[2:45] [Background noises]
[3:44] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: We call the meeting
[3:46] to order, the Pledge of Allegiance.
[3:54] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
[3:56] and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God,
[3:56] indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
[4:05] You have had a chance to go over the minutes, any comments ?
[4:16] We also want to welcome our new member here
[4:21] to the city replacing Dwight, Dwight
[4:25] went on to a more relaxed life.
[4:30] Welcome.
[4:41] All those in favor I aye?
[4:47] Minutes approved.
[4:53] Speaker: Please be advised the following items on the agenda
[4:56] are quasi judicial in nature, please be ready to comment when
[5:02] the chairman asks for public input for the item .
[5:10] All testimony including public testimony and evidence
[5:13] will be made under oath or affirmation.
[5:16] Additionally, each person who gives testimony
[5:18] may be subject to cross-examination.
[5:20] If you refuse either to be cross-examined or to be sworn,
[5:24] your testimony will be given its due weight.
[5:27] The general public will not be permitted
[5:30] to cross-examine witnesses, but the public
[5:32] may request the Architectural Review
[5:34] Board to ask questions of staff or witnesses on their behalf.
[5:37] Persons representing organizations
[5:39] must present evidence of their authority
[5:42] to speak for their organization.
[5:44] Further details of the quasi judicial procedures
[5:47] may be obtained from the clerk.
[5:50] Do we have any disclosures of communications concerning either
[5:56] of the items on today's agenda?
[6:01] seeing none, please swear in anyone who wishes to be heard
[6:06] today..
[6:11] Village Clerk Juan D. Garcia: All those providing testimony
[6:14] please raise your right hand, do you swear to tell the truth,
[6:18] the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
[6:22] thank you.
[6:50] Speaker: We received the written confirmation
[6:53] they are in Agreeance with the conditions.
[6:56] It follows the village code and planning ordinance.
[7:24] Brett Loman: This project was originally approved back in 2023
[7:28] and awaiting construction for several years.
[7:32] The owner and design team have seen opportunities
[7:35] for design improvements to the overall site plan as well as
[7:39] architectural features.
[7:41] What's been presented today is the overall site plan,
[7:45] which I can present just briefly in a series of renderings.
[7:51] Initially we had a series of external renderings going around
[7:55] the perimeter of the property, I supplied those and also provided
[8:00] updated renderings so we can see those previously approved versus
[8:03] what's being proposed right now .
[8:08] On the overall site plan, just a few things
[8:10] that are being updated.
[8:12] Starting in the Northwest corner,
[8:16] originally that was more of a site circulation space and what
[8:21] we've done here is to provide a flat grass area .
[8:28] As we work around the perimeter of the property,
[8:31] we've been identifying corridors for trees, larger specimen trees
[8:38] and renderings, we've got the before and after shots
[8:42] for the landscaping scheme.
[8:46] as we work our way around the site,
[8:49] there's an outdoor barbecue area which originally
[8:52] was part of the garden before.
[8:54] We are presenting an outdoor patio which you will
[8:56] see in the exterior renderings.
[8:59] The site circulation towards the Northeast corner
[9:03] of the property, which is the lower plan right
[9:06] is being reconfigured to be more efficient
[9:09] as well as for staff parking, exterior work services,
[9:14] it's all going to be sheltered by hedging and landscaping
[9:19] from the street.
[9:23] this area highlights the overall main floor level plan
[9:26] and there's three features I want
[9:27] to identify that are being updated from the previously
[9:30] approved project.
[9:33] The first one starting at the upper right originally
[9:36] we had an exterior stair tower.
[9:40] Since this project has gone underway,
[9:43] we realized the better function for this massing which
[9:47] remains consistent from the previously approved blueprint
[9:50] was a storage condition as opposed
[9:53] to an exterior stairway which is not needed.
[9:56] The next is the entry vestibule, originally
[10:00] the glass ran all the way across but we decided
[10:03] to create more of an experiential quality
[10:06] vestibule itself which you will see in some of the renderings.
[10:50] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: There is no visual aid
[10:54] to understand what is really being changed, which puts us
[10:58] in a difficult position.
[10:59] Are you attorney, architect?
[11:05] You understand now how we approve this thing
[11:10] three years ago.
[11:15] Brett Loman: When this was first submitted,
[11:17] it was asked to remove the clouds.
[11:50] The last on this plan is this footprint here,
[11:56] originally it was proposed as covered parking
[11:59] and now we are enclosing this space as an enclosed garage.
[12:31] Directly above is this two bedrooms and a common living
[12:35] space.
[12:35] One of the changes that we made as a bump out here,
[12:40] I could have shown what it looked like before versus what
[12:44] it looks like now, but the living room and bedroom
[12:46] to the right of it had gone straight across
[12:49] and now it's being bumped out to increase that area.
[13:20] on the upper level the only other changes
[13:23] is directly what I explained to the ground floor plan.
[13:29] Entry on the ground floor remains
[13:32] under the previously approved roof canopy,
[13:34] but it is a proper bump out to create that entry vestibule.
[13:39] The last change on this plan is the storage tower,
[13:43] which originally was the upper portion so it's been converted
[13:49] into a storage within the existing footprint that
[13:53] was previously approved, it's just
[13:56] a change of function within this footprint.
[14:28] Brett Schlacter, Board Member: Nothing to disclose.
