HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes P&Z 021103CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
February 11, 2003
MINUTES
The Regular Meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission of the City of Palm Beach Gardens,
Florida, was called to order by Chair Craig Kunkle at 6:30 P.M. in the Council Chambers of the
Municipal Complex, 10500 North Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and opened with the
Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Meeting minutes of January 28, 2003: Mr. Pennell made a motion to approve the minutes of the
January 28, 2003 meeting as submitted. Mr. Hansen seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous
7 -0 vote.
ROLL CALL
Betty Laur, Secretary for the meeting, called the roll for the Board of Zoning Appeals, Planning and
Zoning Commission, and Land Development Regulation Commission:
Present Absent
Chairman Craig Kunkle Alternate Dick Ansay
Vice Chairman Barry Present
Chairman Pro Tern John Glidden — arrived at 6:40 p.m.
Joel Channing
Dennis Solomon
Douglas Pennell
Randolph Hansen
Alternate Michael Panczak
Also present were Principal Planner Talal Benothman, Planners Brad Wiseman and Natalie Wong,
Senior Planner Mike Sanchez, Planning Technician Autumn Sorrow, City Forester Mark Hendrickson,
and the City Attorney.
SWEARING IN OF SPEAKERS
The City Attorney swore in all those intending to speak.
EX -PARTE COMMUNICATION
Mr. Hansen reported he drove by the site, and in order to get into Frenchman's Creek had spoken to the
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February 11, 2003
owner of the house. Mr. Present commented that he had mentioned before that it would be nice to get a
City letter or card for commission members, stating they were a member of the Planning & Zoning
Commission, for identification purposes and to save time when they wanted to visit a gated community.
Mr. Present requested this be revisited. Mr. Solomon commented he knew a Robert Shulman, but did
not know if it was the applicant.
Public Hearing: (BZA) (Quasi- Judicial Proceeding)
Petition VAR- 02 -04: 13941 LeHavre Drive — Frenchman's Creek
Mr. Joseph Black of Omega Builders as agent for Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shulman, is requesting a
variance from Sec 78 -141, Table 10 of the City Code, which requires a 25 foot front setback for
residential properties located within Residential Low -3 (RL -3) zoning districts. The petitioner is
seeking a variance to allow for a proposed second -story addition to encroach 4.5' into the front
setback The subject property is located at 13941 LeHavre Drive within the Frenchman's Creek PUD.
Planning Technician Autumn Sorrow presented the staff report. Joseph Black was asked if there was
another way to do this and make the overhang shorter, to which he responded there was not. Mr.
Glidden arrived at this point in the meeting and Mr. Panczak, who had been seated in his place, stepped
down. Mr. Black showed a sketch and described the proposed plan. Chair Kunkle asked if Frenchman's
Creek had given approvals in the past, to which the response was yes.
Chair Kunkle declared the public hearing open. Howard Goldsmith, next door neighbor, objected to the
variance, stating the properties were on a cul -de -sac and the addition would further block his view, that
he believed Mr. Black could have what he wanted without blocking the view, that members of the
architectural committee should have given an opinion, and he felt this should be delayed a month in
order for that committee to do its duty. Owner Robert Shulman was sworn in and advised that because
of Mr. Goldsmith's high shrubbery he had to come out of his house and go past the shrubbery now in
order to see the lake view. Mr. Shulman reported Mr. Goldsmith had requested he cantilever the second
story, but explained that would not allow enough space in the garage for a car. Chair Kunkle questioned
why there was no position by the POA. Mr. Benothman commented staff preferred to have a position,
but their official communication said nothing. Hearing no further comments from the public, Chair
Kunkle declared the public hearing closed.
Mr. Hansen reported he went by the home, and noted that a number of other residences in this area had a
second story built on. Mr. Hansen suggested placing the second story on the other side over the
bedrooms or cutting the garage back 4' to its original dimension in order to minimize the effect. Mr.
Pennell asked if Mr. Goldsmith's second story had been added on, to which the response was it had been
added before he purchased the home, and the lake views from both houses were similar. In response to
Mr. Solomon's questions, Mr. Black explained that the side over the garage had been picked because it
was inexpensive space and had a place for a staircase, and that placing the second story over the
bedrooms would be difficult and more costly. Mr. Glidden asked to see the letter from the POA. Mr.
