- A developer’s plan to build hundreds of homes on an orange grove in eastern Collier County resulted in a tie vote from planning commissioners.
- The project includes for-sale affordable housing, which has garnered support from local employers and the Naples Chamber of Commerce.
- Environmentalists and neighbors oppose the development, citing concerns over wildlife, traffic, and the loss of environmentally sensitive land.
- County commissioners will have the final say on whether to approve the rezoning and growth plan amendment for the project.
Planning commissioners couldn’t agree on whether to support a developer’s efforts to convert an orange grove into hundreds of homes in eastern Collier County.
On Oct. 2, commissioners voted 2-2 on a motion by the advisory board’s chairman to recommend in favor of the project.
The tie vote followed an hours-long hearing. It came as a disappointment to the developer’s land use attorney Rich Yovanovich, who described the proposed development as a “good project,” with the inclusion of much-needed affordable housing, and other community benefits…