Walk north from the closed Naples Pier on any July morning and the geography of the neighborhood reads differently than it did a summer ago. The beach access at 13th Avenue South is busier. The Lowdermilk parking lot fills earlier. A block past the Coquina Sands sign, valets in cream linen are directing traffic into a resort that did not exist in this form eighteen months ago. Three separate projects, one public, one municipal, one private, have converged on a mile of Gulf Shore Boulevard, and the cumulative effect is the largest reshaping of daily life in Coquina Sands since the Naples Beach Hotel first went up in 1946.
If you live here, you already sense it. The point of this post is to name what is happening on each end of your walk, and to explain how the pieces fit together for the rest of the season.
The corridor that anchors Coquina Sands, from 12th Avenue South up past Banyan Boulevard, is running three overlapping construction and reopening timelines at once. Where you park, which beach access you use, and what is open at sunset all depend on which project you are closest to.
The Pier Closure Is Sending Foot Traffic North
The Naples Pier has been out of commission since Hurricane Ian, but the summer of 2026 is the first in which the site is an active construction zone rather than a dormant one. A January 2026 groundbreaking marked the official start of reconstruction, and the project is expected to take approximately 18 months to complete. The city has approved a $26.3 million project to rebuild the structure stronger and more resilient, and this is the seventh time the pier has been rebuilt in its 137 years.
The practical consequence for anyone who lives north of the pier is a shift in where beach traffic lands. Access to the Naples Pier is closed for the duration of the project, including the pier itself, stairs, restrooms, showers, and 12th Avenue South west of Gulf Shore Boulevard South. The Pier parking lot at the corner of 12th Avenue South and Gulf Shore Boulevard South has limited public parking available, with the western one-third of the parking lot open to the public and the eastern two-thirds closed for construction activities. The City has established pedestrian bypasses at the Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South beach ends, and restrooms are available at both locations.
Talk to anyone renting umbrellas up at Lowdermilk and they will tell you the beachgoers who used to default to the pier lot are now driving north on Gulf Shore Boulevard until they find a space. That pressure will not ease until the estimated completion in late 2027. One quiet piece of news for locals who miss the old Cosmos: the renovated Naples Pier will feature an underwater camera for marine life observation and a police and beach patrol office with restrooms, while food concessions will be replaced by a portable cart. The permanent restaurant is not coming back. If you want beachfront food south of Banyan, the answer is now different, and it sits about a mile up the road.
You can follow the city's official progress on the Naples Pier Rebuild Project page.
Lowdermilk Park Is Getting Its Playground Back
The ten-acre park at 1301 Gulf Shore Boulevard North is the anchor of the Coquina Sands beachfront, and it has been missing something since 2022. Lowdermilk Park is looking at a nearly $700,000 expansion. The Naples City Council is set to vote on a $699,787 agreement with Playmore West Inc. for the purchase and installation of a new playground and covered gazebo at the park. The project would replace the park's previous playground on the north side that was destroyed by Hurricane Ian in 2022.
Two details in that deal are worth surfacing. First, the funding structure. Funding for the expansion would come from a combination of two previously approved park enhancement projects and a $250,000 donation from the Nommensen family. That is a private gift covering more than a third of the total, which is why the item is moving despite tight municipal capital budgets. Second, the gazebo has a history. The gazebo, originally planned as part of a 2025 park improvement project, was postponed after construction bids exceeded the available budget. If approved, the plan also would update the city's 2025-26 budget to provide an additional $250,000 from the Beach Fund to help cover project costs.
For residents, this changes the park's use pattern in a specific way. The current park has volleyball, picnic pavilions, a concession stand run by Beach Cafe, and beach mat ADA access, but the northern playground footprint has been fenced dead space for four summers. Filling it back in changes where families congregate and where the shade sits. If you are a morning walker, expect construction fencing at the north end through the fall, then a busier north lawn once it opens.
A few park rules that trip up newer residents:
- All vehicles must exit the park by 11 p.m. to avoid parking violations.
- Parking for beach access in the City of Naples requires the resident or visitor to have a beach parking permit or pay-by-space. This is enforced year round.
- Beach parking is available for a fee, typically around $2.50 per hour, or visitors can obtain a beach parking permit from the City of Naples.