[14:33] Brett Loman: What's been shown on these next slides
[14:36] is the originally approved rendering versus the proposed
[14:41] rendering which is directly below, and what we need to do
[14:44] is take nearly the exact same shot
[14:46] so you can understand what was previously
[14:48] approved versus what is being proposed at this point.
[14:52] Some of my comprehensive comments
[14:56] on what was being proposed, what this is showing
[14:59] is that the elevation from the cul de sac
[15:03] remains nearly identical to the original proposed, so there were
[15:09] some functions occurring on the left hand side with the staff
[15:12] parking site circulation, but those remain behind landscaping.
[15:18] The architectural landscaping itself in this view
[15:22] remains consistent.
[15:23] Some of the areas I described are further on down the slides.
[15:30] Just to reiterate what was previously approved,
[15:34] we had the overall landscape hedging on the left hand
[15:38] side coming towards the main entry
[15:40] to the house which remains consistent with the original,
[15:43] and on the right hand side we have this water feature element
[15:47] that wraps around toward the right hand side
[15:49] and I will get into that on a later slide
[15:54] but this elevation remains consistent with what
[16:00] was approved.
[16:08] This rendering is meant to show the program change
[16:13] within the footprint, here the original proposed rendering
[16:17] which was approved was consistent
[16:20] with the adjacent glass elevations
[16:22] and in the proposed rendering we are bumping out the entry
[16:25] vestibule to provide a proper entry and more
[16:29] of an experiential quality to this project.
[17:02] This view up top the original rendering was approved
[17:09] with some adjustments to the landscape,
[17:13] but the overall massing remains consistent.
[17:18] You will see it's very subtle, but the bump out to that portion
[17:21] directly above the garage .
[17:35] Right here was a covered carport, and on this side
[17:40] you will see the garage door so it's a pass through garage
[17:44] with a door on both sides.
[17:48] The main entry on the garage is on the other side of that .
[17:58] This view here, again these are renderings wrapping around
[18:02] the house from originally proposed so we took the same
[18:06] shots in our attempting to show the adjustment within this
[18:10] rendering, this is where the proposed barbecue area was .
[18:18] As we wrap around the house, this view
[18:20] is meant to showcase the adjustment to the trees.
[18:23] On the originally approved rendering
[18:26] there's a series on the west or intercoastal
[18:29] face of the sea wall.
[18:31] As this project has come into realization,
[18:34] this views towards the water are better without the palms
[18:39] and the landscape architect has adjusted the overall landscaping
[18:42] plan as well as provided a bit more privacy and shade
[18:47] to the southern elevation of the project.
[18:55] This view is showing the change from the approved rendering
[18:59] which was a garden space to a flat grass relaxation and play
[19:04] area.
[19:06] Again, the architecture here remains
[19:08] consistent with the original and is
[19:10] more of landscaping adjustments as you
[19:14] go from the north down to the south and around to the Marina.
[19:18] There was a question about the change to the elevation.
[19:22] The original stair tower here that was open
[19:26] screened, since this is being closed,
[19:29] it is now stone that comes down and very
[19:33] close to the window that breaks down the side elevation of that.
[19:38] I would also like to point out the scale from the street,
[19:46] you see originally it extended closer to the side yard property
[19:51] line and since then we have extended it a little bit less,
[19:56] provided landscaping to work to the advantage of masking that
[20:01] stair tower .
[20:06] Lastly, when this was being reviewed
[20:08] with part of these changes, we added this additional rendering
[20:13] to showcase the overall elevation
[20:15] from the cul de sac a little bit closer,
[20:17] so you could see that mass on the right hand side
[20:20] and how it's working to be screened through landscaping.
[20:29] Thank you.
[20:48] Board comments and questions?
[20:55] Speaker: My questions are focused on the stair tower
[20:58] in the guest parking area or staff parking area,
[21:02] we don't have the before to understand what is happening
[21:05] in the staff parking area .
[21:14] In that Northeast corner, can you describe the changes,
[21:19] and help me understand how you are blocking the views
[21:23] from the Marina Basin?
[21:27] I see you have a four foot fence called out in minimal
[21:30] landscaping there .
[21:37] Brett Loman: In the previously approved plan,
[21:40] the entrance was at this location so it was not changed,
[21:44] and the hedging on the street side remains consistent
[21:47] so there's going to be a hedge that runs around on the Marina
[21:52] side, we are using a fence which the code can only
[21:57] be four feet tall but we are using the fence to impose
[22:02] that staff parking area there.
[22:04] As you work your way to the left or to plan south,
[22:08] that's where the landscaping starts
[22:10] to pick up and start to screen those site service areas.
[22:15] Before, the area was more of a garden,
[22:17] and as the project is coming to realization
[22:19] we realized we needed a bit more room for enclosures and things
[22:23] like that.
[22:24] Everything is enclosed with a fence, and where we can
[22:28] we are putting an additional layer
[22:30] of landscaping per the guidelines
[22:33] to shelter this area from public view.
[22:43] Speaker: I think that's going to be an area of concern
[22:46] because that is visible from the public basin.
[22:52] South, you have a lot more landscape but I think that area
[22:57] it looks like you would lose two of these parking spaces .
[23:08] I just think more hedging, you can't get more than four feet
[23:13] with the structure but I think it's
[23:14] going to look nicer because that's
[23:16] where they're going to be sitting
[23:18] entertaining with their boats, I think
[23:23] it would be a nicer experience for the community as well.
[23:36] Speaker: The tower, it is very large and I'm pretty sure it was
[23:43] me that brought up the concern with the mass .
