday of the month,
when residents can pick up a kit outside or go through a drive-thru. One kit per household is provided based on each county resident’s monthly income information, and a caregiver or other proxy can pick it up as long as they contact the center. The pre-packaged food kits contain easy-to-prepare meals and shelf-stable fruits, vegetables, proteins, cheeses and grains. When possible, Harry Chapin Food Bank adds fresh produce and other perishables. See MILLION MEALS, Page 7A
Costco presents plans amid public pushback 0
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By Tim Aten tim.aten@naplespress.com
The more than 200 vocal residents who converged Feb. 18 at a neighborhood information meeting at Florida Sports Park could have an effect on Costco Wholesale Corp. landing a second store in Collier County. The majority of the crowd opposes the project and lives in Hacienda Lakes off Rattlesnake Hammock Road, near where the Costco member-
ship store and freestanding gasoline pumps are planned just north of Physicians Regional Medical Center-Collier Boulevard. Traffic from an estimated 4,500 cars daily is the main concern, because the 158,316-square-foot store’s only entrances would be off Rattlesnake Hammock. A sticking point for Costco is the county’s land development code requirement that lots with automobile service stations be separated by 500 feet. Costco’s proposed lot with a fueling station is only 132 feet from the 7-Eleven convenience store with gas pumps on the northeast corner of Rattlesnake
Hammock Road and Collier Boulevard. A waiver from the county would be necessary even if Costco moves the proposed location of the gasoline pumps from the northwest corner of the property to elsewhere on the more than 20 acres, because the 500-foot stipulation measures from property line to property line. “They could move them, but it doesn’t make the requirement for the waiver go away,” said Jaime Cook, director of development review for Collier See COSTCO, Page 9A
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