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2007-03-21 (meeting minutes) vMinutes of March 21, 2007, Community Development Board Meeting MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BOARD March 21, 2007 A regular meeting of the Community Development Board was held on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 in the City Hall Commission Chambers. Present were Chairman Sam Jacobson, David Boyer, Craig Burkhart, Lynn Drysdale, Community Development Director Sonya Doerr, and Planner Erika Hall. Chris Lambertson, Joshua Putterman and Carolyn Woods were absent. 1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance. Chairman Jacobson called the meeting to order at 7:04pm. 2. Approval of Minutes. Chairman Jacobson noted three instances in which Mr. Freed had been incorrectly referred to as Mr. Freeman in the minutes from the regular meeting of February 20, 2007. With that request for correction being noted, Mr. Burkhart made a motion to approve the minutes from the regular meeting of February 20, 2007. Mr. Boyer seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. 3. Recognition of Visitors. No persons spoke at this time. 4. Old Business. None. 5. New Business. a. UBE 2007-02, Greg Gause, Advantage Plumbing. Request for aUse-by-Exception to allow a plumbing contractor to occupy a developed site within the Commercial General Zoning District, located at 880 Mayport Road. Greg Gause introduced himself to the Board as owner of Advantage Plumbing. He described his business as primarily residential with a large clientele in the Beaches area. Mr. Gause is currently under contract to purchase the 880 Mayport Property and intends to improve the site considerably in the future with the construction of a new building to house his plumbing trucks, the removal of some impervious surface and the installation of new landscaping. Mr. Boyer requested information as to the number of work vehicles that could be present at this location. Ms. Doerr responded that the ordinance allows one commercial vehicle to be parked outdoors. Mr. Gause commented that for security reasons, none of his five work trucks could be left outdoors. Chairman Jacobson asked if this location be used mostly to dispatch plumbing services to work locations. Mr. Gause confirmed this to be correct. Chairman Jacobson inquired as to the storage of Mr. Gause's plumbing materials and supplies, to which Mr. Gause replied that his business was most all residential plumbing and that he did not maintain a large inventory of plumbing supplies, but acquired these from supply houses as they were needed, thus he does not require much storage space, except for a secure indoor location for his trucks. A motion was made by Mr. Burkhart, seconded by Chairman Jacobson, and passed unanimously to recommend approval for aUse-by-Exception to allow a plumbing contractor to be located within the Commercial General (CG) Zoning District at 880 Mayport Road, subject to the following: 1 Minutes of March 21, 2007, Community Development Board Meeting • There shall be no outside storage of equipment or business related materials; no manufacture, construction, heavy assembly involving hoists or lifts, or equipment that makes excessive noise or fumes shall be permitted; and • Not more than one contractor related vehicle shall be parked outdoors on a continuous basis. b. ZVAR-2007-02, Brian G. Kilby. Request for a Variance to reduce the 20-foot rear yard setback to 11-feet, four inches to allow for construction of a screen-room addition to the rear of the existing house at a property located at 1825 North Sherry Drive. Brian and Tracy Kilby introduced themselves as owners of the property located at 1825 North Sherry Drive. Mr. Kilby explained that he and his wife very much enjoyed life here in Atlantic Beach and would like to continue to enjoy their backyard after the birth of the first child this summer, however the mosquitoes present an exceptional problem. Mr. Kilby explained that he and his wife had done everything possible to discourage the mosquito population, from removing gutters from their home to requesting special spray service from the City of Jacksonville, however they did not want to use the numerous potentially dangerous chemicals on the market. As an alternative, the Kilbys would like to build an approximately 13' X 13' screened room with fixed room onto the back of their home, using roughly the same footprint as an existing deck. Chairman Jacobson inquired as to the dimensions of the existing deck footprint. Mr. Kilby stated that it was about 11.5' in the East-West direction, and about 13' in the North-South direction, thus the proposed screen room would increase the footprint by approximately 1.5' : Ms. Drysdale asked if the footprint already encroached upon the setback, to which Mr. Kilby replied no, because the deck is not 30" high and is therefore exempt from the setback. Mr. Kilby also noted that compared to other homes in the area that his house was situated far back on the lot. Ms. Drysdale asked how the open screen room would be constructed. Mr. Kilby described that an existing window would be converted to a French door the remaining three sides would be screen and there would be a shingled fixed roof, matching the existing roof of the house. As discussion continued, Chairman Jacobson explained that this was the type of application most frequently submitted to the Board and that the Community Development Board is not a policy making board, but rather an implementing board. This is problematic because anything the Board does is considered to be precedent setting for others to be treated in the same way. Chairman Jacobson stated that if this were a case of an irregularly shaped lot or there was peculiar positioning of the structure on the lot, the Board might be able to grant the variance. Mr. Kilby reiterated that the house is situated significantly deeper than others in the area and he stated that he felt the board had already created the precedent with a decision made for a property located behind him. Mr. Kilby presented a survey of that property for the Board to examine, at which point Mr. Boyer asked if he also had the interior layout of the Kilby home. Mr. Kilby presented the house plan and Mr. Boyer asked about the possible placement of the screen room on the front. Mr. Kilby stated that they had entertained that idea because it would allow a larger room without encroachment upon setbacks, however to create direct access would require the removal of the only downstairs bathroom. Also, there were aesthetic issues to be considered. Mr. Boyer stated that he would be apt to look more favorably upon a total screen room, which Ms. Doerr noted would not require a variance. Mr. Kilby noted that the use of the fixed roof, attached to the home, is the point that forced them into this issue. Mr. Boyer encouraged the Kilbys to look into total screen rooms, stating that there were alternatives to fixed roofs that would work nicely. Chairman 2 Minutes of March 21, 2007, Community Development Board Meeting Jacobson reminded everyone that the Board must be faithful to the regulations that have been set down, and that the basis of the Kilbys' variance request was a mosquito complaint, something that all residents fight. Mr. Kilby assured the Board that the basis was more than just a mosquito complaint, but also a desire to enjoy the fruits of their outdoor labors and to be able to entertain family and friends outside. Noting the absence of three Board members, Chairman Jacobson advised the Kilbys that they would have a better chance of gaining approval with a full board present, and Mr. Burkhart reminded them that if their request were denied, they would have to wait another full year before applying again. Further, Mr. Burkhart told that he had employed an awning as a roofing solution. Ms. Drysdale stated that her main concern was the extent to which the screen room would go within the setbacks. She recommended that the Kilbys revisit their design and perhaps reach a compromise in that extent. The application for variance was deferred until the April meeting. 6. Adjournment. Mr. Burkhart motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:45pm. The motion was seconded by Mr. Boyer and passed unanimously. Signed: Sam Jacobson, C i an ~ttlhJ~, Attest