[23:48] I'm probably going to recommend you lose one of these date palms
[23:53] and add a larger tree in the right of way there to create
[23:58] a larger landscape visual barrier,
[24:02] because it's a massive structure,
[24:04] 35ft tall blank concrete facade.
[24:09] It's obscured by a tree that doesn't exist in the plan .
[24:24] This is the view here, if you look here you have a 35 foot
[24:29] tall concrete wall from the cul de sac .
[24:39] If you lose the northernmost one on that,
[24:42] I think you'd be able to screen it better with without losing
[24:46] the formality of that large colonnade of palm trees .
[24:54] That would be my request and recommendation .
[25:10] Speaker: I think the trees as shown now really
[25:13] start to soften it, I guess it's not a bad idea.
[25:19] these are simple things.
[25:27] Brett Loman: You're suggesting for more of a specimen tree?
[25:43] I think the attempt with this landscaping
[25:47] was to try to hide some of this massing,
[25:51] because that was a concern when we originally presented.
[25:54] I agree with your comments to provide something
[25:58] different to try to take away that massing from the street.
[26:20] Speaker: Overall, the before and after is represented
[26:24] a very harmonious transformation we liked and we approved, it's
[26:31] a beautiful house.
[26:33] I personally don't see any significant issues,
[26:37] there's some layering of landscape
[26:39] that architects sometimes push back on but architects love it
[26:44] because it does soften a very sort of monumental architecture,
[26:49] in this case.
[26:53] Those are simple things, I don't know
[26:56] if you want to make that a condition
[26:57] or a friendly suggestion, the landscape layering.
[27:11] I want to point out I'm busy in the neighborhood
[27:17] and I'm doing a house across from this one,
[27:19] there's a lot of parking already that's Marina parking.
[27:23] I'm not saying it's beautiful or attractive,
[27:27] there are parking lots you see from around the boat
[27:32] but I think layering landscape in front of that would really
[27:36] help get the cars to appear more from the perspective
[27:42] of the Marina.
[27:44] The four foot fence kind of meaningless,
[27:50] it would have been nice to see a design for that fence
[27:53] but I assume it's similar to fencing
[27:55] that we see in the renderings.
[27:58] They are probably like 50% or more opacity,
[28:03] so there's already an intent to create
[28:06] privacy and visual separation.
[28:15] so we will put that into our condition.
[28:22] We do have public comments.
[28:30] these comments come from a neighbor,
[28:36] She states you could compare or see
[28:40] an overlay of what was approved and what was proposed.
[28:44] I think she agreed with me.
[28:50] Building taller from the entrance to the East,
[28:55] the north feels like we are getting
[28:57] blocked in by another wall restricting air movement.
[29:02] The color scheme seems to have darkened a bit,
[29:05] is there an intention of changing the color scheme
[29:08] or is this a rendering effect?
[29:13] Brett Loman: I think this is renderings
[29:15] and how they've changed over the last few years,
[29:18] especially with AI.
[29:21] The tree is obviously show a little bit darker
[29:25] in this update, the color scheme remains consistent,
[29:29] it's just a rendering.
[29:47] Speaker: The house seems to be getting even bigger than it
[29:50] was, it's enormous.
[29:52] My perception is there really no major volumetric change turning
[29:58] a carport into a garage , but it doesn't change the massing.
[30:06] I like the addition of more green space .
[30:13] Those are six comments from a neighbor,
[30:16] you could receive these forms from the city I suppose .
[30:25] Should we have a motion on this?
[30:35] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: Any other public comments
[30:37] at this point?
[30:39] we are good for moving this forward.
[30:46] Speaker: I motion to approve with the condition
[30:48] we amend the Northwestern storage tower
[30:55] and increase the landscape screening on that side.
[31:00] Those are conditions, not recommendations.
[31:07] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: Everybody
[31:09] agree with those conditions?
[31:10] So we move it Forward.
[31:16] All those in favor of moving the project forward
[31:22] with those conditions say aye?
[31:28] Four votes out of four members today, thank you.
[31:32] How much more time for completion?
[31:38] another year?
[31:41] very well.
[31:54] Is the next group ready to go?
[32:00] identify yourself for the record.
[32:12] Speaker: We are here to represent my client,
[32:19] as well as his, for a new two story home that is about
[32:25] 13,000ft².
[32:26] I'm sure you guys have looked at the plans that we submitted,
[32:31] and there's a lot of renderings that depict different types
[32:34] of materials .
[32:39] The outside finishes and the overall design,
[32:42] it's a beautiful concept.
[32:44] We are trying to get everything that the board has requested
[32:48] implementing it, we request if possible for your approval.
[32:56] That being said, I have my lead designer who is very familiar
[33:02] with the project and I want to bring him to the podium
[33:06] and explain more about the concept for the design .
[33:21] Speaker: For the record before I start,
[33:26] full disclosure I am friends with the foxes
[33:30] and have seen the plans in the past.
[33:43] Speaker: Thank you for having us.
[34:01] Martin Litman: I guess I'll start with some of the exterior
[34:04] images so that we can explain what the design process and how
[34:09] the creative process started , this is the perfect page
[34:16] to start with.
[34:18] The top renderings are street views
[34:22] and the bottom two renderings are courtyard views.
[34:25] The whole concept behind how we started the massing
[34:28] of the design really stemmed from the existing house that is
[34:32] there today .
