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HomeMy Public PortalAbout05 28 15 MeetingREGULAR MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING HELD BY THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW AND PLANNING BOARD OF THE TOWN OF GULF STREAM, FLORIDA ON THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015 AT 8:30 A.M., IN THE COMMISSION CHAMBERS OF THE TOWN HALL, 100 SEA ROAD, GULF STREAM, FLORIDA. I. Call to Order. Chairman Lyons called the meeting to order at 8:30 A.M. CII. Roll Call. 1 Present and Participating: Absent with Notice: Also Present & Participating: Paul Lyons Hewlett Kent Malcom Murphy Curtiss Roach Stanley Rubini William Thrasher Rita Taylor Robert Dockerty Thomas Smith John Randolph William Wietsma Tyler Nielsen Chairman Board Member Board Member Alternate Member Alternate Member Town Manager Town Clerk Board Member Vice Chairman Town Attorney Architect Agent for McDonagh III. Minutes of the Regular Meeting and Public Hearing 3- 26 -15. Mr. Murphy moved that the minutes be approved, Mr. Kent seconded the motion and all voted AYE at roll call. IV. Additions, withdrawals, deferrals, arrangement of agenda items. There were no changes to the agenda. V. Announcements. A. Meeting Dates 1. Regular Meeting & Public Hearing a. June 25, 2015 @ 8:30 A.M. b. July 23, 2015 @ 8:30 A.M. c. September 24, 2015 @ 6:30 A.M. d. October 22, 2015 @ 8:30 A.M. e. November to be determined f. December to be determined Chairman Lyons reminded everyone to call will not be attending a meeting. V. PUBLIC HEARING. the Clerk whenever they Chairman Lyons asked if there was any ex -parte communication to report and there was none. He then asked for those who intended to speak during the public hearing to please stand and receive the Oath. The Town Clerk administered the Oath to William Wietsma and Tyler Nielsen. A. Applications for Development Approval 1. An application submitted by William Wietsma as Agent for Mr.& Mrs. William J. Martin, Jr., the owners of ARPB Regular Meeting 6 Public Hearing May 28, 2015 property located at 12 South Hidden Harbour Drive, Gulf Stream, Florida, which is legally described as Lot 1, Hidden Harbour Estates. Mr. Wietsma explained this is a lot of approximately 35,000 sq. ft. that has never been built on but approximately 10,000 sq. ft. of the lot is submerged or part of the cul -de -sac, leaving an effective lot area of a little over 25,000 sq. ft. He pointed out that the partial two -story home is oriented toward the Intracoastal Waterway and that the second story is a small portion of the home. Entrance to the property is through a gate, on to a round -a -bout, then a motor court that serves a two car garage on one side and a one car garage on the other side of the motor court, he said. Mr. Wietsma advised that they have met all setbacks and all other requirements in the Code. With regard to the landscaping, he said they are using mostly native plants and that there will be a large specimen tree in the center of the round -a -bout. Mr. Wietsma said that they plan to ask permission from the Town to clear a 30' strip of invasive growth from the bird sanctuary next door. Chairman Lyons asked if there had been any communication from the neighbors and the Town Clerk said that Mrs. Neeves had phoned to say they are very pleased with what is planned for this property. Mr. Rubini noted that he saw nothing to prevent the covered, unenclosed space from being enclosed at some later time and was advised that it will be necessary to place a condition on this approval that a deed restriction will be executed that will prohibit that. All five of the Board Members made favorable comments regarding this project. a. LAND CLEARING PERMIT to prepare the property for the construction of the structures. Mr. Kent moved to recommend that a Land Clearing Permit be approved to prepare the property for the construction of the structures and the motion was seconded by Mr. Rubini with all voting AYE. b. SPECIAL EXCEPTION to permit 299.57 square feet of covered, unenclosed area that exceeds the maximum permitted floor area. Mr. Kent moved to recommend approval of the Special Exception to permit 299.57 sq. ft. of covered, unenclosed area that exceeds the maximum permitted floor area. Mr. Rubini seconded the motion and all voted AYE at roll call. O C. LEVEL 3 ARCHITECTURAL /SITE PLAN REVIEW to permit construction of a two - story, 7,978.7 square foot Angelo- Caribbean style single family dwelling with 3 car garage and a swimming pool. Mr. Kent moved and Mr. Murphy seconded to recommend approval of the Level 3 Architectural /Site Plan based on a finding that the proposed partial two story, 7,978.7 sq. ft. Angelo Caribbean style single family dwelling with 3 car garage and swimming pool meet the minimum intent of the Design Manual and applicable review standards with the following conditions: 1)Any minor modifications in the landscape plan shall be 2 ARPB Regular Meeting & Public Hearing May 28, 2015 submitted to the Town Manager for review and approval and any major modifications shall be brought back to the ARPB for review and approval, prior to commencement of landscaping. 