587 Beach Avenue ZVAR-12-00100031 Staff Report CDB
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BOARD STAFF REPORT
ZVAR-12-00100031
TO: Community Development Board
FROM: Erika Hall
Principal Planner
DATE: September 11, 2012
APPLICANT: Greg Beere, Content Design Group
on behalf of Kirk & Anne Marie Moquin
587 Beach Avenue
REQUEST: Request for a variance from provisions of Section 24-172(c), Old Atlantic Beach residential development standards, consistent with the provisions of Section 24-172(e), to construct
a new home with modern design, on a property located at 587 Beach Avenue, within a Residential Single Family (RS-2) zoning district.
STAFF COMMENTS
Content Design Group has submitted preliminary plans for the new Moquin home to be located at 587 Beach Avenue. As proposed, the house is consistent with the development standards for
the RS-2 zoning district, in which the property is located.
However, there are additional residential development standards for the geographic area of the city known as “Old Atlantic Beach”. These were adopted as Ordinance No. 90-06-195 on September
11, 2006, for the purpose of managing development and redevelopment of properties, “which because of excessive height, mass or bulk may result in new development that excessively dominates
established development patterns within neighborhoods or [that] excessively restricts light, air, breezes or privacy on adjacent properties.” [Section 24-172(a), purpose and intent]
Due to the modern design of the Moquin house, the proposed structure does not meet the following “Old Atlantic Beach” development standards set out in Section 24-172(c).
Side wall planes. To avoid stark, exterior side walls from facing the sides of adjacent residences, particularly on two-story and three-story residences, the following standards shall
apply to new two-story and three-story single-family and two-family dwellings; to renovations involving structural alterations or additions to the sides of existing single-family and
two-family dwellings, and where a second- or third-story is added to an existing single-family or two-family dwelling.
Second- and third-story exterior side walls, which exceed thirty-five (35) feet in length, shall provide horizontal offsets of at least four (4) feet, or architectural details, design
elements or other features which serve to break up the appearance of the side wall, such that adjacent properties are not faced on the side by blank two- or three-story walls void of
any architectural design other siding material or windows.
Such design features may also include balconies, bay windows and other types of projecting windows or architectural details provided that these shall not extend more than twenty-four
(24) inches into the required side yard, and that a minimum separation of ten (10) feet is maintained between such extensions into the required side yard and any other existing residential
buildings.
Staff comments: The northern elevation abuts 6th Street and features a cantilevered second-story and a stepped-in third story. The southern elevation features an open staircase from
the first to second floor and a cantilevered second- and third-story. Though the third-story along the southern elevation is a fifty-four (54) foot-long windowless wall, it should
be noted there is at least a twenty-eight (28) foot setback between the southern elevation and the interior property line, so that the additional buffering between home and an adjacent
residence.
Height to wall plane. For single family and two-family dwellings, the maximum height to the top horizontal framing member of a wall from the first floor finished floor elevation shall
not exceed twenty-two (22) feet.
Staff comments: The intent of the “height to wall plane” provision is to encourage third stories which are contained within the roof structures, such as found in “traditional” design
homes, for the purpose of reducing the mass and bulk of the structure. Though this is not compatible with modern designs such as the proposed plan, the overall height of the structure
does not exceed the maximum allowable height of thirty-five (35) feet, and the use of cantilevers, step-ins, balconies and roof-top decks on various levels, all tend to mitigate the
additional height to parapet.
Third floor footprint. In order to reduce the mass of taller single-family and two-family dwellings, the interior footprint of any third floor shall not exceed fifty (50) percent of
the size of the second floor interior footprint.
Staff comments: The proposed third-story is about one thousand seven hundred twenty-seven (1,727) square feet enclosed, which is approximately fifty-eight (56) percent of the area of
the second-story that three thousand ninety-three (3,093) square feet enclosed. However, about five hundred seventy-five (575) square feet of the third-story is uninhabitable space,
consisting of clear opening to the second floor. Discounting this area of uninhabitable space, the effective area of the third floor is reduced to one thousand one hundred fifty-two
(1,152) square feet, or about forty-seven (37) percent of the second floor area. Also, the glass walls along the eastern and western elevations offer a great deal of translucency,
and tend to mitigate the additional enclosed area of the third floor.
The provisions of section 24-172 are applicable to all residential development within Old Atlantic Beach, in addition to the development standards delineated for each zoning district.
However, realizing that there are alternative means to achieve the purpose and intent of this section, provisions for obtaining a variance from these standards are also provided in
section 24-172(e):
[A]n applicant may request a variance to provisions of this section in accordance with the procedures as set forth within section 24-64 of this chapter, except that the following shall
be considered as grounds to approve such requests. (Subsections (c) and (d) of section 24-64 shall not be applicable to such requests.)
Requests to vary from the provisions of the residential development standards may be granted, at the discretion of the community development board, upon finding that:
The proposed development will not result in excessive height, mass or bulk that will excessively dominate the established development pattern within the neighborhood or excessively restrict
light, air, breezes or privacy on adjacent properties.
The proposed development will be compatible and consistent with the diversity of architectural styles and building forms found in Old Atlantic Beach.
On this basis, Content Design Group seeks relief from the residential development standards described above, so that the preliminary plans as submitted may be finalized and the Moquins’
new home may be constructed at 587 Beach Avenue. Staff recommends approval on all three counts.
ATTACHMENTS:
Variance application
Architectural Plans, including elevations, 3D images and rendering