Meet Christopher Shucart
A True Fifth Avenue South Mover and Maker
Chris Shucart makes things happen. As President of the JCS Realty Group and the Fifth Avenue South Business Improvement District (BID) President, Chris is one of Naples’ youngest and most successful entrepreneurs who is setting the bar for unique initiatives on both Fifth Avenue South and in the Naples Design District.
His latest project, along with Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, is an exciting and exclusive reservation-only dining, lounge and rooftop restaurant experience. Located high above Chops City Grill at 837 Fifth Avenue South, Prime Social Reserve will be unlike any concept in the Cameron Mitchell restaurant portfolio. The quality of fare and service will be exceptional, like the other outstanding Fifth Avenue Cameron Mitchell restaurants Del Mar and Ocean Prime. With 7,300 square feet of indoor/outdoor dining and a dedicated elevator to the rooftop, Prime Social Reserve will surely be the talk of the town when it opens its doors in the fall.
Former NCH CEO and Naples community advocate Ed Morton says, “Along the way, there have been initiatives that have made Naples even more unique and special, and I believe the idea of a rooftop restaurant is one of those instances, and I’m in agreement with City Council on this forward-thinking idea.”
Rooftop dining is happening across the country and especially in Florida. Whether in smaller communities like Rosemary Beach, Bradenton, or Melbourne, or bigger cities like St. Petersburg, Jupiter, or Sarasota, rooftop dining is on the rise, extremely popular and here to stay.
Indeed, the project is a welcome addition to Fifth Avenue South and supports the goals of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) in creating economic development, improving physical characteristics, and investing in our downtown, all aimed at improving the quality of life for residents and assuring a framework for the proper evolution of our CRA District.
The CRA uses what is called Tax Increment Financing (TIF) as a source of funding for capital improvement projects identified in a plan, which ensures that development within the CRA District meets quality standards consistent with the community's vision for Naples.
Through the use of TIF, cities typically divert future property tax revenue increases from a defined area or district toward an economic development project or public improvement project in the community. Fifth Avenue South, a Special Overlay District, within the CRA District, generates approximately 20% of the funds directed to the CRA annually. Without TIF funds, Naples would only receive about $200,000 from the county for these community initiatives.
TIF dollars are used for projects such as eliminating and preventing blight; reducing or preventing crime; providing affordable housing; or rehabilitating and revitalizing coastal resorts and tourist areas that are deteriorating and economically distressed.
Established in 1994, the Naples CRA is comprised of approximately 550 acres with a wide range of residential and commercial properties, including Fifth Avenue South and the Naples Design District. Approximately 25% of the existing acreage is residential with approximately 75% non-residential.
The CRA is governed by a Board comprised of the members of City Council with assistance from the Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board (CRAAB) consisting of residents and property and/or business owners from the redevelopment area who are appointed by the City Council.
Recently, Chris was appointed by the City Council as a CRAAB member. His vast experience in understanding the city’s process and requirements for development should prove invaluable. “I am so pleased to have the opportunity to serve on the Advisory Board with the goal of continuing to make Naples the best place to live, work and invest,” Chris noted.
Chris’s other enterprises, along with partners Marty Kenney and Christopher Lee, include, The Kitchen & Mini Bar, District, a 1920s-style speakeasy called “Staff Only”, and The Alley that recently opened. The other restaurant dining venues opened in 2023 and have helped turn the Naples Design District into a true hot spot.
“We have always believed if we build it, they will come. What we have created is a unique dining experience with live entertainment. That is so different in Naples, and no one else is doing it,” Chris says of his and his partners’ Design District creations, “I know the same will happen with our rooftop concept for Fifth Avenue South. Naples’ residents and visitors are going to love it.”
Chris and his wife Rochelle are devoted parents to their energetic and sports enthusiast son Carsten.
The Fifth Avenue South BID anxiously awaits the grand opening of Prime Social Reserve and is grateful to Chris Shucart for his many contributions to our iconic street and our beloved city.
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