[34:39] I have a picture that I brought here just
[34:41] to give a little reference, this is the existing home
[34:44] that's here today.
[34:46] The owner really liked that layout,
[34:49] and that idea about having two one story structures towards
[34:53] the street view , so they wanted to maintain that idea even
[34:59] though this is esthetically completely different.
[35:02] Really that is what started the design
[35:05] to try to adhere with the client's request of having
[35:09] these structures be the screening towards the street
[35:12] to create privacy, and as you continue to the courtyard,
[35:17] these one story structures create a connection
[35:21] to the two story structure of the residence
[35:24] as it continues towards the west through these architectural
[35:30] elements here, which are two beams that connect the one story
[35:35] structures to later the rest of the home towards the west.
[35:38] The idea is to have a very private courtyard,
[35:43] and not only are these two one story structures very important
[35:47] functional part of the program, but like I was saying,
[35:51] it really creates that beautiful private area in front.
[35:55] As we continue moving towards the next page,
[36:01] we really don't discuss on the interior but we decided
[36:05] to include some images so you can see in general and explain
[36:10] the cohesion between the interior and exterior
[36:13] of materials can really be seen throughout the project .
[36:21] we designed the interiors, but we have an interior designer
[36:25] that's going to be sourcing and taking care of all the shop
[36:29] drawings, et-cetera.
[36:30] We have designed the house entirely,
[36:33] even though the exterior is here we wanted to really show
[36:37] the interior to have a sense of the overall project
[36:43] because the materials on the exterior,
[36:47] really there's three main materials being used.
[36:51] On the board below, you can see all of the wood accents ,
[37:00] there's various features.
[37:02] You have vertical slats that can be seen here
[37:07] which would be on the board.
[37:10] Then we have more solid paneling around other areas of the home,
[37:14] later we have stone cladding throughout these beams
[37:20] and throughout these bands, the roof and the vertical walls,
[37:26] and in the center here we have a different stone
[37:29] which is more of a marble.
[37:34] Those are technically the three materials
[37:35] we will be using throughout the project front, rear, interior
[37:41] and exterior.
[37:42] You can see here how we would tie together the accent
[37:47] and at the same time, the wood cladding happens
[37:51] to be on the exterior of the portico,
[37:54] but then on the interior we bring the marble
[37:57] from the front one story structure
[37:59] and it becomes a design accent feature,
[38:05] everywhere else you have the wood cladding here
[38:07] in its different forms.
[38:10] Here it's solid, here are the slat versions .
[38:17] We also use the slats as a design feature for the entry
[38:22] fence and vehicular gate .
[38:29] Here on the interior we are using all the same materials,
[38:32] the wood and marble and stone.
[38:35] As we continue going to the rear,
[38:38] we are very consistent with the material selection as well.
[38:43] One of the most important features as I mentioned that
[38:46] the client really designed, I mentioned one of them was
[38:52] in the front which is the one story structures and then
[38:55] the other main program desires that they really wanted to have
[39:04] their bedroom as far west as possible,
[39:07] that's why the entire master suite on the second floor here
[39:12] creates the covered terrace below ,
[39:18] and you can see on the side here to be able to achieve that
[39:23] proximity to the water, we brought all of the master suite
[39:29] as close as possible, and then we have a side balcony so it
[39:36] wouldn't push the bedroom toward the rear or towards the east,
[39:40] so that was really the conception
[39:43] behind the rear design.
[39:44] The entire master bedroom towards the water creating
[39:48] the covered terrace is extremely important,
[39:53] and they wanted to have the view towards the Northwest,
[39:59] and that's what this balcony is there for.
[40:03] When you're in the bedroom, this is the balcony area which is
[40:07] an additional seating exterior area .
[40:14] In many areas of this house the interior exterior connection,
[40:17] nowadays you hear so much about in these modern homes,
[40:22] we really wanted to help create that interior exterior flow.
[40:26] Even though the bedroom has a lounge area where the study is,
[40:31] it continues out towards this balcony and you have that
[40:36] Northwest view .
[40:44] I guess that concludes the presentation,
[40:48] maybe it's good to mention that in the pool
[40:52] we have a sunken fire pit as well.
[40:57] in a way, the shape of the pool looks
[41:04] like it's a straight rectangle, but actually
[41:08] the pool of water line is more of a U shape
[41:13] and the center we carved out a space for the sunken fire pit.
[41:20] thank you so much.
[41:33] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: Let me ask you a few things.
[41:38] A few practical things, just coming
[41:43] from the kind of experience that time gives us.
[41:47] You have the condensing units on the rooftop
[41:50] which is convenient because you bring that noise up to the roof
[41:53] and hopefully it doesn't affect anybody.
[41:57] But I believe the building code requires
[42:00] you have access to a rooftop and access for servicing.
[42:15] so that's just a friendly comment,
[42:17] because what we typically try to do because a lot of these end
[42:21] up having roof terraces as well, since we are going up
[42:27] to the roof tariff with some kind of stair,
[42:31] you just don't want it to become an afterthought.
[42:35] This would create imperfection, so think about that the ship
[42:41] ladder thing becomes a last minute thing .
[42:48] That's something I think you need to look
[42:50] at in refining the design.
[42:51] The other question is about your gates,
[42:54] we all have this sort of request sometimes
[42:56] from clients that want privacy to bring their front gate as
[43:00] high up as possible and it looks like the gate
[43:08] that you designed seems to be like a ten foot gate.
