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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes P&Z 031197CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION March 11, 1997 MINUTES The Regular Meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission of the City of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was called to order by Vice Chair Diane Carlino at 7:30 P.M. in the Assembly Room at the Municipal Complex, 10500 North Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. The roll was called by Secretary Jackie Holloman: Present Diane Carlino John Glidden Chris Jones William Mignogna Tom Paganini Tom Pastore Jeff Ornstein Absent Carl Sabatello John Nedvins Also present at the meeting were Assistant City Manager Gregg Dunham, City Attorney Paul Golis, Interim Planning and Zoning Director Kim Glas, Principal Planner Marty Minor, and Planner Edward Tombari. • ITEMS BY PLANNING AND ZONING DIRECTOR Mr. Minor announced that staff would be moving into the modular units over the weekend. ITEMS BY CITY COUNCIL LIAISON There were no items by the City Council Liaison. Minutes of February 18,1997 - Mr. Ornstein made a motion to approve the minutes as submitted. Mr. Paganini seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous 6 -0 vote. Minutes of February 25,1997 - Mr. Ornstein made a motion to approve the minutes as submitted. Mr. Pastore seconded the motion, which carried by vote of 4 -0 vote, with Mr. Mignogna and Mr. Jones abstaining. PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION Recommendation to City Council: Petition PUD- 96 -06, by Joseph W. Porten, for the development of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the construction of 13 zero lot line townhomes. The 1.45 -acre site is located on the west side of Military Trail, north of Holly Drive. 81 (Golf Estate Villas) (12- 42S -42E) • Planning & Zoning Commission Minutes March 11, 1997 Principal Planner Marty Minor requested postponement because petitioner had not submitted requested information. Mr. Ornstein made a motion to postpone consideration of Petition PUD - 96-06 until the next meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mr. Pastore seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous vote of 6 -0. workshop: Petition PUD- 96 -04, by Glenn Pate, agent for Palm Beach Gardens Christ Fellowship Church, seeking PUD approval for the construction of an 85,200 square foot church which would accommodate approximately 2,500 people for worship services. The proposed Christ Fellowship Church is located on the north side of Northlake Boulevard and east of Gibson Road. (14- 42S -42B) Principal Planner Marty Minor reviewed the staff report dated March 6, 1997 and pointed out the changes which had been made since the last meeting as well as staff concerns. Pastor Tom Mullins reviewed comparisons made to other large churches in the area as requested by staff. Pastor Mullins explained that comparisons to Trinity Methodist and to St. Marks had reflected that the Palm Beach Gardens Christ Fellowship project was considerably less intense for the site and also had a much larger landscape buffer around the entire site. Efforts to obtain information to provide a • comparison with St. Ignatius had been unsuccessful. To further minimize the impact in the surrounding residential area, the two buildings on the site had been relocated by flipping their previous locations. Pastor Mullins reported that traffic surveys had been conducted by the church, and the information compiled had totally complied with that of Kimley -Horn. Pastor Mullins presented a proposal for traffic flow, which would ideally contain a traffic light signal, however, the County did not want a light. The next best alternative would be to have off -duty policemen direct traffic, and the church had asked the off -duty policemen to use a standard of no longer than 90 seconds for any stoppage of traffic on Northlake Boulevard, the intent of which was that no inconvenience for the community would be created. The site had been modified to include two lanes for ingress and egress which could be changed for exiting under police supervision to one right -turn out and two left -turns out to accommodate actual traffic flow, allowing traffic to exit much quicker. With no longer than 90- second traffic interruptions, residents from nearby developments would not be inconvenienced. Since there was no confirmation provided by the Police Department that they would conform to the 90- second interval concept, Pastor Mullins stated that he would work with the Police Department to obtain written confirmation. The egress point on Gibson Road was discussed. Pastor Mullins explained that one point of egress was preferred by the police and nearby residents. Mr. Ornstein expressed his opinion that an asphalt curb -cut was not necessary, but that the Gibson Road access could be 0 2 Planning & Zoning Commission Minutes March 11, 1997 used only for emergency access by the Fire Department, with all of the church people using the main access on Northlake Boulevard. Pastor Mullins reported that there had been many rumors which had caused concern for Hunt Club residents, and that the church representatives had met with them the night before to dispel those rumors. Pastor Mullins stated that the church had been very willing to accommodate Hunt Club so that their use of Gibson Road would not be impacted. Pastor Mullins commented that 55 additional paved parking spots had been added in front of the worship center. Mr. John Glidden arrived at this point in the meeting at 8 P.M. Pastor Mullins displayed colored elevations and floor plan. Photos of the existing site were displayed to demonstrate that the large trees blocked much of the view from Northlake Boulevard and would hide much of the proposed building. Pastor Mullins commented that the church wanted to provide more landscape buffering than required by code, and had exceeded required landscape points by 1,000, with heavy buffering so that the building would be almost hidden on the site. Pastor Mullins explained that the applicant believed the building height could not be reduced and still keep the proposed interior seating arrangement, and commented that the building did meet code requirements. Pastor Mullins expressed concern that the Hunt Club and Cypress Hollow had gotten wrong information regarding the project and he desired to be a