2) Wall and /or fences along the side property lines will be measured from the lowest abutting grade with a maximum height of 8' including any lighting fixtures that may be attached. 3) All chain link fencing will be screened from neighbor's view. 4) Construction of docks, installation of boat lifts and ancillary structures shall conform to Gulf Stream Code Section 66 -369 "Docks ". 5) C7 Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, the owner of the property shall prepare and record a deed restriction which shall provide that all roof projection areas shall remain unenclosed as per approval of the special exception for as long as the structure is in existence or exceeds the maximum FAR. All voted AYE at roll call. VII. Items Related to Previous Approvals. A. 530 Middle Road, Gulf Stream, Florida - Owners, Mr.& Mrs. Dennis McDonagh- Agent, Lewis & Nielsen Design 1. Material Change to Landscape & Hardscape Site Plan Mr. Tyler Nielsen, Agent, introduced himself and explained that he was brought into this project midway during the construction of the improvements. He explained that originally the landscaping consisted of lawn, a surrounding ficus hedge and a few Crepe Myrtle trees in the front. He further explained that the owner wanted to change the hedge due to the white fly problem and has selected a native Crabwood hedge with a few Sable Palm and Sea Grape. Silver Agave and wild coffee will be in the garden area, along with a few other types. Turning to the front garden area, he said they would be keeping the existing date palm and the large black olive supplemented with Gumbo Limbo trees and Mast trees to complement the architecture. Highlighting the entrance will be 4 Bridalveil trees that are very slow growing that have a lacy look, and are natives to Brazil. Mr. Nielsen pointed to the walkway leading to the front door and said that it will be of hammered, finished Travertine with the surrounding driveway, walkway and pool terrace to be of Dominican Coral Stone that matches the color and tone of the Travertine. He also called attention to the Mast tree that stands upright and formal and does not shed its long, slender leaves. He said 70% of the plants are native to south Florida. Mr. Nielsen said that in order to break -up the harshness of the hardscape, there will be grass in the joints between the stones. Chairman Lyons asked if there had been comment from the neighbors and �) was advised that a neighbor had been in and had no comment about the materials being used but was very concerned about the length of the entire project and the disruption in the neighborhood. Mr. Nielsen said they are also concerned about this and advised that they have been unable to continue with plantings etc. due to the fact that other sub- contractors must use the area for parking at this time. Town Manager Thrasher asked Mr. Nielsen to verify that all plantings will be on the private property to which he replied that is true. Mr. 3 ARPB Regular Meeting 6 Public Hearing May 28, 2015 Thrasher then asked if the Mast tree and the Bridalveil tree have been installed in any other areas of Palm Beach County to which Mr. Nielsen replied that they have been used in Palm Beach and in Jupiter. He then asked if any of these are invasive and was advised that they are not using any plant species that would be considered invasive. Mr. Kent moved to approve the landscape /hardscape plan as presented and Mr. Rubini seconded the motion with all voting AYE at roll call. GVIII. Assignments from the Town Commission. A. Review suggested changes for 2 story dwellings. Chairman Lyons called attention to an assignment from the Town Commission to look at dis- incentives for second story homes which would encourage single story home construction and to review the current sections relating to Floor Area Ratios and Setbacks. He pointed out that this would only be directed to construction in the Core and Place Au Soleil Districts. He referred to the description of the Core District in the Design Manual which states that it is made up of single story and two -story homes that fit comfortably on the lot. He believed this assignment, incentives to encourage single story homes and dis- incentives for the construction of two -story homes, is directed toward maintaining the character of these districts. 1. Section 70 -71 FAR The Board believed the FAR calculation and percentages to be correct as written and that the problem is not so much with the size of the building but with the form of the building. 