CCPC Minutes 12/06/2007 R
December 6, 2007
TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEETING OF THE
COLLIER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
Naples, Florida
December 6, 2007
LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Collier County Planning
Commission, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted
business herein, met on this date at 8:30 a.m. in REGULAR SESSION
in Building "F" of the Government Complex, East Naples, Florida,
with the following members present:
CHAIRMAN:
Mark Strain
Lindy Adelstein
Donna Reed-Caron
Tor Kolflat (Excused)
Paul Midney
Bob Murray
Brad Schiffer
Robert Vigliotti (Excused)
ALSO PRESENT:
Jeffrey Klatzkow, Chief Asst. County Attorney
Marjorie Student-Stirling, Assistant County Attorney
Joseph Schmitt, CDES Director
Ray Bellows, Zoning & Land Development Review
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AGENDA
Revised II
COLLIER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION WILL MEET AT 8:30 A.M., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2007, IN
THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING ROOM, ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, COUNTY
GOVERNMENT CENTER, 3301 TAMIAMI TRAIL EAST, NAPLES, FLORIDA:
NOTE: INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS WILL BE LIMITED TO 5 MINUTES ON ANY
ITEM. INDIVIDUALS SELECTED TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF AN
ORGANIZATION OR GROUP ARE ENCOURAGED AND MAY BE ALLOTTED 10
MINUTES TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM IF SO RECOGNIZED BY THE CHAIRMAN.
PERSONS WISHING TO HAVE WRITTEN OR GRAPHIC MATERIALS INCLUDED
IN THE CCPC AGENDA PACKETS MUST SUBMIT SAID MATERIAL A MINIMUM
OF 10 DAYS PRIOR TO THE RESPECTIVE PUBLIC HEARING. IN ANY CASE,
WRITTEN MATERIALS INTENDED TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE CCPC SHALL
BE SUBMITTED TO THE APPROPRIATE COUNTY STAFF A MINIMUM OF
SEVEN DAYS PRIOR TO THE PUBLIC HEARING. ALL MATERIAL USED IN
PRESENTATIONS BEFORE THE CCPC WILL BECOME A PERMANENT PART OF
THE RECORD AND WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD
OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS IF APPLICABLE.
ANY PERSON WHO DECIDES TO APPEAL A DECISION OF THE CCPC WILL
NEED A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS PERTAINING THERETO, AND
THEREFORE MAY NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD OF THE
PROCEEDINGS IS MADE, WHICH RECORD INCLUDES THE TESTIMONY AND
EVIDENCE UPON WHICH THE APPEAL IS TO BE BASED.
1. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
2. ROLL CALL BY SECRETARY
3. ADDENDA TO THE AGENDA
4. PLANNING COMMISSION ABSENCES
A. Due to the increasing lack of BCC Chamber availability per next years calendar, Comprehensive Planning
Staff is currently requesting the CCPC choose one of the following two dates provided for special hearing of
the 5-Year RLSA Review to be held on either December 1,2008 or December 15,2008. We are required to
schedule this hearing as soon as possible in order to assure Bee Chambers availability for one of those two
dates.