good neighbor, to meet with them, and to clear up • any rumors. Vice Chair Carlino asked that those items be cleared up, which Pastor Mullins stated that he would be glad to do. Pastor Mullins stated that the applicant's basic intent for use of the property had never changed from the time they had originally submitted the application and approached the homeowners associations which were directly impacted. The new facility would be used primarily as a place of worship. The educational facility would be used as a Sunday School facility. Education classes would also be held during the same time period as Sunday School. Pastor Mullins stressed that the educational facility was not to be used as a school or a day care center. The applicant had no plans to put a nursing home, an orphanage, or a juvenile detention center on the site. The Sunday morning worship service and Wednesday evening service would be the basic services. If phenomenal growth occurred, two services would be held on Sunday. Pastor Mullins commented that the biggest issue brought up by people was traffic. Vice Chair Carlino pointed out that the churches used for comparison purposes were not located in low density residential areas, and that new sidewalks encouraged pedestrian use along Northlake Boulevard, so that safety of children in the area was an issue. Pastor Mullins commented that an additional letter of clarification might be coming from the Hunt Club as a result of their recent meeting with him. Pastor Mullins explained that it was his desire to meet with the Cypress Hollow Board and residents before the public hearing. Mr. Ornstein questioned whether the applicant would accept as conditions of approval to prohibit pre- schools, nursing homes, juvenile detention center, and for tent revival meetings. Pastor Mullins agreed. .7 Planning & Zoning Commission Minutes March 11, 1997 Pastor Mullins described the existing uses at the current site, which would remain on that site except for corporate worship services and child care during those worship services, which would be moved to the new building. Mr. Mignogna expressed his opinion that the building was too big and too intense for the site. Mr. Ornstein expressed concern regarding parking, and the size of the building. Mr. Jones commented on the size of the landscaping depicted, on the massive building, and stated that he would like to see conflicts with neighboring developments resolved. Mr. Jones commented that flipping the buildings had helped, but that traffic was a concern. Mr. Ornstein requested that the landscaping be drawn to scale. Mr. Glidden expressed the opinion that issues should be identified and solutions found one by one. Mr. Glidden believed the building height could be reduced slightly. Mr. Glidden commented regarding the traffic issue that the City Engineer had wanted the access on Gibson Road, however, since the church was willing to bear the impact he would agree to override the City Engineer so that the Hunt Club residents would have a much easier route to travel. Mr. Glidden suggested that a plan endorsed by the Police Department would go a long way to dispel the apprehension regarding the traffic issue, and that the Hunt Club residents might need help to get out. Pastor Mullins explained that churchgoers would not impact Hunt Club residents getting onto Northlake Boulevard because church traffic would stack internally until traffic flow had • returned to normal after a maximum 90- second exit period. Mr. Glidden agreed, and stressed that the Police Department would need a tight plan so that would work. Mr. Glidden commented that future expansion to the east would require the church to prove their site did not impact that site; and assurances should be given to the Hunt Club as requested in their letter. Pastor Mullins stated that the applicant was committed to working with Hunt Club and Cypress Hollow to address any reasonable concerns, and could include concerns in the language previously discussed for uses not allowed on the site. Mr. Glidden commented that the applicant should calculate what the lot coverage would be if this parcel were used for a project of single family residences, since he believed the numbers would favor the church use. Mr. Pastore commented that his main concern was the massiveness of the structure which should be softened, and that the traffic situation had probably been overanalyzed since he believed once people learned the site that many of the traffic concerns would naturally be worked out. Mr. Paganini commented that he would like to see more favorable recommendations from the surrounding communities. Pastor Mullins verified that the project had been prepared for 30 to 35 future staff members, many of which would remain at the current site. Vice Chair Carlino commented that two sites across the road from each other on Northlake Boulevard would be utilized and she did not feel that the use was proper for a low residential community area, and stated that the Commission would learn the concerns of the neighbors at the public hearing. Mr. Ornstein questioned the distances shown from the buildings to homes in the Hunt Club, which the applicant was requested to correct if incorrect and to identify. Concerns of the Hunt Club were discussed. Vice Chair Carlino commented that their concerns • 4 Planning & Zoning Commission Minutes March 11, 1997 would be made known at the public hearing, which would be advertised and scheduled. Workshop: Petition CU- 96 -08, by Slattery and Root Architects, agent for Temple Beth - David, for the expansion and renovation of the existing Temple Beth -David site. This petition would amend the existing Conditional Use in a RL -1 residential low density district. Temple Beth -David is located at 4657 Hood Road, between Military Trail and Central Boulevard. (36- 41S -42B) Principal Planner Marty Minor reviewed the staff report dated March 6, 1997. Mr. Ornstein requested that the number of paved parking spaces be shown on the site plan. Mr. Minor clarified that City Forester Hendrickson had requested that both the east and west buffers be increased to 8 feet, making the overall width of the median 16 feet, divided in half by the property line. Phil Luchner of Slattery and Root Architects, agent for the petitioner, provided an update of recent developments. The county had denied the request for a median cut; discussions with MacArthur Foundation were