Glidden commented the hedge precluded the view, but could be cut down. Upon receiving the letter
from the POA, Mr. Glidden confirmed that no opinion had been voiced. Mr. Benothman commented the
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February 11, 2003
POA had approved similar variances in the past. Mr. Panczak questioned the space behind the laundry
room and discussed the plan.
MOTION:
Mr. Solomon made a motion to approve Petition Var -02 -04 as requested. Mr. Present seconded
the motion. During discussion of the motion, Mr. Hansen expressed his opinion that the variance
effect could be lessened by reducing the garage 4'. Mr. Pennell indicated he was in favor of
approval, commented it appeared this change was no different than others had done, including the
next door neighbor, and he did not believe it was a view problem. Mr. Present commented the
whole view was oriented toward the back and this was the streetscape, and he was in favor
because of this and because no opinion had been given by the POA. Mr. Solomon commented the
POA did not take a position, which would have been preferred, and he believed it was a
reasonable use, and several other properties had similar additions. Mr. Channing commented he
believed the commission was losing sight of what a variance should be and he thought this was a
self - inflicted hardship and there was another way this could be designed, and if everyone on the
street wanted to do this it would change the character of the street. Mr. Channing stated he did
not think the commission should consider this if the POA did not consider it. Mr. Glidden agreed
with Mr. Present that the street side was not where most of the houses opened up, and he
understood Mr. Hansen's position. Chair Kunkle requested in the future that applications within
master planned communities be deemed incomplete until a position was stated by the POA.
Motion carried by 5 -2 vote, with Mr. Hansen and Mr. Channing opposed.
Public Hearing and Recommendation to City Council (P &Z)
Petition PUD- 01 -11: Mirasol Walk — Planned Unit Development
A request by Audrey Huggins of Gee & Jenson, Inc., on behalf of North American Properties -
Investors, Inc., to develop a Commercial Planned Unit Development named Mirasol Walk. The
proposed development consists of]] 7, 695 square feet of retail space. The 24.57 -acre site is located at
the northwest corner of PGA Boulevard and the Ronald Reagan Turnpike.
Planner Brad Wiseman presented the project. It was confirmed for Chair Kunkle that the Royal palms
were proposed at 16' overall height. Sean Macintyre presented the project on behalf of the applicant and
noted the concerns raised at the workshop had been addressed. Mr. Macintyre noted the four outparcels
were not included in this phase, and provided a booklet of guidelines that would be given to each
outparcel user and advised that they must also abide by the covenants and conditions of the shopping
center. Each outparcel would come back to P &Z for approval. Mr. Macintyre indicated the trees in the
buffer would be staggered at 5' apart. Architect Dale Hafley described the architectural changes made
since the workshop to the back of the building facing the turnpike. Other changes were to the grocery
store columns, and changes to the roof pitch to match the Mizner architectural theme and those used in
the Mirasol community. The architect described the architectural features that would be required of the
outparcels.
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Chair Kunkle declared the public hearing open. Hearing no comments from the public, Chair Kunkle
declared the public hearing closed.
Mr. Panczak suggested the shopping center could have been designed parallel, questioned parking and
was advised that the area he referred to would be mainly for employee parking, and received clarification
that the entrance was designed where it was because more traffic would come from PGA Boulevard than
from Jog Road. Pedestrian walkways were reviewed. Mr. Glidden disclosed he had met with the
applicant's architect a week or so ago to review changes he had suggested at the workshop and his
concern regarding the architecture facing the turnpike. Mr. Glidden noted that elevations just received
during this meeting reflected changes in response to his comments. Mr. Glidden thought the colors
should be lightened up more, and commented the rendering was done from a point up in the air so the
tree mass blocked the service area, but on the ground the landscape would not block the view. Mr.
Glidden indicated a roof plan was needed that clearly showed the areas. The applicant provided a
rendering showing how it would look from the turnpike. Mr. Glidden stressed that accurate drawings
were needed and noted the renderings were not accurate to the buildings. Another rendering was shown,
which Mr. Glidden stated was more accurate. Mr. Glidden commented the view approaching the city
would be the back of the shopping center and at the very least 5 -6 feet of ground landscaping was
needed. Mr. Glidden commented he would have liked a little different orientation of the building,
wanted more accurate drawings, and thought more work was needed on the back of the building. Mr.