5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - OCTOBER 15, 2007, AUIR MEETING; OCTOBER 16,2007, AUIR MEETING;
OCTOBER 18, 2007, REGULAR MEETING; OCTOBER 18,2007, LDC MEETING
6. BCC REPORT- RECAPS - Not Available at this time
7. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
8. ADVERTISED PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Petition: PUDZ-2003-AR-3601, New Hope Ministries, Inc., represented by Tim Hancock, AICP, of
Davidson Engineering, Inc., is requesting a rezone from Rural Agricultural (A) with a provisional use for
a church authorized by Resolution #91-3, and the Neapolitan Park Planned Unit Development (PUD)
approved as Ordinance #90-6, to Community Facility Planned Unit Development (CFPUD) district for a
project to be known as the New Hope Ministries CFPUD. This project consists of 39.89ct acres and will
consist of expanding the existing church facility. The property is located on the north side of Davis Boulevard
and east of Santa Barbara Boulevard at 7675 Davis Boulevard, in Section 4, Township 50 South, Range 26
East, Collier County, Florida. (Coordinator: Melissa Zone)
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B. Petition: PUDZ-2005-AR-84 I 6, Distinctive Residential Development at Livingston, LLC, represented by
D. Wayne Arnold, AICP, of Q. Grady Minor and Associates, P.A. and Richard Yovanovich, Esquire, of
Goodlette, Coleman and Johnson, P.A., request a rezone from the Agricultural (A) zoning district to the
Residential Planned Unit Development (RPUD) zoning district for project known as Pezzettino Di Cielo
RPUD. The subject property, consisting of I 7.15ct acres, is located on the east side of Livingston Road,
approximately 4,5 miles north of Immokalee Road and 5 miles south of the Lee County Line, Section
12, Township 48 South, Range 25 East, Collier County, Florida. (Coordinator: Melissa Zone)
C. Petition: BD-2007-AR-I2154, Saundra Clancy-Koendarfer, represented by Ben Nelson Jr., of Nelson
Marine Construction, Inc., requesting a 17-foot boat dock extension over the maximum 20-foot limit as
provided in section 5.03.06 of the LDC to allow a 37-foot dock facility to accommodate one vessel. The
property is located at 243 6th Street W, Lot 10, Block E, Little Hickory Shores, Unit 2, Section 5,
Township 48 South, Range 25 East, Collier County, Florida. (Coordinator: Ashley Caserta)
9. OLD BUSINESS
10. NEW BUSINESS
II. PUBLIC COMMENT ITEM
12. DISCUSSION OF ADDENDA
13. ADJOURN
12/6/07CCPC AgendaIRB/mk/sp
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to
the December 6th meeting of the Collier County Planning
Commission. If you'll all please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.
(Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison.)
Item #2
ROLL CALL
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, will the secretary please take the
roll call.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Kolflat is absent.
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I'm here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Midney?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Ms. Caron is here. Mr. Strain?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Adelstein?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: And Mr. Vigliotti is absent.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Mr. Kolflat and Mr. Vigliotti
both notified me, they have personal things they had to take care of
today, so they won't be here. They are excused absences.
Item #3
ADDENDA TO THE AGENDA
We'll move on to the addenda to the agenda. And I want to
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December 6, 2007
remind everyone that next Wednesday night at 5:05 we have an LDC
continuing meeting from our last time on the LDC Cycle 2.
Is everybody here planning to be there next Wednesday night?
Anybody knowing they're not going to be?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: (Indicating.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Midney, you're not going to be?
I know that the others, Mr. Vigliotti and Mr. Kolflat, I think,
indicated they previously would be here, so we'll have a quorum.
The following morning on the 13th at 8:30 this panel was
requested to review a settlement agreement on the Bert Harris claim
for Cocohatchee. So that meeting will start at 8:30. It will not go past
1 :00 for sure, but more than likely noon, because this meeting room is
taken up at 1 :00 by other groups. So for scheduling purposes I want to
let you all know.
Anybody here not going to be at the meeting next Thursday at
8:30?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Good, we'll have a quorum that day.
Now, on the 14th we have an option. The 12th, on the LDC
meeting -- I would hope we could finish the LDC issues up on the
12th. Ifwe can't, this room is available -- the only other day it's
available is the 14th for the month of December, and I believe it was
like at 1 :00 in the afternoon. I'm hoping we wouldn't need it, but we
may need it as a clean-up day.
Ifwe can't do it on the 14th of December, we'd have to finish the
LDC cycle sometime in January, which keeps pushing it behind
schedule. It should have been done earlier this year, to be honest with
you.
I'd like to ask, if we have to go to the 14th, does anybody here
know they cannot make it on the 14th?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I will not be able.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You cannot be here? So there's a
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December 6, 2007
potential we could have it.
And the other option is, depending on what our 20th agenda is
like and how much of the LDC cycle we'd have to continue, we might
consider doing it late on the 20th. Although I'm not sure, because of
the time frames and the schedule on the 20th at this point.
