City buys parking lot from Naples Woman's Club

BUYER: City of Naples

SELLER: Naples Woman's Club

PROPERTY: 610 Park St., Naples

PRICE: $1.53 million

TITLE FIRM ON DEED: Bryant Title & Escrow LLC, Naples

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: Naples city government purchased a half-acre parking lot from the Naples Woman's Club for $1.53 million.

The price equated to $29,423 per space.

The city has since renovated the parking lot, removed shrubbery, added lights and reconfigured it to provide 60 spaces. It will serve as free public parking for visitors to the nearby park, Fifth Avenue and The von Liebig Art Center.

The sale was hugely beneficial to the community organization, according to Lee Kraus, president of the Naples Woman's Club, and likely to the city as well.

“The lot was really in ill repair; it needed a lot of work,” she says. “We couldn't rent it out; it just wouldn't be cost effective for us. We have additional parking spaces next to our building already. This was just really a win-win.”

The club says it will likely use the proceeds from the sale for scholarships and to update and repair its building starting around April.