Simple math says that more condo units equals more people, which equals more cars and more traffic.

But a developer and city plans reviewers are working through the numbers to figure out whether that would be true with the proposed redevelopment of the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.

The redevelopment plans call for replacing the existing 319-room hotel with a 200-room hotel and up to 195 residential units spread across eight buildings.

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According to the project developer, hotel rooms generate more traffic than residences, so reducing the size of the hotel will offset the addition of the condos and actually reduce traffic in the area.

Specifically, the proposed project will generate 576 fewer daily trips, meaning the number of times people come and go from the property each day, than the existing hotel.

Here’s how the math works, according to Jeff Perry, senior transportation planner and project manager with the Stantec consulting firm:

Hotel rooms generate an average of 12 daily trips, so reducing the number of hotel rooms by 119 rooms means “basically 1,200” fewer trips compared to the existing hotel, Perry told the city’s planning board.

Then, add about 625 trips per day for the new condos, and Perry ends up with 576 fewer trips compared to current traffic patterns.

Perry also predicted a “slight reduction” in trips during the morning and evening peak periods because of the shift from hotel rooms to condos.

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However, city staff have some concerns about the developer’s calculations regarding the hotel’s number of employees.

Gregg Strakaluse, streets and stormwater director, said the developer used standard, city-approved methodology when calculating the number of daily trips, but that methodology assumes there will be about one employee per room.

Since the proposed Naples Beach Hotel would be comparable to the nearby, five-star Ritz-Carlton, it’s likely the hotel would have a greater number of employees in order to provide a higher level of service, Strakaluse said, which means there might not be a reduction in traffic.

“We are in the process of asking a few more questions,” he said. “We want to be as specific and detailed and precise as possible.”

Previously: Vote on Naples Beach Hotel redevelopment plan delayed amid size concerns

The project also has been designed to minimize the adverse effects of traffic on neighboring streets by consolidating the hotel-related driveways and implementing separate valet service operations for the hotel and the conference center, according to the developer.

Those plans have not yet been submitted to the city.

Members of both the city’s design review board and the city’s planning board had some concerns about the project, most notably its size.

The eight buildings would range from four stories to seven stories high, though the bottom of the first floors would start 18 or 19 feet above the ground, as required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for flood protection, said Erica Martin of the city’s planning department.

The design review board ultimately approved the project, but the planning board decided to table a vote on the proposal to give the developer time to address questions and comments from city staff and residents.

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The planning board will revisit the issue at its meeting scheduled for Wednesday, March 13.

The proposed Naples Beach Hotel redevelopment also was the subject of debate at two recent Naples City Council candidate forums, with candidates Ted Blankenship, Ray Christman, George Dondanville and former City Manager Bill Moss echoing the planning board’s concerns about the height of the proposed buildings.

All of the candidates vehemently supported preserving the hotel’s golf course.

Kim Richards, CEO of The Athens Group, which would develop the project, has said the hotel’s golf course will remain untouched, aside from a few upgrades.

Residents and members of the city’s planning board have expressed interest in implementing an easement that would prohibit developers from ever doing away with the golf course.

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According to the redevelopment proposal, the hotel’s meeting space would be cut in half but updated.

HB’s on the Gulf, the hotel’s signature restaurant, and the Sunset Beach Bar & Grill would be renovated and would reopen to the public, continuing the hotel’s longstanding community connections, Richards said.

The Watkins family, which has owned the hotel for decades, plans to continue operating the hotel and golf club through the 2020-21 tourist season. After that, ownership would transition to The Athens Group, which would redevelop the property in phases.

Richards said construction could begin in 2021 and the new facilities could open by Thanksgiving 2023.

And: Naples City Council candidates debate Naples Beach Hotel redevelopment plan at second forum

Naples Daily News business reporter Laura Layden contributed to this report.