2. Section 70 -74 Setbacks William Wietsma, an architect in the audience, felt some setbacks for the second stories, at least 10 feet, should be considered and some restrictions put in place to prevent structures that have a block like appearance. He suggested the facades be broken by possibly limiting the maximum size of a wall plane at which point a break would be required. He believed the break should be a minimum of 5 feet. He agreed with the Board that the FAR should not be reduced. He did feel that a reduction of the size of the second floor from the current 70% of the first floor to 60% of the first floor would be helpful. Mr. Kent believed that something is needed to push the second story back. Town Manager Thrasher asked Mr. Wietsma if he felt it important to allow Othe architects some creativity and did he believe that by controlling the size of a wall plane on the facades, as is done in the multi - family districts, would avoid the block appearance of a building. Mr. Wietsma replied yes to each question. Mr. Kent thanked Mr. Wietsma for his comments and then advised that he had prepared a short presentation. Mr. Kent began by stating that there is language in the Code that give the Boards latitude to decide if a design is in keeping with the 0 ARPB Regular Meeting 6 Public Hearing May 26, 2015 character of the district etc. So the first question is, can more defined provisions be written without destroying the opportunity for architects to use their creativity. He did not believe there to be a problem with the FAR as written, the problem is where the massing occurs on the property, not the size of the house. With regard to changing the setbacks, he believes the current setbacks are proper for the first story but not for the second story. He said that most of the two -story homes in town have the second story set back 12 to 15 feet and did not feel that changing the side setbacks to 17 feet would address the problem. On corner lots he believed the side setback should be 30 to 35 feet for the second story. The last of Mr. Kent's recommendations was that the eave height be maintained at the 21 foot height and not increased to 23 feet in the discouraged range for the Core and Place Au Soleil Districts. The Town Manager noted that when size is reduced income to the Town is reduced and that becomes cumulative over the years. Mr. Thrasher believed that the existing language is adequate but pointed out that both he and the Boards must be prepared to decide these matters and rule with the generalities that are given in the Code. He further pointed out that Architects and possibly owners are going to argue regarding the vagueness of the Code and he questioned if everyone will be willing or able to stand up against this. Chairman Lyons said he did not necessarily agree that less square footage means less value to the Town. He believed that everyone is better off if expectations can be set out in a quantitative terminology as long as creativity is not stifled. From the conversation in this meeting, Chairman Lyons said it indicates agreement that second story homes will continue to be built and that incentives and /or dis- incentives will not work to control that. In view of this he believed the Board needs a solution to control the impact of second stories. The Chairman asked if the Board is ready for a recommendation as to the setbacks on the first story and Mr. Roach moved to recommend that the setbacks in all districts remain as currently stated in the Design Manual and Mr. Murphy seconded with all voting AYE at roll call. OMr. Roach was excused from the meeting at this time, 11:15 A.M., in order to make a scheduled flight. Chairman Lyons summarized that the action taken at this meeting was to recommend no change with regard to the existing FAR calculations, to recommend no change in the setbacks in any of the Districts from what is currently stated in the Design Manual, and to include the North /South District along with the Core and Place Au Soleil when considering solutions to control two story construction. He noted there has been 5 ARPB Regular Meeting 6 Public Hearing May 28, 2015 considerable discussion with regard to the placement of the second stories and he directed Mr. Kent to provide the Town Clerk with drawings and an explanation of the proposed recommendation discussed in order that she may circulate it with the material for the June 2015 meeting at which additional discussion will take place with regard to reducing the percentage allowed on the second story along with the placement of the second story. C IX. Reorganization. A. Election of a Chairman Mr. Kent moved to elect Mr. Lyons the Chairman of the ARPB, Mr. Murphy seconded and all voted AYE. B. Election of a Vice Chairman Mr. Kent moved to re -elect Thomas Smith to serve as Vice Chairman of the ARPB and the motion was seconded by Mr. Murphy with all voting AYE. X. Items by Staff. There were no items from the staff. XI. Items by Board Members. There were no items from the Board Members. XII. Public. There were no items from the public. XIII. Adjournment. Chairman Lyons adjourned the meeting at 11:35 A.M. Rita L. Taylor Town Clerk 2