At this point I'll ask staff to reserve the 14th meeting room,
pending confirmation of a quorum on the 12th.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: At what date and time?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: 1:00 in the afternoon. Yeah, it would be
an afternoon meeting.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, glad I heard that.
Item #4
PLANNING COMMISSION ABSENCES
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, planning commission absences.
We just went over that.
I asked -- staff asked to discuss with us a potential meeting date
in December of 2008. They're planning ahead. So we stuck it under
this particular item, because it seemed the most convenient to be done.
Is planning staff here? Yes.
MR. STANDRIDGE: Good morning, Commissioners, Noah
Standridge for the record. I'm a Senior Planner in Comprehensive
Planning and currently shepherding the rural land stewardship five
area reVIew.
We anticipate that process to be finishing up in October or
November of next year and we would like and ask to come before you
on one of two dates, December 1 st or December 15th, to give a
presentation on the outcome of that process, and also to review the
information and recommendations of that committee.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Are you asking these dates because
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December 6, 2007
those are the only days in December this room is open?
MR. STANDRIDGE: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The reason -- both of those are a
Monday. And they're both a Monday prior to a Thursday regular
meeting of ours. Generally the weekends prior to our Thursday
meetings we try to prep for those Thursday meetings.
I know you're going to be presenting us with a review of the
RLSA or the Eastern Lands Study Committee. I can personally tell
you I have multiple pages of corrections I believe that the program
may need. And I think just getting through those is going to be a
lengthy process, plus the study to understand those issues before the
Monday meeting will take time.
I don't know how much data your group plans to give us. I
would assume they're going to be looking at the program in depth,
because there are a lot of issues there.
MR. STANDRIDGE: Well, we are not planning on reevaluating
the entire program. This is a, may I say, tweaking of the program,
looking at areas that can be strengthened.
But currently as it exists the committee is looking to see if it has
been successful in its implementation to meet the four goals outlined
in the Growth Management Plan.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Are you also looking to see if it's overly
successful?
MR. STANDRIDGE: Overly successful?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes.
MR. STANDRIDGE: Of course.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Being that it's on a Monday, is
there any other -- are your committee's findings not going to be
available till what month, November, December?
MR. STANDRIDGE: I plan on finalizing two reports, one that
will be the technical review, the status to date of the program, with
numbers and acreages of how much landowner participation has
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December 6, 2007
occurred. That report will be finalized in March and April and will be
coming before you in April during your regular hearing meetings to
present that information.
Following that, there will be a second report which will come
before you December 1st. That will be finalized October or November
of 2008. And that information can be made available to you well
before your regular -- the hearing dates that we're requesting.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, based on that, if the committee
agrees, I think the December 1 st date might be better for us, because if
we could get the information early, we'd have from November 20th,
which is our third Thursday meeting in November, all the way to that
first Monday of December to at least have the paperwork and fit it in.
That's more time frame for us.
Does that work for everybody?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Good sense.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let's shoot for December 1st then.
MR. STANDRIDGE: Thank you very much, Commissioners.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: December 1st?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: December 1 st.
Well, we'll probably start at 8:30 in the morning.
Item #5
APPROVAL OF MINUTES - OCTOBER 15,2007, AUIR
MEETING; OCTOBER 16, 2007, AUIR MEETING; OCTOBER 18,
2007, REGULAR MEETING; OCTOBER 18, 2007, LDC MEETING
Okay, approval of minutes. We have four sets of minutes that
came with this package. The first one is October 15th and it's the
AUIR meeting. Is there a recommendation for approval?
Commissioner Adelstein, you're usually willing to do that.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: (Indicating.)
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Commissioner Adelstein made the
motion.
Seconded by?
COMMISSIONER CARON: I'll second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Commissioner Caron.
All those in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries.
The next one is October 16th, again the AUIR meeting.
Motion to approve made by?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: (Indicating.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Commissioner Adelstein. Seconded by?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Commissioner Caron.
Any discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All those in favor, signify by saying
aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
Anybody opposed?
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December 6, 2007
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries.
