NCH continues to fight for permission to build new heart institute in Naples

The fight for a bigger, state-of-the-art heart institute at NCH has been sidelined because the hospital wants to exceed the height limits in Naples and build the facility five stories high.

The City of Naples held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the height of the building, but no decision was made. NCH and the city will continue working together on a solution.

One way around the high limits is an ordinance that excludes hospitals and parking garages as commercial zoning districts. Wednesday’s reading would have altered that section of the ordinance.

There is a lot of confusion and back-and-forth between NCH and the City of Naples. The battle for the 5- story heart center is still on the ground floor.

“If we were to vote to repeal this provision, it’s going to appear to the public that we just voted the hospital down. And that’s clearly not… I don’t think thats any of our intent,” said Councilmember Paul Perry.

Under current city rules, hospitals and parking garages are exempt from the 42-foot height limit and are considered public service zoning districts. Now, the city council is considering ending that.

“If you start giving exemptions, you can be sure if you deny somebody, they will be coming back. Probably be lawsuits. Why am I not exempt,” said one person during the public comment period.

Another person at the meeting disagreed, saying, “It belongs downtown, where the citizens are, where the people are.”

Some council members say this has nothing to do with the hospital, it’s just a matter of fixing the language on the ordinance.

“First of all thank you for continuing the item. I would request until we have a clear path forward on another path to get the heart institute that you not rescind or modify the original ordinance,” said Paul Hiltz, CEO and President of NCH.

The heart institute project could cost as much as $200 million and if approved, would open sometime in 2025.