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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
•
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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
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Diane Carlino, Vice Chair
John Glidden
Oevr%�. • _
gnogna
a ie Holloman Secretary
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