HomeMy Public PortalAbout07/08/1996MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING HELD BY THE ARCHITECTURAL
REVIEW AND PLANNING BOARD OF THE TOWN OF GULF STREAM, FLORIDA, ON MONDAY,
JULY 8, 1996, AT 8:30 A.M. IN THE TOWN HALL, 100 SEA ROAD, GULF STREAM, FL.
I. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:30 A.M. by
Chairman Wilson.
II. Roll Call.
Present and Howard E.N. Wilson Chairman
Participating: Fred Devitt III Board Member
Bettina Smith Alternate Board Member
Absent with Notice:
Also Present and
Participating:
William Lynch
Susanna Souder
Sara Winston
R. W. Hopkins
E. Scott Harrington
John Randolph
Rita Taylor
Rustem Kupi
Bill Free
Vice Chairman
Board Member
Board Member
Alternate Board Member
Town Manager
Town Attorney
Town Clerk
Agent for Mr. Morgan
Agent for Mr. Pontius
III. Minutes of the Regular Meeting/Public Hearing of June 17, 1996.
Mr. Devitt moved and Mrs. Smith seconded that the minutes be
approved as circulated and all voted AYE.
IV. Additions, withdrawals, deferrals, arrangement of agenda items.
There were no changes requested.
V. Announcements.
A. Meeting Dates
1. September 25, 1996 at 8:30 A.M. in the Town Hall (Wednesday)
2. October 30, 1996 at 8:30 A.M. in the Town Hall (Wednesday)
Chairman Wilson made these announcements.
VI. PUBLIC HEARING.
A. Applications for Development Approval
1. Rustem Kupi and Mark Vigneault of Kupi & Vigneault Architects
as Agents for Scott and Lisa Morgan, contract purchasers
of the property located at 570 Wright Way, Gulf Stream, Fl.,
that is legally described as Lot 11, Block 3, Polo Fields
#1 Subdivision.
Oaths were administered to Rustem Kupi and Mark Vigneault at the direction
of Chairman Wilson.
Mr. Kupi presented a site plan and color rendering of the proposed two-story
i home with a total Floor Area Ratio, under the sliding scale, that is 320
square feet less than the maximum permissible. He pointed out that the
style is Bermuda with white cement tile roof, exposed rafter tails, corner
quoins, casement windows with muntins and louvered shutters. With regard,
to the landscaping, Mr. Kupi stated that the only existing vegetation that
will be removed is that which is located within the building pad and they
plan to relocate as much of it as possible on the remainder of the property.
He pointed out that the garage doors will be screened from the road by
the dense hedge that is existing at the property line. Mr. Kupi advised
that the owner had not decided where the existing gazebo would be located or
if it would be kept at all.
Architectural Review & Planning Board
Regular Meeting and Public Hearing
July 8, 1996 page 2
Town Manager Harrington presented his staff anaylsis of the project and
pointed out that although two-story homes are discouraged in the Core
zoning district, potential negative impacts are mitigated by the use of
one-story wings and the location of the two-story portion near the center
of the lot. He added that the lot is nearly twice as large as the surround-
ing lots, which helps to maintain a proper proportion between the mass of
the home and the lot, and between the home and surrounding homes.
CMr. Harrington recommended approval of the Land Clearing Permit, based on
the finding that the proposed vegetative relocations/removals and the
addition of fill are consistent with applicable Land Clearing permitting
criteria. He further recommended approval of the Level 3 Architectrual/Site
Plan R�view_9n that the project is consistent with all applicable standards,
including those contained in the Gulf Stream Design Manual, with the
conditions that: 1) A minimum 5 foot fence or wall shall be provided to
enclose the pool area as per County building requirements; and 2) The
driveway material shallconform to the requirements of the Design Manual.
In closing, Mr. Harrington stated that he understood that the gazebo was
being demolished. He advised Mr. Kupi that if it is to remain, it must be
relocated so as not to encroach into any of the setback areas.
Chairman Wilson, Mr. Devitt and Mrs. Smith all agreed the'� proposed develop-
ment of the site is very attractive. There was no comment from the public.
a. LAND CLEARING PERMIT -To permit removal and relocation
of existing plant material that falls within the
proposed building footprint.
