HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes P&Z 070803CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
July 8, 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.
REPORT BY GROWTH MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATOR
Growth Management Administrator Charles Wu reported the following petitions had been approved by
City Council at their July 3, 2003 meeting: Parcel 27.05/.06 amendment, which passed by 3 -2 vote; and
an ordinance for design guidelines for non - residential development, which was approved on first reading.
APPROVAL OF .MINUTES
Mr. Hansen made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 24, 2003 and June 10, 2003 meetings as
submitted. Mr. Channing seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous 7 -0 vote.
ROLL CALL
Betty Laur, Secretary for the meeting called the roll for Planning & Zoning Commission and Local
Planning Agency:
Present
Chairman Craig Kunkle
Vice Chairman Barry Present
Joel Channing
Dennis Solomon
Douglas Pennell
Randolph Hansen
Alternate Michael Panczak
Absent
Chairman Pro Tem. John Glidden
Also in attendance were Growth Management Administrator Charles Wu, Principal Planner Talal
Benothman, Senior Planner Natalie Wong, and City Attorney Christine Tatum.
Public Hearin- and Recommendation to City Council (P &Z)
Petition PUD- 01 -13: Non - Residential MXD Waiver, Rezoning. and Master Plan Approval for The
Borland Center
A request by Cotleur and Hearing, as agent for The Borland Center and RAMDevelopment, for non-
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July 8, 2003
residential MXD waiver and a property rezoning from Planned Development Area (PDA) to Mixed
Use Planned Unit Development (MXDIPUD) to allow for the development of 218,500 square feet
(3,000 -seat theater, 500 -seat small theater, and 300 -seat banquet hall) for a cultural center and
church offices, 72,800 square feet for retail space, 11,860 square feet for restaurant space, 34,500
square feet for office space; and 205 rental apartments on an approximately 47 -acre sites The subject
property is located along the north side of PGA Boulevard between Gardens Square Boulevard and
Shady Lakes Drive. The applicant has requested continuance of the public hearing to a date certain.
Chair Kunkle declared the public hearing open. Paul Auerbach, Gardens of Woodberry representative to
the PGA Corridor Residents Coalition, spoke on behalf of the coalition and asked that his statement in its
entirety be made a part of the record. The coalition statement as read into the record: Mr. Chairman,
members of the Commission, and Staff, my name is Paul Auerbach and I am the Gardens of Woodberry
representative to the PGA Corridor Residents Coalition and I have been asked to speak tonight on
behalf of the Coalition. We want to thank the members of the Planning and Zoning Commission and
staff for giving us the opportunity to address you, given the revised status of these proceedings and to
make a brief statement expressing our interest regarding consideration by the Planning and Zoning
Commission of any development proposals to be made by the Borland Center. We also wish to call your
attention to all of our numerous previous reports, position papers, written statements, and oral
presentations of record on this matter. The PGA Corridor Residents Coalition was established in
March of 2001, and is comprised of numerous residential communities, both those along the PGA
Corridor and elsewhere in the City. The Coalition is generally dedicated to ensuring that the quality of
life of our residents is preserved and protected from any adverse impact in the process of general
development of the area We want to ensure that the attributes of Palm Beach Gardens which attracted
all of us to move here are not compromised in the process of the City's development. In this regard, our
present primary goal is to ensure that the major development proposed for the site in question on PGA
Boulevard becomes a neighbor we can all live with and one that truly meets the needs of all residents
and the City of Palm Beach Gardens. For well over two years now, the PGA Corridor Residents
Coalition has diligently attempted to work with all concerned entities to bring this about. In the
concepts for development represented to date by the Borland Center, the Coalition has had very real
and legitimate concerns that the project as proposed is not consistent with the City's Comprehensive
Land Use Plan, is not compatible with the character of the surrounding area, is not consistent with the
Land Development Regulations, and is not consistent with the PGA Overlay District. The Coalition
contends that the density and intensity of this development as proposed to date, if approved by the City,
will cause a drastic and dramatic impact on the overall character of what is now a predominately
residential area; we have concerns regarding noise, night lighting, general area congestion,
environmental impact, andparticularly impact on traffic. Without significant waivers which have been
requested by the applicant which were to be considered this evening, this project could not proceed as
proposed, based on existing City requirements. We maintain that these waivers are not justified, and
that the granting of these waivers would be in direct conflict with Section 163 of the Florida Statutes.