[43:18] Is that permitted by zoning?
[43:25] The note says five feet, but the rendering
[43:29] is whatever it wants to be.
[43:38] Martin Litman: At one point the owner
[43:41] wanted to pursue some sort of variance request,
[43:44] but they understood we are going to keep it at five feet.
[44:09] We thought there was some sort of precedent
[44:13] about it, seeing that it wasn't, maybe
[44:17] the owner later wants to pursue that in the future.
[44:21] I don't think so, but.
[44:29] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: Its nice, but also the front door ,
[44:41] is that in half?
[44:46] Martin Litman: When it's closed it's supposed to look like 125
[44:50] foot panel .
[45:00] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: But the actual function
[45:02] is the lower half.
[45:09] Martin Litman: Where this beam is is the 12 foot height,
[45:16] coinciding with the window with the glass.
[45:26] There's two different types of stones,
[45:30] there's the actual marble , which is here
[45:36] and on the interior of the portico which I can point out
[45:41] in the example.
[45:46] the idea is for it to be an opposite of Carrara marble,
[45:53] instead of gray with full white, it's actually
[45:57] white veins with full gray.
[46:08] And then we have another stone, which
[46:12] is more to depict something similar to limestone
[46:16] but it is still stone.
[46:39] This idea of warmth which is what we most wanted to achieve.
[46:51] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: The way that the roof is draining,
[46:53] you try to avoid any dripping, it seems like there's a smooth
[46:58] parapet all throughout .
[47:13] Martin Litman: Normal drain on the emergency drain,
[47:18] but since you pointed that out, to be able to achieve the thin
[47:25] slab esthetic, we actually have above the windows that's where
[47:32] we have a drop made out of the same aluminum as the window
[47:37] frames .
[47:40] You can really see it here how all of the air conditioning
[47:45] ducts and the dropped ceiling when you were on the interior ,
[47:53] the height is to the top of the window but on the exterior to be
[47:56] able to achieve the thin slab, we are actually dropping
[48:01] or raising above the windows enhancing the actual aluminum
[48:05] of the window frames, so that's how specifically here you can
[48:12] really see how that horizontal line and in the section you can
[48:19] also see how we achieved in this render .
[48:36] It's a concrete tie beam, then it will be cladded in the same
[48:41] aluminum as the window Correct , the glass goes up to the bottom
[48:49] of the tie beam and then the tie beam will be cladded
[48:52] in the aluminum.
[49:09] Martin Litman: It's a detail we thought a lot about,
[49:13] but the window ends prior.
[49:23] It was the intention to make it look like the thin roof
[49:30] line could be more visible, that's why
[49:36] even the stone in the windows are not
[49:41] flush with the front of that band, we set it back.
[50:02] That section is on the portico .
[50:11] About 60% of the length of this eyebrow
[50:13] is resting on the portico.
[50:15] You can see it here, they touch each other.
[50:35] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: It's not about the structure,
[50:38] is it supposed to read as a band that's just floating
[50:40] or is it part of the architecture of the two story
[50:46] element?
[50:47] I'm not getting that band.
[50:52] It looks like just a floating piece,
[50:56] but is it a floating piece or is it part of the whole element?
[51:02] Martin Litman: That's why this wood cladding does not
[51:05] go all the way to the top of the roof, the band of what
[51:08] would be the thickness of the roof is around and has
[51:12] the continuation and becomes that eyebrow.
[51:14] Basically it starts in this image where I'm pointing right
[51:19] now, this would be the balcony.
[51:21] Gets towards the front and then it turns the corner,
[51:24] goes all the way around and then it connects back to this balcony
[51:30] as well.
[51:32] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: I think this is still in schematic mode,
[51:35] when you slice through a few sections of the house,
[51:38] sort of the challenge or the calibration here
[51:43] that is going to be key to success
[51:44] to maintain the slenderness of those edges
[51:46] is how you step it down into sort of that lower roof that
[51:51] then is the one that's draining, and you have that parapet.
[51:56] I'm trying to imagine how that parapet works,
[51:59] and you have to feel these are slender canopies.
[52:04] The challenge always with these canopies is how they deal with
[52:07] the water and more and more try to sort of push the water off
[52:10] the edge so it doesn't drip, because when you get that
[52:14] moisture constantly it starts to grow bacteria and it starts
[52:18] to get dirty , so these are the things in the tropics that we
[52:26] need to work out.
[52:28] You have a lot of edges that appear to be very slender,
[52:34] I don't know how much water we are capturing and draining.
[52:42] Martin Litman: The reason for the parapet
[52:45] is so we can have the height to create the pitch.
[52:51] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: I see you are sloping them quarter
[52:54] inch back to the preferred roof, I
[52:58] think that's a good strategy for sure.
[53:06] Speaker: I like the front of the house, however
[53:08] I'm looking through the drawings and trying
[53:10] to understand what you are doing at this level here.
[53:14] Is this supposed to be the entire house?
[53:19] is the front portion a one story?
[53:25] Martin Litman: This is just the main structure,
[53:27] let me show you the site plan here.
[53:31] There you can see on the second floor
[53:33] plan what would be the roofs of the one story structures.
[53:38] This is the second floor floor plan
[53:41] that shows the roofs of the one story structures
[53:43] and then the roof plan shows just the two story structure.
[53:50] but we will resolve the drainage for the one story
[53:54] structures the same.