Mr. Devitt moved, and Mrs. Smith seconded, that it be recommended to the
Town Commission that the Land Clearing Permit be approved based on a finding
that the plans and documents submitted by the applicant, as proposed, meet
all applicable permitting criteria. Roll Call: Mr. Devitt; AYE, Mrs. Smith;
AYE, and Chairman Wilson; AYE.
b. LEVEL 3 ARCHITECTURAL/SITE PLAN REVIEW -To permit the
construction of a two-story, single family dwelling and
accessory structures at the above location.
Mr. Devitt moved to recommend approval of a Level 3 Architectural/Site Plan
Review based on the plans and documents submitted by the applicant and a
finding that the following conditions are necessary for the proposed
improvements to be consistent with the applicable review criteria: 1) A
minimum 5 foot fence or wall shall be provided to enclose the pool area as
per County building requirements. 2) The driveway material shall conform
to the requirements of the Design Manual. The motion was seconded by Mrs.
Smith. Roll Call: Mr. Devitt; AYE, Mrs. Smith; AYE, Chairman Wilson; AYE.
2. Bill Free, General Partner of Wyndsor Building & Design, as
�. Agent for Harold Pontius, owner of the property at 1315 N.
Ocean Blvd., Gulf Stream, Florida 33483 that is legally
described as Part of Lot 5 and Part of Lot 6, Revised Plat of
Blocks D & E, Palm Beach Shores Acres Subdivision.
The Town Clerk administered the Oath to Mr. Free, after which Mr. Free
explained that the color rendering he had expected to display was not
available. Mr. Free stated that after construction was underway on the
new home, the owner made a number of changes in the design, most of which
were interior. However, he stated that the master bath was enlarged by
about 70 square feet while at the same time the covered patio on the
northeast corner was enlarged by 141 square feet, resulting in a total of
150 square feet being added to the structure over what was approved. The
net result is the two additions exceed the maximum permitted floor area by
69 square feet.
Architectural Review & Planning Board
Regular Meeting and Public Hearing
July 8, 1996 page 3
Mr. Free further advised that the owner is requesting to remove the
muntins from the doors and windows on the back of the structure in order
to provide a better view of the ocean.
Mr. Harrington, in reviewing his report, advised that on a routine site
inspection he discovered a set of revised plans were being used for the
construction of the dwelling. The revisions had been made after the
project had been approved by the Town Commission, he said. Mr. Harrington
reported that either the addition to the master bathroom or the addition
to the patio would have been permissible without aSpecial EKcep`_ion but taken
together, the two additions exceed the maximum permitted floor area by 69
square feet as stated by Mr. Free. He further reported that in order to
allow work on the home to continue, he had permitted the change to the
bathroom but not the enlargement of the patio area. As a result, the
applicant applied for a Special Exception under Article IV, Section E.2.,
.which permits up to 300 square feet of roof projections to be excluded
from the floor area calculation. Mr. Harrington pointed out that the home
includes other covered, unenclosed areas, 557 square feet on the ground
floor and 96 square feet on the second floor. Based on the information
submitted by the applicant, he stated that the staff finds the extension
of the covered patio to be consistent with the standards found in Article
IV. Section E.2. of the Design Manual with the condition that prior to
the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, the owner record a deed restrict-
ion which prohibits the future enclosure of any covered patio areas or the
addition of any more floor area to the property.
a. SPECIAL EXCEPTION -To permit the addition of a covered patio
to the dwelling under construction that will exceed the
maximum permitted floor area by 69 sq. ft.
Mr. Devitt moved to recommend approval of a Special Exception to permit the
covered patio areas to exceed the maximum permitted floor area by 69 square
feet, based on the plans and documents submitted by the applicant and a
finding that the following condition is necessary for the proposed improve-
ments to meet all applicable specific and general Special Exception review
standards: 1) Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, the
applicant shall record a deed restriction that prohibits the future
enclosure of any covered patio area or the addition of any more floor area
on the property. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Smith. There was no
comment from the public. Roll Call: Mr. Devitt; AYE, Mrs. Smith; AYE,
and Chairman Wilson; AYE.
b. LEVEL 3 ARCHITECTURAL/SITE PLAN REVIEW AMENDMENT -To
increase the total square footage of the dwelling under
construction that was previously approved and to permit the
removal of the muntin bars on the doors and windows on the
rear of the building at the location stated herein.
