'Miracle Mile' in Naples continues to recover, evolve after a devastating blow from Ian

Dubbed the "Miracle Mile," a stretch of Gulf Shore Boulevard North is set to see major changes in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

While a few notable projects were in the works before the hurricane hit, the storm has sped up redevelopment along this 1.3-mile section of roadway, running parallel to the Gulf of Mexico, in Naples.

It was one of the most hard-hit areas by Ian in the city.

More than a year after the storm, condo and co-op buildings flooded by its record storm surge still aren't livable, their fates uncertain. In other buildings, some of the damaged units have been repaired, while others haven't been touched.

"Some of these people are never going to come back. That's the shame of it," said Mary Hayes, who lives at Port Au Villa, a small co-op community in the area, overlooking Moorings Bay.

At her community, built in the mid-1960s, 24 of 56 condos were virtually destroyed by Ian, and some are still being rebuilt. With a third-floor unit, Hayes is one of the luckier ones, and feels fortunate to have moved back in five months after the storm.

"Some of my neighbors, they lost a lot of their personal property," she said, from furniture to mementos.

Ian created new opportunities for developers with the sale of storm-ravaged buildings by their owners. A handful of older structures have already been demolished to make way for new construction.

Job site signs dot the landscape.

Meanwhile, the area's residents have united, and partnered with the city and others, in a way that has never been seen in Naples, to "turn lemons into lemonade," in the wake of Ian, with plans to create a more attractive, cohesive look and feel to the streetscape, through plantings, signage and other visual enhancements, along the roadway.

The city plans to hire design consultants to develop a streetscape master plan that will give the area a more distinct identity, as a true gateway to Naples. The city manager will present next steps at a council meeting Feb. 7.

"We just want this to happen. We want there to be a plan," Hayes said.

She sits on the citizen-led Miracle Mile Committee. Membership includes residents and homeowner association presidents, as well as builders, developers, architects and other community professionals.

The committee has the ear of city council.

A priority for city council

In her state of the city address for 2024, Mayor Teresa Heitmann singled out the importance of the effort to protect and enhance the mile's appearance.

"Ensuring proper landscaping is a must, as well as protecting the historic views from the road of the beaches," she said. "There must also be safe pedestrian crosswalks, while also protecting the street parking spaces, to mention some of the opportunities we have when building back."

The "Miracle Mile" runs from Doctors Pass to the new Naples Beach Club, which has set the tone for future development – and streetscaping – along the boulevard. Hatched long before Ian, the multimillion-dollar redevelopment project, which is still under construction, will include a five-star resort and luxury residences managed by the Four Seasons, one of the world's most exclusive hospitality brands.

The landscape is a big focus in the design of the resort development, with the inclusion of lush plantings and paver walkways. It's replacing the iconic Naples Beach Hotel, which the same family operated for more than 70 years.

Jay Newman, chief operating officer of The Athens Group, the developer behind Naples Beach Club, said the project is clearly having a "halo effect," as the area sees more redevelopment.

The Four Seasons Resort is expected to open in early 2025, with the first residences coming online later that same year.

The Athens Group has been active in the Miracle Mile Committee, offering input and advice.

"I think there are only good things that are going to happen there," Newman said. "We are involved in it, and we are in favor of it, but it does take time."

The committee is only focused on improving publicly owned property.

A survey, conducted by the committee, and answered by more than 90% of the area's residents, over the summer, identified 10 of their top desires and concerns, from undergrounding utilities and improving sidewalks to protecting waterfront views and reducing flooding.

The Miracle Mile includes two neighborhoods: The Moorings and Coquina Sands, with an estimated 1,500 residents, or more, living off both sides of the strip.

Within its borders are The Edgewater Beach Hotel and two beachfront parks. There's Lowdermilk, one of the city's most popular public parks and prized gems, and the Moorings Beach Park, for Moorings residents only.

Lowdermilk took a beating from Ian, forcing it to close, but it reopened a little over four months later, partially rebuilt, after a massive clean-up effort by city employees. While it's still not back to its pre-Ian grandeur, the beloved park has come a long way since the storm swamped it with water and sand, and whipped it with heavy winds, leaving it in shambles.

"It looked like a war zone," said Chad Merritt, the city's director of parks, recreation and facilities. "You didn't think you were going to be able to recover in a timely manner."

Along the Miracle Mile, a patchwork of low- and mid-rise residential buildings has evoked small-town charm for decades. They've offered glimpses of the glistening Gulf of Mexico – and beautiful sunsets – on the west side, with views of surf and sand between them. On the east side, they overlook bay vistas.

