From Naples Daily News
Naples panel OKs Third Street Plaza 118-room hotel
A plan to convert Naples’ long vacant Third Street Plaza into a 118-room hotel passed its first major hurdle Wednesday with unanimous approval from the city’s design review board.Board members praised the concept for a two-story hotel along Gordon Drive and Broad Avenue South, connected to another two floors of hotel rooms over retail space on Third Street South.The project would tear down the more than 25-year-old plaza on Third Street, often described as an eyesore with its vacant shops and cracking sidewalks.“I think it’s going to be a great addition,” board member Mitchell Norgart said. “The plaza on Third Street has been an eyesore for way too long. I find this to be the highest and best use for the property. But it’s also absolutely stunning.”