[53:59] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: If you overlay the roof,
[54:01] you have these two openings for palm trees on the other side
[54:04] of the entrance but when I go to the roof plan I'm not seeing
[54:08] that so I'm trying to understand it.
[54:14] Martin Litman: Because you have that eyebrow that you were
[54:17] asking me about before that goes across .
[54:37] The roof comes to here, so basically this area here
[54:42] would be the eyebrow and this would be the portico.
[55:02] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: A public comment,
[55:04] and then we will continue.
[55:27] Heather Brecker: First I will say
[55:29] that's a beautiful rendering.
[55:31] We have been residents for six plus years now.
[55:38] I will read this to you...
[55:42] For six consecutive years we have
[55:46] dealt with construction next to or across from our home.
[55:49] At that time we had a son who was not even yet one years old,
[55:53] and with no meaningful regard for the fact that we
[55:56] were residents, our family's home, and the place where
[55:59] we are entitled to live, reasonably
[56:02] has been impacted by this construction for our safety,
[56:06] health, and quality of life.
[56:08] This has not been a short term inconvenience,
[56:11] six years is a long time living with ongoing noise, dust,
[56:17] vibration, distraction, loss of privacy
[56:20] and the constant intrusion that comes with construction
[56:23] of not just a single family residence
[56:25] but as you know some really massive, significant
[56:28] construction projects in the vicinity five houses down
[56:34] or across where our home is located.
[56:38] While we all live in a beautiful community,
[56:40] we also live in a community, and I
[56:42] do want you to understand that our living has been impacted
[56:49] substantially by all these significant construction
[56:53] projects that are now beautiful homes,
[56:55] and we have dealt with living through all of this
[56:58] like I said for six consecutive years.
[57:01] The burden of that development have
[57:03] been placed almost entirely on the families who
[57:06] live in its path.
[57:09] I don't want to go on longer than this,
[57:11] but our address should not become a permanent construction
[57:13] zone simply because development is permitted,
[57:16] there has to be a point at which the impact to the people
[57:19] and the lives who live here have matter
[57:22] and therefore ask you to understand
[57:24] timely the consideration not only
[57:26] of just where we are at, but our health
[57:28] and well-being and the safety.
[57:31] I will let my husband continue.
[57:38] John Brecker: It is a beautiful house, unfortunately
[57:41] we're not going to live there when we have
[57:43] the burden of construction.
[57:46] The house across from us is currently building Of 500 zero
[57:52] square foot house and next to it it's
[57:54] been five years of that construction.
[57:57] I brought a picture today of when
[57:59] we walked in here the cars that are lined up on the street.
[58:02] Some days it's impossible for us to get out of our driveway,
[58:05] we've gotten a flat tire, we've had to change multiple,
[58:10] we've had to change our air conditioning
[58:12] system because of all the dust.
[58:13] There's been vibration constantly
[58:16] that has affected our foundation of our house,
[58:19] and that's not just our house, that's
[58:21] people along the corridor.
[58:23] We've had construction behind us, next to us, and diagonally
[58:28] for the last six years.
[58:30] We have a seven year old who can't go out and play
[58:36] because there are trucks and construction workers constantly
[58:42] coming by.
[58:44] I think this needs to be put into consideration,
[58:48] 1300 zero square foot house in a number of years in construction.
[58:52] We've lived here for six years under these conditions,
[58:54] and I don't think anyone in this room
[58:56] would buy a house that you've had construction
[58:58] of this magnitude for so long, and with the disruptions
[59:03] that we've had.
[59:04] There's noise disruptions.
[59:05] I work from home, there's noise disruptions.
[59:08] I think that this really needs to be thought of.
[59:12] As specifics to the house, the two main buildings
[59:16] they want to build right onto the street, I really object to.
[59:21] It's going to be a massive project for them to build those,
[59:24] it's going to be all trucks and noise and dust,
[59:27] we live right across the street.
[59:30] Is not taking into account the neighbors that live there.
[59:34] It's beautiful, but it's a huge inconvenience
[59:36] to us and to our neighbors, so I think the sign needs
[59:40] to go back and be changed.
[59:42] It would be one thing if you kept it all the way back
[59:45] and had a courtyard, but to build those two pieces,
[59:48] it's going to be a huge disruption to us.
[59:51] Not to your clients, but to us, so I
[59:55] think it needs to be a really thought about design
[59:58] of this property so it's fair for the people who already live
[1:00:01] here, along with the timeline.
[1:00:05] I think there's needs to be a discussion .
[1:00:12] There's no room to park .
[1:00:20] Heather Brecker: I have to call the gates sometimes to get out,
[1:00:24] God forbid there was an emergency.
[1:00:30] We have two points that have been many times
[1:00:33] literally blocked and people get in the way and they go fast.
[1:00:37] If my son is coming home and he just wants to go outside,
[1:00:40] I'm worried someone's skirting by at 60mph because they want
[1:00:45] to just get through the area because it's such mayhem.
[1:00:51] John Brecker: There have been many times
[1:00:53] you go through the street and can't get through.
[1:00:56] You either have to wait or go around.
[1:00:58] This plan of a 1300 zero square foot of this house at this time
[1:01:04] is not realistic, we cannot handle the amount
[1:01:06] of construction or vibration.
[1:01:22] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: Thank you
[1:01:23] for your honest presentation.
[1:01:25] I'm trying to share and lead this board.
[1:01:32] My thoughts are that we are trying
[1:01:34] to look at design, esthetics, consistency, contacts,
[1:01:39] and there's a criteria we have to follow.
