HomeMy Public PortalAbout1959-02-28 Meeting35
the Council what their wishes were in this matter whereupon
Mr. Faulkner made a motion that the matter be tabled until
she regular me.etlny on February 2Eth so that both sides
would have a chance to present the r cases. The motion was
seconded by Mr. Hart. The meeting was adjourned.
ATTEST:
Clerk
February 11, 1959
lti
'rayor
February_214_1959
The Council of Bal Harbour Village met at 9:30 a.m.
on February 28, 1959 at the Village Hall.
Those present were Messrs. Brown, Broeman, Beatty,
Faulkner and Hart.
Also present were Tom H. Anderson, Village Attorney;
Mary T. Wetterer, Village Clerk; and W. H. Webb, Village Manager.
The minutes of the regular meeting of January 24, and
the special meeting of February 11, 1959 were accepted as
submitted on motion of Mr. Broeman, seconded by Mr. Beatty
and unanimously voted.
Mayor Brown called the meeting to order and after
hearing the roll call announced that the first order of
business was to again consider the petitions and resolutions
from various business and civic groups opposing the possible
construction of a large apartment building on Tract E of
the Ocean Front under an F.H.A. approved mortgage. This
matter was first brought before the Council at a special
meeting held on February llth at which time the Council
decided to table the matter until the regular meeting in
order to allow all persons concerned to have more time to
become better informed.
Mr. A. J. Hoffman, President of the Bal Harbour Club,
Inc. presented a petition to the Village .Council requesting
the Village Council to adopt a resolution opposing such action
by the owners as being contrary to the best interest of the
community of Bal Harbour. The petition reads as follows:
"The Board of Governors of Bal Harbour Club, Inc.,
have been informed that the present owners of Tract E,
36
ocean front, Bal Harbour, have made application for
FHA insurance on a mortgage loan for the purpose
of erecting a 14 story, 300 unit apartment house.
It is the opinion of the Board of Governors that
there is no need for FHA insured mortgages for rental
units in Bal Harbour since adequate and sufficient
units are already available.
The Board of Governors urges the Village Council
to adopt a resolution opposing such action by the
owners as being contrary to the best interests
of the community of Bal Harbour"
Petition signed by: A. J. Hoffman, David W. Exley, Louis
Boshara, Edgar B. Lau, Executive Committee, Board of
Governors, Bal Harbour Club, Inc.
Mr. Leonard Wolf, Attorney for the Owners of Tract E,
presented a brochure to each member of the Council and to
all those present at the meeting giving detailed information
regarding their proposed apartment building. He also assured
the Council that these apartments would be rented on 3-5
year leases and that all tenants would be thoroughly screened
as to character as well as credit; and that the F.H.A. gives
the owners the right to screen tenants. He further stated
that the owners themselves intend to have apartments in
this building.
Mr. Trip Russell, the architect, presented a render—
ing of the proposed building and stated that the plans for
the building conforms with local laws as well as F.H.A.
requirements. The size of the individual apartments is
governed by F.H.A. and that there is an off—street parking
plan placing 250 cars under the building and the balance
on the surface so that it will not further complicate the
parking situation in Bal Harbour.
At the conclusion of the discussion, Mayor Brown
asked the Council for a motion whereupon Mr. Hart made a
motion that the Bal Harbour Council take no action on the
petitions and resolutions on the grounds that it is not the
function of the Council to choose tenants but to enforce
the law; that the Council has no authority to decide whether
the F.H.A. should approve a loan in Bal Harbour. This motion
was seconded by Mr. Faulkner. Upon question, Mr. Broeman
asked Mr. Anderson, the Village Attorney, as to the exact
position this places the Council and what they should do.
Mr. Anderson answered that the petition and resolutions are
asking the Council to take some action to prevent this
project from being built under F.H.A. financing. If the
February 28, 1959
37
individual thinks this project would affect the public interest
and people of Ba1 Harbour then they should vote in favor of
the petitions. If they do not feel that the best interests
of Bal Harbour will be affected, they should vote against it;
however, they do not have to take any action. At this point
Mr. Hart again stated that his motion was that the Council
take no action.
Mr. Broeman recommended that the matter be opened for
discussion. Mr. Stanley Whitman, owner of the business section,
informed the Council that he had had a conversation with Mr.
Taplin, one of the owners of Tract E, during which he asked
what loan the F.H.A. will give. Mr. Taplin's reply to him was
$3700.00 per room and the rents on this building would run
$59.00 per room. Mr. Feldman informed Mr. Whitman that it
would cost $6000.00 per room to duplicate the Carlton Terrace
at this time. With these figures, the building could not be
comparable to other structures of this type in Ba1 Harbour.
Since the petition of the Hotel Assn. represents every hotel
in Bal Harbour as well as the Carlton Terrace and Sea View,
it represents 100 percent opposition of comparable property
owners; Mr. Hoffman as president of the Ba1 Harbour Club
represents the residents of Bal Harbour who have shown they are
opposed to it, the Council should take some action. Mr.
