On October 7, Shoreline Foundation Inc. drove the last of the 193 reinforced-concrete pilings for the new Naples Pier. No one can walk on it yet, and no one will this season. The City of Naples rebuild page gives July 2027 as the reopening date.
The pier is the clearest example of how downtown changed this year. Most of what is different in Old Naples this fall came from a construction schedule, a property owner or a permit review. You can trace each change on Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South back to someone who controls a building or a deadline.
The Pier: On Schedule and Nine Months From Opening
Construction started January 6, 2026, and demolition of the old pier finished April 13. Crews did the first concrete pour on June 26. On September 18 they finished the mid-pavilion pour, which put the project past half of the roughly 602 cubic yards of concrete it needs. The contractor expects to finish structural work in early 2027. After that, crews will install the Ipe wood decking, and two-thirds of that decking was already on site by late July.
When the pier reopens, it will feel different underfoot. The new piles are 18 inches square instead of 14. They run 70 to 100 feet long, which is longer than any pile under the old structure. The extra capacity let the city set the deck three feet higher above the water. The old mid-pier concession is gone for good because state and federal rules barred rebuilding it. City Council chose portable food and beverage carts at the mid-pavilion instead, along with a small Naples Police and Beach Patrol substation.
For now, the pier is closed and beach access runs around it through bypasses at Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South. Those are the same two streets that frame this season's other major change.
Third Street: A Hotel Built on Land Its Owners Already Held
The Olde Naples Hotel at 200 Broad Ave. S. is the biggest new arrival downtown. The Camalier family owns the property and partnered with Ocean Properties Hotels & Resorts to develop and operate it. The hotel belongs to Ocean Properties' Opal Collection.
Naples Press reported that the first building and Annie's Bistro, Bar & Bakery opened May 15 with 50 rooms. The remaining rooms were to follow over the next few weeks. The grand-opening ceremony was June 11, according to a July update from the mayor. The hotel's own site now markets all 109 rooms and suites.
The spa matters more to people who live downtown than the room count does. The May coverage said the Tammy Fender Holistic Spa would open later in the summer. Its booking page now lists it as open, with public hours, and says non-hotel guests can book. The rooftop pool is open to hotel guests. The hotel's site also lists a central courtyard among its amenities.
The hotel opened within a single season because its owners already held the property and brought in a partner to build and operate it. A few blocks north, Fifth Avenue's changes also trace back to ownership, though in a different way.
Fifth Avenue: Several Storefronts, Moved by One Landlord
In 2023, the Hoffmann family's company sold about 27 Naples addresses to M Development of Aspen, Colorado, including more than a dozen downtown. M Development's leasing explains most of this fall's changes on the avenue. Derek Nagy, M Development's Naples property manager, described the goal to Naples Press: "We see retailers coming in and going to Mercato and places like that. We'd like to bring them back to Fifth Avenue, where there's a lot of foot traffic." He said the company is focused on ground-floor retail rather than offices, and especially on larger spaces.
If you haven't walked Fifth since last spring, here is what moved:
| Business | Before | Now or next |
|---|---|---|
| Wind in the Willows | Corner storefront, 675 Fifth Ave. S. | Side-street entrance in the same building |
| Faherty | Not on the avenue | Taking the Wind in the Willows corner |
| Regatta | 760 Fifth Ave. S. | 8799 U.S. 41 N., The Marketplace at Pelican Bay |
| Spartina 449 and a flip-flop boutique | Not on the avenue | The former Regatta space, now divided into two stores |
| Aldo Castillo Gallery | 634 Fifth Ave. S. | 472 Fifth Ave. S., next to Bar Tulia, from Nov. 1 |
| East-West Sports Cards & Collectibles | 785 Fifth Ave. | The former gallery space at 634 |
The Fifth Avenue South business improvement district's June newsletter gives the flip-flop retailer's name as OluKai and lists both it and Spartina 449 as spring openings at 760–762 Fifth Ave. S. Johnnie-O, a casual menswear brand, is another tenant M Development brought in. Regatta had been downtown since 1985. Its co-owner told Naples Press the store moved after its lease was not renewed.
The food openings this year have been small and easy to miss. Tiny Kitchen Empanadas opened this summer in the same building as the gallery's old space, baking beef, chicken, spinach-ricotta, ham-and-cheese and mushroom empanadas. One block south, GLDN Hour Coffee Co. reopened on Fourth Avenue South in September, according to Tim Aten's summer roundup.
The Corner That Will Stay Dark Through Season
The block at 649–663 Fifth Ave. S. shows that a lease alone does not reopen a storefront. L'Olivo, the trattoria at 651, closed so the building's interior could be demolished, and the Roma pizzeria space next door has been empty too. Tim Aten reported in Naples Press that the same family plans to return to the two spaces with Riva Mediterranean Restaurant & Lounge and Zanu Sushi Bar. Nagy's account in the other Naples Press piece is consistent with that: "They're coming back, and they'll have several other concepts, as well."
The holdup is with the building, not the restaurants. The building is 60 years old. Because the work counts as substantial redevelopment, city staff treated it as new construction, so it has to meet current code. That brought questions about dry floodproofing and soil borings, and the city sent a stormwater corrections notice dated May 7. Restaurateur Gouda said the restaurant permits are already approved. She hoped to have the building permit by the end of October and expects six to eight months of work after that, so the column projects a post-season opening in 2027. The family had originally planned to open in early 2026.
The pier and this corner are on similar timelines. Each is a downtown landmark whose plans are approved, and each is waiting on a building that has to meet current construction standards before anyone can use it again. Neither will be part of this winter.
What Runs on Its Usual Schedule
Downtown's recurring events don't depend on a permit or a lease. They return on their usual dates, and several take place on the streets around the hotel and the pier bypasses.
| Date | Event | Where and when |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7, then Saturdays | The market returns to Third Street | Third Street South between Broad Ave. and 13th Ave. S., 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. |
| Mon., Nov. 23 | Naples Tree Lighting | Third Street South, 6 to 9 p.m. |
| Tue., Nov. 24, to Sat., Nov. 28 | Thanksgiving week programming | Third Street South, live music 5 to 8 p.m., snowfall at 7 p.m., no programming on Thanksgiving Day |
| Nov. 25 to Dec. 23 | Letters to Santa | Participating Third Street South stores |
| Fri., Dec. 4, and Sat., Dec. 5 | Christmas Walk and Tree Lighting | Fifth Avenue South, Dec. 4 from 5 to 10 p.m. with the tree lighting around 6 p.m. at Sugden Plaza; Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Santa Paws | Near Sea Salt on Third Street South, 1 to 3 p.m. |
Details are on the Third Street South market listing, the Christmas on Third schedule, and the Fifth Avenue South Christmas page. The Third Street tree lighting comes eleven days before the Fifth Avenue lighting, so out-of-town guests can see both in one visit.
If you are weighing a sale or purchase in 34102, I'm happy to talk through how this season's changes on Fifth Avenue and Third Street affect particular streets and buildings. Reach out to John Shirey. Let's Connect.