[1:01:44] What is outside our realm here is really
[1:01:46] all the issues created by this excess
[1:01:52] in buying homes, tearing them down, and building
[1:01:57] larger homes, that's kind of the constant trend.
[1:02:01] Your city commissioner and the mayor
[1:02:04] would be the people to really understand your concern,
[1:02:08] they understand the limitations of what they can do
[1:02:12] to sort of create legislation.
[1:02:15] From a design point of view, the city has a zoning consultant
[1:02:21] that looks at does the house comply with zoning criteria
[1:02:25] and then the official reports to us as a board ,
[1:02:34] does the project meet the zoning criteria of the village.
[1:02:38] Does, otherwise it wouldn't have gotten to us.
[1:02:45] Then, does it meet the building code
[1:02:47] and all kinds of other technical aspects of the code
[1:02:53] officially read into the record and creates a series
[1:02:57] of conditions to move forward.
[1:03:00] That's the typical process, I see what you are saying every
[1:03:04] day, I see it in Palm Island and Hibiscus Island and Palm Beach
[1:03:09] and Delray and all the beautiful luxury communities we have
[1:03:13] in Florida that are now gaining a lot of attraction people want
[1:03:17] to come and live in the same environment that you live,
[1:03:21] it's a big challenge to all of these communities ,
[1:03:27] everybody is having to deal with construction traffic .
[1:03:33] You have an effective gate in trying to manage things,
[1:03:36] but it is kind of pure chaos because a lot of people
[1:03:41] are allowed in because they are contractors working
[1:03:43] different projects, and what they do once they get in,
[1:03:47] who's going to be policing how they park and drive.
[1:03:52] All these concerns about safety for yourselves
[1:03:56] are legitimate comments, but I don't
[1:04:00] know what to do about it because we have to judge is it
[1:04:04] contextual, is it going to perform well,
[1:04:07] does it have adequate landscaping.
[1:04:09] The two frontal garages are in the zone they are allowed,
[1:04:14] they are not doing anything that is not allowed
[1:04:16] but what we see is when people are building these larger
[1:04:19] homes a lot of times they come to us
[1:04:21] and they have one parking garage and we
[1:04:24] say how is that going to work?
[1:04:27] We do see a future hopefully where a lot of us are not going
[1:04:30] to be using too many cars , they still have to go somewhere so we
[1:04:37] do have concerns.
[1:04:38] This house appears to have two garages for two cars, plenty
[1:04:42] of car capacity, but your concern is understood by me,
[1:04:47] and I will just allow the other board
[1:04:50] members to state the concern and comments about this.
[1:04:53] We have a resident actually sitting with us ,
[1:05:00] that's all I have to say.
[1:05:08] Speaker: The street is very complicated,
[1:05:10] I can't get out that exit any day, it's always blocked .
[1:05:18] It's complicated, but I can also say the team have really stepped
[1:05:25] it up .
[1:05:29] Trying to impose the requirements to make it better
[1:05:32] for the residents, but it's not our jurisdiction .
[1:05:58] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: As a public official how do you deal
[1:06:00] with that, we live in the United States when you buy a property
[1:06:04] you have certain rights , and then it affects others that live
[1:06:09] in the neighborhood like you being affected.
[1:06:13] So how do you legislate to avoid that, you basically
[1:06:16] have to put some kind of building moratorium,
[1:06:19] and I don't think that's going to happen.
[1:06:22] People buy properties, people make investments,
[1:06:25] and people have rights you can try to challenge them and go
[1:06:30] through the legal process .
[1:06:45] if you talk to everyone managing these construction sites,
[1:06:49] the superintendents and project managers,
[1:06:52] most of their day is spent talking to the front gate
[1:06:56] because someone's trying to get in then they have to manage that
[1:06:59] and then they've got a big piece of equipment being delivered ,
[1:07:05] it's like that's what you're living every day in about 30
[1:07:10] active construction sites.
[1:07:12] It's stressful, puts the stress on the community.
[1:07:16] As you know, there's a lot of Jewish holidays where nothing
[1:07:19] happens but it's not enough .
[1:07:35] It's a real issue, I don't have any solutions unfortunately .
[1:07:51] I would go to the commission .
[1:08:11] Speaker: Everything behind the gate
[1:08:13] is private streets, the civic Association manages the gate
[1:08:16] access, and that's another avenue for you
[1:08:19] to communicate about how that is being handled as well.
[1:08:27] What other communities are doing is
[1:08:30] they require the contractor to present the construction plan,
[1:08:35] like on site I'm going to provide parking for 15 cars.
[1:08:42] Does that really happen , do contractors really buy a minibus
[1:08:50] to transport their crew to the site, that's not very practical.
[1:08:54] I don't know what else to say here .
[1:09:11] Usually these are 2 to 3 year constructions.
[1:09:16] These have changed architects and designers,
[1:09:20] owners make changes and they have to get revisions.
[1:09:25] We can't control that, it's just the way these things evolve
[1:09:33] because people are creative and they have expectations
[1:09:36] so it's difficult for us to have any impact
[1:09:39] on the schedule or the building official, per se.
[1:09:56] Speaker: The mayor would be the avenue through, and then
[1:10:00] your community association or even
[1:10:03] bring it to the community input whether conditions
[1:10:07] are agreed upon.
