North Naples homeowners to protest possible zoning change for new apartments

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Should more apartments go up on vacant land in North Naples along a busy road? That topic is up for discussion in a couple weeks in Collier County.

They are planning to build 350 units near the corner of Livingston Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway near homes, and neighbors are not happy about it.

“We don’t want the zoning changed,” said neighbor Zannos Grekos. “There’s no ifs ands or buts. Nobody wants that zoning changed in this area.

Nobody wants that zoning changed in this area. If they want to put a high density apartment complex in Collier county is the biggest county in Florida. I’m sure they can find some are that is more amenable to that type of housing.

Zannos Grekos and Brooke Lackey live nearby and say when they bought their homes near Livingston and Veterans they expected only to live near single-family homes.

Lackey said she’s concerned about people in her backyard, “They’re literally going to be looking into my backyard. I’ve got two daughters and a baby here so that’s our biggest concern, and traffic as well.”

A new apartment complex called Allura is planned to be built on a lot right behind their home.

“When there’s an issue on 75 or rush hour, Livingston is really the only alternate to get north and south between Lee county and Collier so it already gets backed up. I cannot imagine adding during in schools all of that apartment traffic as well.” Lackey said.

Neighbors say there is already an increase in traffic, and adding 350 more units would just make it worse.

Now they are planning to protest against it.

“We bought in this area expecting the zoning not to change,” Grekos said. “The infrastructure to be in place so I’m not even sure what county commissioners are even thinking by considering this. It goes against every resident in this area.”

Neighbors say they plan to have a protest before the Collier County planning commission on the 17th and they are also trying to raise funds to fight the new development.

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