ongoing regarding easements on their property; and an environmental engineer had been hired at the recommendation of the City to provide an environmental study of the 35 acres north of the petitioner's property. After a corridor to the canal had been • established, a specific environmental survey of that section would be done. Mr. Luchner described the proposed lift station and joint usage for drainage, and commented that construction documents were being prepared. Mr. Ornstein requested that the renderings be changed to reflect correct colors, and a comment was made that the parapets would need to be at the same height as the mechanical equipment on the roof. Mr. Ornstein advised that two menorah logos might not be allowed by the sign code. Mr. Jones commented on the traffic pattern on site which did not allow a vehicle to return to the porte cochere after once having gone though. Mr. Luchner explained that it was the petitioner's intent to curb all landscape islands, and verified that the porte cochere height would accommodate a fire truck. Mr. Pastore questioned the applicant regarding drainage. Mr. Luchner explained that currently sheet flow was toward the north and east, but that the parties involved were working to get a common drainage easement between the church property and that of the applicant. Vice Chair Carlino questioned whether Mr. Luchner was aware of other issues raised by staff, to which Mr. Luchner responded that he had a complete list of the issues. Vice Chair Carlino requested that staff look at the sign code and that the applicant address traffic flow and note parking on the site plan. Principal Planner Minor commented that Building Official Jack Hanson had been consulted and had stated that the menorah was not applicable under the sign code. Vice Chair Carlino announced that a public hearing would be scheduled for this petition. • 5 e Planning & Zoning Commission Minutes March 11, 1997 Workshop: Petition PUD- 95 -07, by David L. Carpenter, agent for 2RS Management, Inc., is requesting a rezoning from CG -1 (General Commercial) to PUD (Planned Unit Development) on 2.92 acres and PUD site plan approval for an existing boat sales operation on 7.47 acres north of PGA Boulevard and west of the Intracoastal Waterway. (5-425 - 43E) Principal Planner Marty Minor reviewed the staff report dated March 6, 1997. David Carpenter, agent for the petitioner, explained that the marina when built in 1976 had been a full- service marina with boat storage and that boat sales had occurred as a result of people looking at the boats stored on the property and desiring to purchase them. Mr. Carpenter explained that because the property was located on PGA Boulevard that they were required to seek a PUD zoning designation, which would allow all of the uses which had previously occurred. Mr. Carpenter displayed pictures depicting portions of the property for which waivers were requested. Mr. Carpenter reviewed the waivers as listed in the letter to Mr. Minor and which was included with the staff report. Glenn Straub, owner, explained that 1 -1/2 years ago the old boat storage had been removed and hedges and trees had been installed. Mr. Carpenter explained that the petitioner was requesting a PUD designation to incorporate uses on the property and that no • visible changes would be made to the property other than those shown on the plan, which included additional landscaping. Mr. Carpenter verified for Mr. Ornstein that a cross parking agreement existed with River House. Mr. Ornstein commented that he was not in favor of granting the requested waivers until staff was satisfied and the petitioner had demonstrated that it was impossible to comply. Mr. Jones expressed the opinion that the petitioner should comply with the PGA Overlay District in regard to landscaping and felt that the landscaping along PGA Boulevard should show continuity. Mr. Jones discussed present uses, including boat sale. Mr. Carpenter commented that boat sales were only allowed in conjunction with the marina. Mr. Pastore verified with the petitioner that all existing uses of the property was what was being requested, in the locations noted on the site plan. Mr. Carpenter stated there were no proposed changes except for additional landscaping. The owner commented that a lot of money had been spent to comply with the City's wishes and that the petitioner would now like a response, and explained that boat sales were only a very, very small part of their business, but that a marina must have the ability to sell boats if their customers wanted to sell their boats. Additional trees could interfere with lifting boats from the water for storage, since there was not much room. Frank Callander, owner of the River House, commented that he had no problem with marina activities going on around the River House. Principal Planner Minor responded to Mr. Paganini that code violations concerned outside boat sales, and a PUD designation was needed to accommodate those outside sales. Mr. Minor was requested to check n Planning & Zoning Commission Minutes March 11, 1997 whether storage was allowed on the former Soverell site. Discussion ensued regarding the original zoning of the parcels. A poll of the Commission revealed no problems in granting the waivers except for those members who commented that compliance should be attempted. Vice Chair Carlino provided direction to the petitioner to look at the waivers and if there was a possible way to address them to be prepared to do so at the next meeting. OLD BUSINESS There was no old business to come before the Commission. NEW BUSINESS Vice Chair Carlino questioned whether any outdoor seating would be coming before the Commission in the near future. During ensuing discussion, Mr. Ornstein commented that the biggest problem was that outdoor seating was never taken into account with the approved parking. Mr. Minor explained that staff would like to talk more with business owners concerning this issue. • • 7 Planning & Zoning Commission Minutes March 11, 1997 is ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, upon motion by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mr. Mignogna, and unanimously carried, the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 P.M. The next meeting will be held March 25, 1997. • APPROVED: (Absent) Carl Sabatello, Chairman 1 Diane Carlino, Vice Chair John Glidden Oevr%�. • _ gnogna a ie Holloman Secretary 8