[1:10:27] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: That's happening too
[1:10:29] at the state level, they are superseding our authority
[1:10:33] to have moratoriums until October 2027.
[1:10:45] Speaker: If you go to the first page on the plans,
[1:10:47] there's a note of an ordinance you could look at which protects
[1:10:50] you .
[1:11:18] Speaker: We've made sure every construction site has
[1:11:21] a pre-construction meeting for demolition that's part of that
[1:11:24] ordinance, we will have that meeting and code enforcement
[1:11:28] will be part of it, police department and public works all
[1:11:32] part of that meeting to be able to control the access
[1:11:40] the vehicles inside the site .
[1:11:51] That house has been in construction before I got here,
[1:11:53] and I've been here five and a half years.
[1:11:57] Keep in mind we can't control that, but just
[1:12:01] for peace of mind based on the last communication
[1:12:04] we had with that site, supposedly
[1:12:08] before the end of September they are going to finish,
[1:12:13] that's what they've been telling us.
[1:12:17] This could be any time after now this process,
[1:12:21] then they have to go through the process of permitting which
[1:12:24] could take another month and a half to three months
[1:12:27] and then after that they can start construction.
[1:12:29] But then, you also have another house across with the other
[1:12:36] owner similar to this that got approved 4 or 5 months ago that
[1:12:40] is under construction already , that one should be done probably
[1:12:49] within 6 to 8 months .
[1:12:56] But the other one, it will probably be 2 to 3 years
[1:13:02] so unfortunately I cannot control the construction speed
[1:13:08] or how they acquire the materials .
[1:13:18] We have another one inside the dry lot
[1:13:19] has been in construction for more than four years,
[1:13:23] but the materials that they picked out
[1:13:26] and the lead time they've taken that time,
[1:13:29] unfortunately we can't control that.
[1:13:32] But I completely understand, if you want we can give you contact
[1:13:39] information for the construction and you can see the construction
[1:13:46] contractor at the construction meeting and have a point
[1:13:50] of contact and hear what we say to them .
[1:14:02] To be neighbors you cannot start on the wrong foot,
[1:14:04] you have to be pleasant and passionate and not allow
[1:14:08] the destruction for the residents of the other
[1:14:12] neighborhoods .
[1:14:18] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: We get the idea,
[1:14:19] we feel your frustration and your pain
[1:14:22] and we wish we could do something about it.
[1:15:00] Thank you guys.
[1:15:11] We have some additional public comments
[1:15:15] which I will read into the record,
[1:15:17] they are available for the architects to read.
[1:15:21] They are very sensible comments ,
[1:15:27] and then we have public comments from this couple .
[1:15:32] We can wrap up the feedback, any more questions?
[1:15:40] Speaker: On the north side you have a single access gate access
[1:15:44] and no access until you get to the rear yard,
[1:15:49] so the courtyard I would imagine there will be kids at some
[1:15:52] point, there's kind of a visual barrier pure .
[1:16:03] the whole northern 75 by ten feet accessible
[1:16:08] except from the right of way or the backyard,
[1:16:12] I would just recommend a gate.
[1:16:19] Martin Litman: There's a side exit through the gym that is
[1:16:23] additional .
[1:16:39] The other one, with that garage facing the street and the cars
[1:16:45] having to do a 180, can we screen the lights coming back
[1:16:51] to the neighbors who just left because normally the headlights
[1:16:58] as you are leaving your driveway point down at the street .
[1:17:17] Normally on a structured garage they're
[1:17:20] going to require some sort of visual barrier
[1:17:22] to keep that from happening.
[1:17:40] Speaker: Do you have a fresh air intake system for this house?
[1:17:49] Martin Litman: We didn't do the mechanical problems yet,
[1:17:53] but we always do .
[1:18:21] Jose L. Gomez, Board Member: I've been looking at the plans,
[1:18:23] and there's a little coordination to be done .
[1:18:34] The eyebrow is pretty impressive over already in arch .
[1:18:50] Speaker: We have to trust, there isn't a process where you come
[1:18:53] back after full design and see things,
[1:18:56] it's not going to happen and I think the beauty is that we have
[1:19:01] different brains here and we are all kind of giving you our best
[1:19:05] thoughts to make sure you find great success .
[1:19:11] I think the sign is nicely done and I
[1:19:14] think your clients are happy and you've got consistency
[1:19:17] in the vocabulary, the material, palette is fantastic.
[1:19:21] It's sort of in the execution because we
[1:19:25] want to make sure contractors don't
[1:19:28] cut corners and things like that,
[1:19:30] we wish you good luck on that.
[1:19:38] Excellent job, the feedback you're
[1:19:40] getting from the neighbors is more
[1:19:42] because there's a lot going on, it's a beautiful community
[1:19:46] and people get concerned.
[1:19:52] Speaker: I feel sympathetic .
[1:20:06] Reinaldo Borges, Chair: Let's go forward on this,
[1:20:09] anybody wants to make a motion to approve.
[1:20:15] That was a, I saw it .
[1:20:23] All those in favor say aye.
[1:20:27] you've got four yeses and no official written conditions,
[1:20:33] we are submitting the comments of the neighbors
[1:20:35] for your consideration and wish you the best.
[1:20:55] It depends on the quality of the drawings .
[1:21:03] I think no other official business, so we are done,
[1:21:06] we closed the meeting, no more public comments .
[1:21:12] The world is safe, everything's happy, everything's beautiful.
[1:21:16] The meeting comes to a close, thank you so much!