Naples Daily News: News -
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Published on: 3/16/2005
Last Visited: 3/17/2005
Oliver Gross is the Urban League's vice president of property management and development, and oversees the League's $30 million commercial and residential real estate portfolio.
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Last week, Gross soft-peddled his involvement in River Park's future.
"We didn't want to impose ourselves," Gross said.However, his experience and resources are available to River Park locals, if they need it.
Asked if he had any ideas about how River Park could be saved from developers, Gross said that wouldn't be the goal as much as making sure that people in the neighborhood aren't negatively affected by development.
Gross agrees that education on options is important, especially if folks are faced with developers offering them top dollar for their homes.
"The first thing is 'top dollar' is a relative (term).That's the first thing.For those people who are contemplating selling for 'top dollar,' they should stop and think what that top dollar would afford them as they move on," Gross said.
Because after they sell, where will they live? he asked.
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Gross asked.Because of tremendous appreciation in property value, not just in Naples, but all over Florida, "what they consider top dollar may not be going as far as they thought," he said.
"If folk were able to understand (market costs), they could have real issues about future housing," Gross said.
It is not just an issue for those within the River Park neighborhood, Gross stressed.
"The other side of the coin (affects) the Naples community at large: the whole issue of quality, affordable work force housing ... creates some other issues for the affluent populations," he said.When people have to ride 30, 40 or 50 minutes to work, maybe it affects the city's access to the work force, he said.Then it becomes a broader issue "than just displacement of folk in the River Park neighborhood," Gross said.
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