587-Beach-Ave_Height-of-Building_2012-09-24September 24, 2012
Kirk and Anne Marie Moquin
2375 Ponte Vedra Boulevard South
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 32082
Re: 587 Beach Avenue I Height of Building
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Moquin:
City of Atlantic Beach
800 Seminole Road
Atlantic Beach, Florida 32233
Phone: (904) 247-5800
Fax: (904) 247-5845
www.coab.us
This letter serves as clarification as to the correct procedures for determination of your
building height and submittal requirements at the time of permitting. The following
provisions from Section 24-17 of the Atlantic Beach Land Development Regulations
shall apply:
Height of building shall mean the vertical distance from the applicable beginning point of
measurement to the highest point of a building's roof structure or parapet, and any attachments thereto,
exclusive of chimneys. The appropriate method of determining the maximum allowable height of
building shall be used in accordance with the following:
(a) Parcels within designated special flood hazard areas (SFHA) as delineated on the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood insurance rate map (FIRM) shall use the
required finished floor elevation (FFE) as the beginning point of measurement.
(c) Regardless of flood zone designation, parcels with topographic variation of more than two (2)
feet as demonstrated by a certified survey of topography, including all oceanfront parcels,
shall provide a certified survey of the calculated average grade, and the calculated average
grade shall be used as the beginning point of measurement [excepting those parcels located in
SFHAs and subject to subsection (a) above].
Special flood hazard areas (SFHA) as delineated on the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) flood insurance rate map (FIRM) shall mean the area that will be inundated by a flood event
having a one -percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given years. SFHAs are labeled as
zone A, zone AO, zone AH, zones A 1-A30, zone AE, zone A99, zone AR, zone AR/AE, zone AR/AO,
zone AR/A 1-A30, zone V, zone VE, and zones V 1-V30.
Calculated average grade shall mean the average elevation of a site, calculated prior to development
or redevelopment of a site, or any future topographic alteration of a site. The calculated average grade
shall be used for determination of the maximum allowable height of a building on parcels that have
topographic variation of more than two (2) feet as demonstrated by a certified topographic survey and
for all oceanfront parcels. The average elevation shall be determined by the mathematical average of
elevation points dispersed at approximately ten -foot equidistant intervals across the buildable area of a
parcel. For sites where natural topography has been previously altered or where existing structures
587 Beach Avenue I Determination of Building Height
24 September 2012
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remain, the same method shall be used, excluding areas where existing structures remain. Where
required, the calculated average grade shall be submitted with construction plans, and the calculated
average grade shall be depicted on all exterior elevation sheets of the construction plans
In summary, (1) a certified survey of topography and average grade calculated per the
instructions above should be submitted to the Building Department at the time of
permitting, and (2) plan elevations should show overall height of building, from the
beginning point of measure, per provision (a) if upon verification, the FEMA FIRM
indicates the parcel is located within an SFHA, or per provision (c) if the parcel is not
located within an SFHA.
Please feel free to contact either of us if you have questions or wish to discuss further.
Sincerely,
Erika Hall
Principal Planner
cc: Greg Beere. Content Design Group
Michael Griffi , CBO, CFM
Director, Building & Zoning