- Amplified music, tents larger than 10x10, and attendance of 1,500 or more require a Special Event Permit.
City residents can pick up a beach permit at City Hall, which is the single largest quality-of-life difference between owners and renters on this stretch of the boulevard.
A Four Seasons Opened One Block South Of The Coquina Sands Line
The largest change to the corridor is not municipal. It is the reopening of the property at 801 Gulf Shore Boulevard North, technically the southern neighbor of Coquina Sands but functionally part of the same walking radius. Nearly seven years after the city approved the plan, and four years after the original 1946 Naples Beach Hotel came down, the new Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort, officially opened to the public on November 17. A $1 billion-plus project with a 220-room resort and 153 private residences, the first Four Seasons in Southwest Florida carries forward the legacy of the Watkins family, who stewarded the hotel over three generations.
For a resident of Coquina Sands, three things about the new property matter more than the room count.
HB's and Sunset Bar are back. The reopening restores public access to more than 1,000 feet of Gulf shoreline and reintroduces two local landmarks, HB's beachfront restaurant and the Sunset Bar, after years of construction that reshaped both the waterfront and the neighborhood surrounding it. HB's is one of the few places for true beachfront dining in Naples, extended onto a deck steps from the sand. With the pier's Cosmos gone for good, HB's is now the closest beachfront table for anyone living between Banyan Boulevard and 12th Avenue South.
Market Square is designed to pull locals in, not just guests. At the heart of the resort lies Market Square, a vibrant social hub that connects guests and locals alike through a dynamic mix of retail, dining, and entertainment. Whether that plays out in practice will define how the neighborhood uses the property over the next few years. A grab-and-go called Naples Trading Co. is part of the rollout for the property.
The rest of the campus is still opening in stages. 2026 brings more openings, including The Wager, a sports-centric gastropub; The Picture House, a 22-seat theater; The Gardens, an 18-hole golf course designed by Tom Fazio; and FINS Kids Club. The Tom Fazio–designed 18-hole golf course is scheduled to debut Fall 2026. The Merchant Room, the flagship dining room, is already open. Just beyond the lobby, the flagship restaurant, The Merchant Room, brings culinary weight to Naples' fine dining scene. Led by two-time James Beard Award-winning chef Gavin Kaysen from Minneapolis, the menu promises a French spin on Gulf flavors.
One data point that makes the scale legible. More than 104 acres have been placed into permanent conservation easement. The protections carve out a significant buffer of green space in one of Southwest Florida's fastest-growing communities, where coastal land is increasingly scarce and often subject to intense development pressure. On a 125-acre parcel that could have been built to the property line, that easement is the single most consequential fact for anyone whose home faces the site. The green buffer is permanent. The Four Seasons project page covers the guest-facing amenities in more detail.
Reading The Corridor As A Resident
Put the three projects side by side and the shape of a Coquina Sands summer weekend has quietly rearranged itself.
Location | Status this summer | Effect on locals |
|---|---|---|
Naples Pier (12th Ave S) | Active construction, 18-month closure from Jan 2026 | Parking and beach access pushed north to Broad Ave S and 13th Ave S |
Lowdermilk Park (1301 Gulf Shore Blvd N) | New playground and gazebo pending council approval | North lawn footprint returns; expect fencing through fall |
Naples Beach Club (801 Gulf Shore Blvd N) | Open since Nov 17, 2025; golf and gastropub still to open in 2026 | Beachfront dining returns at HB's; Market Square adds a new social anchor |
The through-line is a shift in where the neighborhood's gravity sits. For decades the pier at the south end pulled foot traffic down the beach; that pull is on pause until 2027. In the meantime, the north end of the corridor has both the working beach park and the newly opened resort within an easy walk of each other. If you have not already recalibrated your Saturday routine, this is the summer to do it.
A last practical note. The City of Naples has activated newly installed gate arms at the entrance and exit of Lowdermilk Park. If you arrive after 11 p.m., you will not be leaving through the main gate. Plan accordingly.
Work With A Local Advisor
If you own on this stretch and want a private read on how the corridor's reshaping affects value, use, or long-term positioning, Naples Coastal Living tracks the block-by-block detail that portals do not. Request a Private Market Update to start the conversation.