Now more than ever, the public needs to require the strictest scrutiny on the part of all those who serve
us before any waivers from the City Codes are recommended or approved we urge the City to ensure in
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July 8, 2003
making decisions regarding any requested waivers, that.the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development
Regulations of the City of Palm Beach Gardens are adhered to and upheld. We strongly consider that
the residents represented by our organization have a significant stake in the project to be proposed, and
in what is ultimately built on the property concerned, as in fact we believe do all the residents of our
City. What is at stake? Our property values, traffic gridlock our quality of life. The very intent of the
Mixed Use Development concept which applies in this case, is to provide for a mixture of uses on single
parcels in order to develop sites which are sensitive to the surrounding uses, desired character of the
community, and the capacity of public facilities (including the roadways) to service proposed
developments (99 -1 Ord. 27). This is what the law requires. The Coalition believes that while property
ownership grants certain rights, those rights need to be exercised within the law and balanced with the
adjacent existing developments. In other words, there is a responsibility on the part of the developer to
make the project fit for the existing surrounding community. The project as proposed to date, if
approved, would mean the virtual destruction of the residential character of all the surrounding
developments. We are sure that the Commission members are aware of the Comprehensive Land Use
Plan section Goal 1.1 which states in part: that the primary goal shall be to "continue to ensure a high
quality living environment through a mixture of land uses that will maximize Palm Beach Gardens'
natural and manmade resources while minimizing any threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the
city's citizens that is caused by incompatible land uses and environmental degradation. The Coalition
trusts that the members of the Planning and Zoning Commission, each of you distinguished for your
expertise, experience, and service to this community, would concur with the general proposition that
development and growth, which is certainly important, should not come at the expense of the existing
residents... and certainly not at the cost of the existing lifestyle of our residents. We are confident that
the Commission will be governed in its deliberations of any new plans for this proposed development
project by this logical imperative. We look forward to continuing to work with all involved to
accomplish the goal of ensuring that the proposed Borland Center project becomes a neighbor we can
all live with — together we hope to make this development responsive to the needs of all residents and the
City of Palm Beach Gardens. Thank you.
Robert Davis, M.D., resident of Ballenlsles, commented that there were rules for building and questioned
why everything built in the City was granted variances instead of following those rules —not just for the
Borland Center, but everything built in Palm Beach Gardens. Dr. Davis requested the rules be followed
to benefit those living in the community
MOTION:
Mr. Solomon made a motion to continue the public hearing for Petition PUD -01 -13 as requested
by the applicant, to a date certain of August 12, 2003 at 6:30 p.m. Mr. Panczak seconded the
motion, which carried by unanimous 7 -0 vote.
Workshop: (P &Z)
Petition SP- 03 -03- Parcel 27.13 The Landmark
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July 8, 2003
A request by Cotleur and Hearing, agent for Home Development Corporation, for a site plan
approval of 166 residential condominium high -rise units, including one seventeen -story tower, and
two fourteen -story towers. The 4.70 -acre site is located within the Regional Center Development of
Regional Impact (DRI) in the southwest corner of Gardens Boulevard and Fairchild Gardens
Avenue.
Senior Planner Natalie Wong presented the project. Mr. Panczak asked if a graphic was available to
show where the required setbacks would be, to which the response was no. Mr. Pennell questioned what
the fire concerns were, to which the response was that the applicant needed to provide elevations to show
the level of access for fire apparatus. Vice Chair Present disclosed he had met with the architect to go
over plans, and asked what density was allowed. Ms. Wong responded that these residential units were
vested with the DRI and were the last residential units within the Regional Center. In the comprehensive
plan the overall density of the PCD/DRI must be consistent with the future land use area and based on
this it was consistent with the comprehensive plan. Vice Chair Present asked if therefore there was
nothing wrong with putting all the residential units on one site, to which Ms. Wong responded there
would be a complete report provided at the public hearing.