Chairman Wilson asked Town Manager Harrington to review his report with
regard to the applicant's request to remove the muntin bars from the rear
doors and windows. Mr. Harrington pointed out that in completing the
application form, the applicant provided no justification for removing the
muntins on the back of the home despite the great attention given this
issue by staff and the Board at the time the home originally was approved.
He then called attention to a copy of the rear elevation that was approved
that shows two large expanses of glass -one at the center on the ground floor
and the other on the north end of the ground floor, behind the extended
covered patio. The reason these large,- unarticulated glass areas were
approved was due to the fact that they were balanced by the inclusion of
the muntins on all of the other doors and windows on the elvation, he said.
Architectural Review & Planning Board
Regular Meeting and Public Hearing
July 8, 1996 page 4
He called attention to Article V., Section 4. Windows, in the Design Manual
that states a clear preference for the "use of muntins to divide glass into
unified sections, as opposed to large expansive panes of glass", and also
discourages "windows as a dominat element". Mr. Harrington reminded that
when the home was first reviewed, it was praised for its traditional design
and harmony and consistency between elevations, in that similar window
styles and treatments were used on all four sides of the building. Mr.
Harrington stated that the removal of the muntins would greatly upset this
harmony and consistency as large,open areas of glass are clearly contemporary
elements on a home that otherwise exhibits a number of traditional Spanish -
Mediterranean Revival design elements. The Town Manager stated that the
design of the home on the rear elevation, as originally approved, strikes
a good balance between the desire for unobstructed views of the ocean and a
consistency of design with the other three elevations and the overall
architecture of the home. The unilateral change suggested by the applicant
creates a great inconsistency between these elements, he said. Mr.
Harrington advised that the staff recommends denial of the request to
remove the muntin bars on the doors and windows on the rear elevation of
the home, based on a finding that the building and site plans submitted
by the applicant fail to meet all applicable review standards.
Chairman Wilson asked for comment from the public on the matter of the
removal of the muntins and there was none. He then asked for comment from
the members of the Board. Mr. Devitt stated he was opposed to recommending
removal of the muntins as this had been discussed in great detail when
the project was first presented for approval. It had been determined at
that time that the muntins must be in place in order to meet the applicable
standards. He stated for the record that his position was not influenced
by the recommendation of the Town Manager. Mr. Devitt added that he felt
strongly about this when the design was first approved and had not changed
his position. Both Mrs. Smith and Chairman Wilson believed that the
muntins should remain as originally approved.
Chairman Wilson directed that action on the Level 3 Architectural/Site Plan
Review be taken in two parts in that there are two separate issues. He
asked for a motion regarding the increase in total square footage of the
building. Mr. Devit moved to recommend approval of a Level 3 Architectural/
Site Plan Review for the enlargement of the covered patio based on the
building and site plans submitted by the applicant and finding that the
following condition is necessary for the proposed improvements to meet all
applicable review standards: 1) Prior to the issuance of a certificate of
occupancy, the applicant shall record a deed restriction that prohibits the
future enclosure of any covered patio area or the addition of any more floor
area on the property. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Smith. Roll Call:
Mr. Devitt; AYE, Mrs. Smith; AYE, and Chairman Wilson; AYE.
Chairman Wilson then asked for a motion regarding the removal of the muntins.
At this point Mr. Free asked to be recognized and Chairman Wilson granted
the request. Mr. Free, on behalf.of Mr. Pontius, asked to withdraw the
request to remove the muntins in view of the apparent opposition to this
request. Mr. Devitt moved,and Mrs. Smith seconded, that it be recommended
to the Town Commission that the request to withdraw the application to
remove the muntins be granted. Roll Call: Mr. Devitt; AYE, Mrs. Smith;
AYE, and Chairman Wilson; AYE.
Architectural Review & Planning Board
Regular Meeting and Public Hearing
July 8, 1996 page 5
VII. Items by Staff.
A. Construction in Progress in June, 1996.
The report showed there to be $5,003,488 worth of construction in progress.
Mr. Harrington advised that this figure would be reduced again after he
had completed the Administrative Closure process for many of the projects
still on the list.
VIII. Items by Board Members.
There were no items from the Board Members.
IX. Public.
There was no comment from the public.
X. Adjournment.
Chairman Wilson adjourned the meeting at 9:25 A.M. on a motion to
do so made by Mrs. Smith, which was seconded by Mr. Devitt, with all
voting in the affirmative.
1 �7r-(Z)
Rita L. -Taylor, Town Jerk