HomeMy Public PortalAbout05 14 2024 Meeting with back-up
May 13, 2024
CHAIRMAN: Paul Lyons
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Gary Cantor
Michael Glennon
Bill Koch
Malcolm Murphy
Thomas Smith
REGULAR MEETING BEING HELD BY THE AD HOC COMMITTEE OF THE TOWN OF GULF
STREAM, FLORIDA ON TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2024, AT 10:30 A.M., IN THE WILLIAM F.
KOCH, JR. COMMISSION CHAMBERS OF THE TOWN HALL, 100 SEA ROAD, GULF STREAM,
FLORIDA.
AGENDA
I. Call to Order
II. Roll Call
III. Minutes
A. Regular Meeting of April 25, 2024
IV. Additions, withdrawals, deferrals, arrangement of agenda items
V. Announcements
A. Next meeting date to be decided
VII. Communication from Public (3 minute maximum)
VIII. Items by Staff
A. Angle of Vision Discussion
IX. Items by Committee Members
A. Memo items to be discussed and list pros and cons
X. Adjournment
SHOULD ANY INTERESTED PARTY SEEK TO APPEAL ANY DECISION MADE BY THE AD HOC
COMMITTEE WITH RESPECT TO ANY MATTER CONSIDERED AT THIS MEETING, SAID
PARTY WILL NEED A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS, AND FOR SUCH PURPOSE, MAY
NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS IS MADE, WHICH
RECORD INCLUDES THE TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE UPON WHICH THE APPEAL IS TO BE
BASED. 286.0105, F.S.S.
TOWN OF GULF STREAM
PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA
Memo
To: Chairman Paul Lyons and Ad Hoc Committee Members
From: Greogry Dunham, Town Manager
Re: Meeting #3 Discussion Topics
Date: April 25, 2024
The Committee enjoyed a productive second meeting with Dana Little from the Treasure Cost
Reginal Planning Council in attendance to discuss potential zoning changes to assist the
Committee in its objective of addressing massing in the Core District.
Some of the ideas I would like to present for further discussion at this meeting are as follows:
1. Setbacks — building
An increased front setback will push the home further away from the road, causing a home to look
smaller and reducing any `canyon' effect large houses close to the road may have over time along
Polo Drive and Gulfstream Road. The drawback is that this forces the home further back on the
lot, reducing space for outdoor recreation. Little cautioned increasing the front setback on lots that
are shallower than others. The rules from FEMA regarding the minimum finished floor elevation
further impacts any potential canyon effect.
Side setbacks can also be adjusted to allow more flexibility for single story houses. The tradeoff
is that there will be a reduction of green space from the street view. Currently side setbacks for
single and two story homes are the same, 30% of the lot width, with a minimum of 15 feet. Town
Code Sec. 70-74(a).
2. Setbacks — second floor
Little noted that the restrictions on second floor size in the Core district of 50% of the first -floor
area already achieves a goal of reducing the massing of the second floor. Town Code Sec. 70-
73(a). He also cited the second story setback of 15 percent, which reads as follows:
The second story shall be setback from each first -story side
elevation a minimum of 15 percent of the width of the first story of
the house. For example, for a 70-foot wide home, the second story
is required to be setback a minimum of 10.5 feet (70-foot first story
width x 15 percent = 10.5 feet) from each first floor side building
elevation.
Town Code Sec. 70-73(c).
Little suggested increasing the side setback, so that the narrowest part of a home would be facing
the street, with the wider/longer portion facing the side lot line. It was noted that this would
increase the portion of the second story that was overlooking the neighboring home, with more
windows and the potential to block light and airflow. The additional second floor side setback
would soften these potential problems by placing the second story portion of the building further
away from the side property line.
3. Roof heights
The current roof heights allowed in the Core district are:
Single story homes: up to 24 feet
Two story homes: up to 22 feet for one-story portions and 30 feet for two-story portions.
After discussion about how roof heights impact ceiling heights and the expectation of current
homebuyers, the Town has asked for area architects to opine on a potential reduction in roof
heights and its impact on ceiling heights. Two will be in attendance at the meeting.
4. Mapping/Overlay Districts
Little suggested mapping the areas that the Town seeks to protect. The terminology he used
included Incentive District or Overlay District.
Overlay zoning is a regulatory tool that creates a special zoning district, placed over an existing
base zoning district, which identifies special provisions in addition to those in the underlying base
zone. The goal of such an overlay district(s) should be to encourage development to occur that is
compatible with the existing scale and pattern of surrounding properties. The effect of an overlay
district should be to encourage property development that will maintain the unique characteristics
of the area.
The Town currently has one overlay zoning district, the North Ocean Boulevard Overlay District
which is contained in the Town Code at Chapter 66. Zoning, Article VII, starting at Sec. 66-321.
The North Ocean Boulevard Overlay District is located 50 feet east and west from the east and
west boundaries of the right-of-way of A1A. This is a good example of how the Town has used
overlay zoning in the past, as permits for work in this area are only approved when the Town finds
that:
the disturbance will neither destroy nor seriously impair desirable
visual relationships among buildings, landscape features and open
space, nor introduce incompatible landscape features or plant
material that destroys or impairs significant views or vistas.
2
Town Code Sec. 66-324.
Little noted that any such areas would be smaller districts within the Core district. Potential
divisions within the Core District could be:
(A) Properties west of Polo Drive that abut Polo Drive;
(B) Properties between Old School Road to the North and
Golfview Drive on the south, between Gulfstream Road and
Polo Drive;' and
(C) Properties east of Gulfstream Road to A1A, between
Lakeview Drive on the south and Gulf Stream School on the
north.2
Once areas are mapped out, the Committee can make specific suggestions for these areas to
address certain criteria important to the Town based on special area -specific conditions or
features, and those suggestions could become a new overlay zoning district(s).
I spoke with Little yesterday and he stated that he will return to assist the Committee during future
meetings if needed.
' Chairman Lyons referred to these properties as the Polo Cottages. Many of these lots are smaller and
divided by Oleander Way. However, the properties that have Al A frontage south of Banyan Road are larger,
and some have newer homes.
2 This excludes only the homes north of Old School Road that back up to the Little Club Golf Course. These
properties are able to apply for special exception approval for a reduced 10-foot setback for principal and
minor accessory structures because they abut a non -single family zoning district. See Town Code Sec. 70-
75(d).
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