Donaldson Hearing, representing Home Development Corporation, made a presentation of behalf of the
applicant and stated this project was designed to integrate with the Downtown at the Gardens project.
Mr. Hearing reviewed the site plan. In response to a question from Mr. Panczak, Mr. Hearing indicated
the square footage ofthe proposed units was 2,500 s.f for the smallest, 5,600 s.f for the largest, and the
price ranged from a minimum $500,000 up to $2.5 million. Mr. Hansen disclosed he had met with Mr.
Hearing on this project last week and in that meeting he indicated that the project was exciting from an
architectural standpoint and he thought it was appropriate for this location in terms of density; however,
expressed the following architectural concerns: the architectural character was not detailed on the
parking garage; the middle section of the buildings had very simple and non - detailed architecture. Mr.
Pennell commented it was a lot of project on a small area, but very beautiful, and confirmed with the
applicant that there would be a view of the ocean from the 8 b floor and up. Height and lot coverage
would be dealt with at the next meeting. Vice Chair Present requested photos of other projects by Home
Development Corporation, and commented that on the site plan the service area entry feature appeared
tight. Mr. Hearing described the service area for the three buildings and how it would be accessed. On-
site personnel would be responsible for taking refuse to the service area. Mr. Hearing described how the
valet parking would work. Mr. Hearing advised that the applicant was ready to move forward with the
project as soon as approval was received, and construction would take place in one phase. Mr. Solomon
expressed his opinion this was too much project for the amount of land, and stated he was not concerned
with the height, but was concerned about the 35% open space and the setback numbers. Mr. Solomon
expressed agreement with Mr. Hansen that the parking garage should be architecturally enhanced, and if
there were too many parking spaces perhaps a smaller parking garage could be constructed, allowing
more open space. Mr. Solomon commented that overall the architecture was very good, but the middle
part of the building was a little plain, and he would be interested to know more about the lake planting
issue. Mr. Channing commented that the architecture was beautiful, and disclosed that over time he had
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July 8, 2003
seen some floor sketches of this project. Mr. Channing indicated that on the rear elevation he did not hike
the rounded arches over square windows or the position of the windows. Mr. Channing indicated that the
middle tier of the building bothered him visually, especially the way the columns were capped. Mr.
Channing confirmed with the applicant that this design had been approved by Forbes, and asked if
approval from an architectural committee would be required, which was not known, and Mr. Hearing
commented that Mali Properties had submitted concerns. Mr. Channing advised the applicant that guest
parking did not work in luxury projects because buyers insisted on buying two spaces with each unit. Mr.
Channing expressed concern that the walk to get to apartments was too far, commented that more street
furniture was needed around the lake, and that the height and setbacks were his biggest concern, since he
was afraid of how it would affect the character of the city since each project tried to out -do the previous
one and requested height and setback comparisons with all those buildings near the mall. Discussion
ensued.
Chair Kunkle left the meeting at 7:40 pm., having passed the gavel to Vice Chair Present.
Vice Chair Present requested that the applicant provide a lot more detail on the items discussed by Mr.
Channing and the other commissioners.
OLD BUSINESS
Mr. Wu announced that on July 14 a joint meeting with Lake Park would be held at 7 p.m. at Lake Park
Town Hall.
Mr. Pennell commented that in January there had been a presentation of some buildings along PGA
Boulevard and a Catalfumo representative had showed the commission an upgraded landscape plan. Mr.
Pennell asked if those improvements had been made, to which Mr. Benothman responded he would get an
answer from the City Forester.
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business to come before the Commission.
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July 8, 2003
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:43 p.m The next regular meeting will be
held July 22, 2003.
APPROVED: I 0 ^,
., Chair
Barry Present; Vice Chair
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Betty Laur, Secretary for the Meeting
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