Glidden discussed the "on the run" building and that it should be 4 -sided architecture shown plainly on
the elevation, and indicated he could not find roof plans or plans for this building by Mark Weiner. The
applicant indicated roof plans had not been submitted. Mr. Channing commented this submittal was
incomplete, that the large building would read as a huge box, that the city required 4 -sided architecture
and this was not the quality he wanted to see along PGA Boulevard, and a berm was needed instead of
relying on landscaping. Mr. Solomon commented he had not been present for the workshop but could
see the changes were great improvements, agreed with making the roof pitch greater on the towers, and
favored anything that would improve the view from the turnpike. Mr. Present thanked the applicant for
responding to the commissioners' concerns. Mr. Pennell also expressed his thanks and stated that
overall it looked nice. Mr. Pennell commented he did not think landscaping would solve the problem of
the back of the building. Mr. Hansen agreed with Mr. Glidden and Mr. Channing, commented there was
room for improvement, and suggested taking the retail space on the side adjacent to the turnpike and
turning it along the east side of the grocery store and adding a service corridor. Mr. Hansen expressed
concern that the service station back faced the road because junk tended to collect at the back of service
stations. Mr. Hansen discussed accessibility requirements which could change engineering and grading,
and requested consistency in the presentations. Chair Kunkle commented there were 12' trees against a
38' tall building; the buffer needed to be addressed and to turn the corner, and suggested adding color
and checking to see if the buffer contained deciduous trees because those would not work in the winter.
Chair Kunkle asked if there would be a traffic signal at the PGA Boulevard/Jog Road intersection, to
which Mr. Benothman responded that he would discuss that with the City Engineer. Mr. Macintyre
explained the timing of construction of road improvements. The City Forester expressed his opinion that
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the Royal palm height was too short and should be 16' greywood, but if that was not readily available
that the applicant should provide options, Mr. Panczak favored an L- shaped building as suggested by
Mr. Hansen. Mr. Glidden recapped that he agreed that a 4- 1/2' -5' berm would be excellent, that there
was not enough rear landscaping and some could be placed north of the property line if approved in
perpetuity by Mirasol, that there were no labels on the site plan to identify the buildings, and the design
guidelines for the outparcels were not sufficient but they would be coming back, and requested a change
of color in the roof material. Mr. Channing noted a berm needed to be relative to the grade of the
turnpike. The applicant explained that each outparcel would probably be submitted separately. Staff
advised the public hearing requirements had been met. The applicant requested additional time and to
be able to return in a couple of weeks.
Public Hearing and Recommendation to City Council. (P &Z)
Petition SP- 02 -02A, B & E. Old Palm Golf Club PCD — Parcels A, B, and E
A request by Henry Skokowski, Urban Design Studio, on beha f of WCI Communities, Inc., for site
plan approval for Parcels A, B, and E within the Old Palm Golf Club Planned Community District
(PCD) to allow for the construction of 92 custom single-family homes on one -half (112) to one (1)
acre lots. The Old Palm Golf Club PCD is generally bounded by PGA Boulevard to the south,
Westwood Gardens to the north, Central Boulevard and Interstate 95 to the east, and the Ronald
Reagan Turnpike to the west.
Senior Planner Michael Sanchez presented the project. Henry Skokowski spoke on behalf of the
applicant, noted these would be $3 to $5 million homes, and requested the staff restriction for no
driveway gates be removed to allow driveway gates as an option, noted the Fire Department had no
concerns, and suggested appropriate language for a condition of approval.
MOTION:
Mr. Solomon made a motion to recommend to City Council approval of Petitions SP- 02 -02A, B &
E with the three waivers and with conditions of approval as presented in the staff report, with
condition No. 10 substituted with the following language: Driveway gates shall be permitted in the
fence wall within the front setback with the following conditions: (1) A minimum 12' wide vehicle
access is required (2) A Knox key box is required on each vehicle gate (3) The gate shall swing
away or roll away from the vehicle entrance; and (4) A call box shall be provided for guest entry at
each vehicle access. Mr. Glidden seconded the motion. Mr. Hansen requested an amendment
that pedestrian gates within the walls also be encouraged. The applicant agreed. Mr. Solomon
and Mr. Glidden accepted the Mr. Hansen's amendment to the motion. Motion carried by
unanimous 7 -0 vote.