Whitman also read and submitted to the Clerk a telegram
received from Russell H. Riley of Harland Bartholomew and
Associates of St. Louis, the firm that planned Bal Harbour.
The contents of the telegram are as follows:
BECAUSE OF CONTINUED INTEREST IN BAL HARBOUR
I AM PLEASED TO CONFIRM EARLIER DISCUSSION THAT
I AM STRONGLY OPPOSED TO PROPOSED FHA DEVELOPMENT
ALONG THE OCEAN AM SURE IT WOULD BE OF SUCH
DIFFERENT CHARACTER THAT IT WOULD CONFLICT AND
IMPAIR THE EXCELLENT CHARACTER OF THE ENTIRE
VILLAGE. IN MY OPINION THIS WAS NOT THE INTENDED
USE OF FHA AND IS NOT NEEDED TO ACHIEVE A DESIRABLE
DEVELOPMENT UPON THE LOTS.
Mr. Louis Boshara, resident of Bal Harbour and member
of the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of
Bal Harbour Club, Inc., said that it is common knowledge
that people buying property in Bal Harbour automatically
pay a premium for a house or lot in order to live in an
exclusive community and that an FHA type building would
depreciate every house in Bal Harbour.
Mr. Taplin asked that he might explain that $3700.00
per room is not low cost housing and that the building may
cost as much as $6,000.00 per room. They want to get the
maximum loan and will build whatever it costs and that they
intend to go ahead with this building whether under F.H.A.
February 28, 1959
38
or not.
Mr. Kenneth Gifford, property owner in Bal Harbour,
and owner of Shamrock Isle Hotel, said that he had been a
property owner in Bal Harbour for years and that it is most
important that everything be taken into consideration. He
further stated that he had had a discussion with Mr. Taplin
regarding the apartments and that he understood that approxi—
mately 70 apartments would rent for $90 — $150. per month.
The average rental would be $130.00 per month and the highest
$4600.00 per year. This is far out of line with Bal Harbour
rentals — you cannot rent a room in Bal Harbour for what some
of these apartments can be rented.
Mr. Joseph Hoover, owner of the Bal Bridge Apts., called
the attention of the Council to the fact that the business
of the Council is to serve the people in this Village as
they represent each group here, and that he felt they should
take some action to maintain the character of this community.
Mr. Herbert White of the Whitehall Apts., reminded the Council
that there are vacant apartments in Bal Harbour now and if
this type of building is allowed to be built in Bal Harbour,
everyone will have to continue to lower their rents and it
will bring a lower class of people into the Village and be
detrimental to all the property owners.
Following this discussion, the Mayor called for a
vote which was as follows:
Mr. Beatty — NO Mr. Hart — YES
Mr. Broeman — NO Mr. Faulkner— YES
Mr. Brown — NO
therefore the motion failed to carry.
Mr. Broeman then made a motion that in view of the
discussion, the petitions are of public interest and the Council
should act upon and sanction them. This was seconded by
Mr. Beatty. This motion was carried upon vote as follows:
Mr. Beatty — YES Mr. Hart — NO
Mr. Broeman — YES Mr. Faulkner — NO
Mr. Brown — YES
Mr. Brown then asked that the Council establish a
maximum millage rate for taxation for the Tri City Library.
During the brief discussion, Mr. Webb recommended that the
rate under the State Law be used. Mr. Anderson advised that
the general law was one mill and that it should be fixed in
the ordinance. Mr. Faulkner then made a motion that the
maximum millage for the Tri City Library not exceed one mill,
according to State Law. This motion was seconded by Mr. Hart
and unanimously carried.
February 28, 1959
39
Mr. Brown then called on Mr. Webb to make a report to
the Council and the gentlemen from the Hotel Assn. who were
present of his trip to Gainesville regarding the Baker's
Haulover situation. Mr. Webb gave a description of the scale
model of Baker's Haulover as it is being studied at Gainesville
under the direction of Prof. Per Bruun, world wide authority
on beach erosion. They are calibrating tides and during the
next 3 months they are going to put sand in the model to see
why sand moves in different directions at different times
of the year. Dade County appropriated $12,000. 00 of County
funds toward the study at the University of Florida. We can
take steps immediately to do some dredging if temporary measures
are established to protect property at the south end. Mr.
Webb then stated that he felt that, after they have completed
the study, prof. Per Bruun will recommend a 500' opening
in the cut. He also recommended that a meeting be held sometime
in the near future to discuss the financing problem to get
some dredging done. Mr. Webb will set up a meeting date for
a joint meeting with hotel men and Council so that they can
go into this more thoroughly.
Miss Wetterer advised the Council that an Election
Schedule had been placed in each folder for their information.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned.
ATTEST:
Clerk
February 28, 1959
Mayor
March 284. 1959
The Council of Bal Harbour Village met at 9:30 a.m.
on March 28, 1959 at the Village Hall.
Those present were Messrs. Brown, Broeman, Beatty, and
Faulkner.
Absent: Mr. Hart
Also present were Tom H. Anderson, Village Attorney;
W. H. Webb, Village Manager; and Mary T. Wetterer, Village Clerk.