Bigger needs to address
Our city has a damaged iconic pier that is years and millions of dollars away from replacement. Our streets are flooding and again years and tens of millions from a fix.At the same time, NCH hospital, a commercial establishment (pretending to be a non commercial, independent community hospital) would have city taxpayers remove a city square block of old growth mahogany trees so they can erect a new building and parking garage with $100 million plus of donor money! The proposed buildings are architecturally incompatible with the adjacent verdant residential neighborhood and violate our city charter height limit! Also, taxpayers have to spring for new water lines and sewers to accommodate this project. The irony is the existing hospital building has three brand new state-of-the-art operating rooms and a brand new emergency room providing excellent award winning service to we Naples citizens. The hospital has an existing underutilized garage with hundreds of available spaces on any given day, even in season!There is “no new functionality provided by the proposed new building” it is just a glittering draw for talent! The hospital’s own data show we who live in Naples are only 15 percent of the NCH patients!Oh, did I mention the hospital has tens of thousands of square feet of underutilized space and more in the making as they move all orthopedic work to their north campus new multistory building.I encourage our elected leaders, act on behalf of Naples citizens and not participate in a precedent setting slippery slope of a work around of the people’s charter height amendment, especially without proper legal advice! Turn NCH down and work with them to be good neighbors and meet their desires by complying with our laws!Don’t waste taxpayer money on lawsuits! We have bigger needs to address!