Following a short recess, the meeting reconvened at 8:25 p.m.
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Recommendation to City Council (P&Z)
Petition SP- 02 -26: San Materra/Harbour Oaks
A request from Dodi Glas of Urban Design Studio on behalf of Kolter Property Company to
allow for an amendment to a previously approved site plan of a portion of the San Matera
(f/k/a The Grande at Palm Beach Gardens) within the Regional Center DRI. The proposed
plan is for 317 single- family attached 3 -story units on 25.71 acres. The site is located at the
northeast corner of Gardens Parkway and Valencia Gardens Avenue.
Planner Natalie Wong presented the project. Dodi Glas spoke on behalf of the petitioner. In
response to Mr. Hansen's question of why the courtyards were in a hole, Ms. Glas explained it had to
do with the drainage system. The landscape architect for the project commented that five steps
down would be the worst case, and it would vary from 2 to 5 steps. The applicant explained that the
pocket parks were to make the project better for kids and dogs, and there would be a lot of people
within a small area. There was also a large play area the size of two tennis courts and a tot lot. The
project had originally been approved for 382 units and had been reduced to 317. The units would be
fee - simple, not rentals. Ms. Glas advised there were extra guest parking spaces scattered throughout
the site, the number of units within buildings varied from 4 to 11. Mr. Solomon commented the
project had mostly straight lines with too many units in one row and it would have been better to
break them up with green spaces in between. Ms. Glas responded that in the rear there were some
buildings that were turned and some green areas to provide variation. The number of buildings to be
constructed for the grand opening was discussed and pointed out on the plan. The applicant
indicated to Mr. Solomon that there was a littoral planting plan within the landscape plan. Mr.
Solomon suggested light fixtures on the garages on either side of the doors. Distance between
buildings was clarified for Mr. Channing, and landscaping between buildings was discussed. Mr.
Channing suggested using pavers in the alleys. Mr. Channing requested a section perspective of one
of the streets. Mr. Glidden observed there was not a legible site plan and requested color 11 x 17
copies, and that buildings be identified with their sizes. Mr. Glidden indicated front architecture was
pretty nice; the rear was not so good but would not be viewed by the public; but on the 13 highly
visible end elevations architectural enhancements were needed, and he could not tell how many had
towers because there was no roof plan. Mr. Glidden noted there were only two different building
plans, and there were 5 or 6 different building types. Mr. Glidden commented he would back off a
little on the need for architectural elements on the 13 end elevations if he were shown a lot of
landscaping there. Mr. Glidden indicated the hip and gable roof elements did not mix well and
suggested removing the dormer elements. The color board was presented, and Mr. Glidden indicated
he was okay with the colors. Mr. Panczak agreed the urban concept was exciting, however, with the
lack of affordable housing this would attract young families and he was concerned there was not
enough green space for children. Mr. Panczak was concerned with the amount of cars using the one
entrance. Chair Kunkle commented the landscape was depicted accurately at 5 -year growth, but
suggested the landscaping not be so repetitive, and expressed concern with teenage drivers speeding
down the straight stretches of roadway, and noted pavers might help. Chair Kunkle recommended
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February 11, 2003
the covenants contain language preventing conversion of garages to living space to lessen future
parking problems. Chair Kunkle requested that trees proposed to be planted near water mains be
reviewed. Mr. Present questioned if there would be a problem with the name since there was a
project in the city called Oak Harbor. Ms. Glas indicated no concern had been expressed by
emergency services. The applicant indicated this was a different product type than others in the city,
with a different market. Ms. Glas indicated the comments would be taken to heart, such as pavers
and lighting in the rear, but she was not sure some comments could be addressed because of the
product type. Ms. Glas indicated she believed this product would attract young professionals and
people without children rather than families. More information was requested by the Commission.
Ms. Glas indicated more graphics would be provided.
OLD BUSINESS
Mr. Solomon requested the status of the design guidelines. Mr. Benothman reported that Mr. Wu
had started working on them and would probably be finished by the end of this week.
In response to a request for an update on the Borland Center, Mr. Benothman explained that they
were not yet certified.
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business to come before the Commission.
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ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:27 p.m. The next regular meeting will
be held February 25, 2003.
APPROVF.D-
Alternate Dick Ansay
Alternate
Laur, Wretary for the