More: Hurricane Ian aftermath: Tour of damage shows parts of Naples look like "a war zone"

Ian made area ripe for redevelopment

Out of 38 distinct multifamily properties, nearly a third may be redeveloped over the next three years, based on research undertaken by the Miracle Mile Committee. Every one of those properties saw damage from Ian.

At some of the most severely damaged residential buildings, many residents are still struggling to decide whether to sell or fix them up.

"Selling the properties usually requires a 'super' majority vote by all residents. Each condo has its own bylaws related to what constitutes a majority," explained Rene Lewin, president of Sancerre's board of directors. "So, it can be a bit difficult."

With eight floors, Sancerre has 23 spacious luxury residences that feel more like single-family homes. Completed in 2003, the building, overlooking the Gulf in Coquina Sands, held up well against Ian, compared to many others, so its residents didn't have to confront selling out to a developer.

None of the condos, sitting atop garages, were damaged. The building is one of the newer and taller ones along the street, built to more stringent codes. Following the massive destruction caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Florida adopted some of the strictest building codes in the country.

"Sancerre was operational in January 2023, as we had the passenger elevators working, but the service elevators were still unreliable. The property required extensive exterior repairs, for example, the garages, landscaping, ground level amenities, fencing, pool and all pool equipment," Lewin recalled.

"In fact, our pool was filled with sand," he added.

Insurance would only pay for about 12% of the total damage to the property, forcing owners to cover the rest, through special assessments, Lewin said.

Other properties found themselves in the same boat with insurance settlements falling short.

Repairs have been challenging, in more ways than one.

Even now, a few buildings don't have working elevators, limiting access to their owners, especially seniors, who can't use the stairs.

"People are still waiting on parts, to make sure their elevators are reliable. That's my understanding," Lewin said.

From our archives: Fears mount over loss of charm on quaint stretch of Gulf Shore Boulevard in Naples

More: Board drops proposed moratorium on new construction along 'Miracle Mile' in Naples

Fear of 'another Miami'

The new developments on the horizon will be – necessarily – different, designed to meet today's market demands, while adhering to the stricter building codes and the latest flood elevation requirements. The looming changes have sparked both excitement and concern among residents.

"People are concerned. You know we don't want another Miami," Hayes said.

Meaning, they don't want a bunch of taller, denser buildings, potentially ruining their views and property values and the character of their neighborhoods.

To the south of Sancerre, the Gulf Shore Colony Club – badly damaged by Ian – has been demolished to make way for redevelopment. Built in 1960, the boutique beachfront development had eight two-story buildings, including carports, with 16 condos in total.

In place of the low-rise community, a seven-story building is planned, over parking, with 24 units, up to a maximum of 75 feet above flood elevation (with an additional 7 feet allotted for stair towers, elevator shafts, mechanical equipment and architectural embellishments on top).

Every Sancerre resident signed a petition against the proposed site plan for the development, which will be built on a roughly two-acre site – at 1785 Gulf Shore Blvd. N. They fear the new building could limit their views of the Gulf and cast shadows on their building, and they question its compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood.

Sancerre residents and their attorney have appeared before the city's Design Review Board to share their concerns, but they feel they're not being heard by the voluntary board. The board has given the redevelopment project preliminary approval but still must give a thumbs up to the final design, before a building permit can be issued.

The site plan for the project is still under review by city staff, which also must sign off on it.

"It's going to be a gorgeous building. It's just going to be huge," Lewin said.

His community's biggest concern is the building's placement, which residents feel should be moved to the east, closer to the street, instead of sitting 40 feet from the seawall.

"Forty feet from your seawall is nuts," Lewin said.

So far, he said, the developer hasn't been willing to consider a compromise offered up by Sancerre's association, and its own architect, to increase the rear setback.

Project architect Matthew Kragh, president and founder of Naples-based MHK Architecture, said the developer's petition is about three quarters of the way through the city's approval process.

He noted city code allows 37 units to be built at the site, 13 more than proposed, so the project is less intense than permitted by right. The building will be two stories lower than its neighboring developments on both sides, as well, including Sancerre, Kragh pointed out.

MHK is working on four other multifamily developments along the Miracle Mile, three of which were spurred by damages from Ian that made selling older buildings more attractive for their owners.

Kragh believes the planned redevelopment will significantly improve property values along the mile, not hurt them. He see only good things coming from it.

"I think the eclectic nature of having the old and new next to each other is part of the charm of Naples," he said, noting it's commonly seen elsewhere in the city.

One day, he expects the Miracle Mile to live up to its name, with the addition of more resilient and modern buildings, and a more harmonious, inviting streetscape, but he acknowledges it won't happen overnight.

"It could be ultimately one of the best streets in the country," Kragh said.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples Hurricane Ian damage leads to improvements to Gulfshore Blvd N