October 18th is our regular meeting. Is there a motion to
approve?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: So moved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Commissioner Adelstein again.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Commissioner Caron again.
All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
The last one is October 18th. Motion to approve?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: So moved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Adelstein, followed by?
COMMISSIONER CARON: (Indicating.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Commissioner Caron.
All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
Any opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries.
I guess it goes to show you how well the minutes are taken by
our court recorder that we don't have corrections to them, because she
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December 6, 2007
does a good job. So thank you, Cherie'.
Item #6
BCC REPORT - RECAPS
BCC report, Ray?
MR. BELLOWS: Yes, the Board of County Commissioners met
on November 27th and they heard the conditional use for the model --
American Dream Builders model home. The Board of County
Commissioners approved that 5-0.
They also approved the PUD rezone for Gaspar Station. That
was approved 5-0.
And on the summary extension they approved the PUD
extension for Sierra Meadows and the parking exemption for the
Naples Big Cypress Marketplace.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ray, when these approvals happen,
would it be possible to add to your report whether or not they accepted
our recommendations and things like that?
Only because if there are recommendations that we make that
they don't like, it would be good to know perception-wise where
they're seeing those as they review them.
MR. BELLOWS: Sure, I think that's not going to be a problem.
On the American Dream Builders model home, I do have a note
here that the Board of County Commissioners did direct staff to bring
back a GMP and LDC amendment to address the model homes in the
Golden Gate Estates pursuant to your recommendation about model
homes along 951.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, I hope that they understood
that that particular model home didn't have any neighborhood
complaints. There was a lot of particulars with that effort that were
more in line with community standards than some of the others that
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December 6, 2007
have tried to come before us and get approval.
MR. BELLOWS: Yeah, and it's just going to be -- staff will
bring back recommendations.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Would staff have the stakeholders
involved in that process, meaning I hope you would at least -- there's
one or two civic groups in the Estates that participated heavily in the
model homes, the Oakes advisory group being one and the Golden
Gate Civic Association being the other.
It certainly would be good to have their input on that GMP
amendment since they're the ones that helped develop the original
Growth Management Plan language.
MR. BELLOWS: Yeah, I'm sure that will be the case. I'm not
going to speak for comprehensive planning, but for the Land
Development Code we definitely will get those --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The GMP is the issue.
MR. BELLOWS: Yes. Well, I will relay that information to
them.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, Ray.
Chairman's report. I think I've said enough.
Item #8A
PETITION: PUDZ-2003-AR-3601, NEW HOPE MINISTRIES
Advertised public hearings. We'll go straight into our hearings at
this point. There was a change in the schedule, you all should have a
revised two schedule. The boat dock was moved to the last position
and the first two positions were moved -- last two were moved
forward to accommodate some issues that we had to have for
scheduling of others, staff.
The Petition PUDZ-2003-AR-3601, New Hope Ministries,
represented by Tim Hancock, will be the first item up today.
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December 6, 2007
And all those wishing to testify on behalf of this petition, please
rise to be sworn in by the court reporter.
(All speakers were duly sworn.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Are there disclosures on the part of the
planning commission?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I had communication with Mr. Hancock
regarding some additional data needed for the transportation
documentation that was supplied to us. I also talked with Nick about
it, and he will be discussing my concerns here today.
So with that, let's move forward. Mr. Hancock.
MR. HANCOCK: Good morning, Mr. Chairman, remaining
members of the planning commission this morning.
Also with us today is -- I'm sorry, for the record, Tim Hancock
with Davidson Engineering.
With us today with New Hope Ministries is Pastor Grant
Thigpen, also Mr. Pete Smith. Part of our project team here this
morning, Mr. Gavin Gillette, who is here to address any concerns with
water management design. Mr. Andrew Roth, also with Davidson
Engineering, to discuss any elements of the traffic impact statement,
and Mr. Jeremy Sterk, also with Davidson Engineering, to answer any
questions you may have on the environmental aspects of this petition.
By way of overview, the proposed project combines two parcels
totaling 39.89 acres, which consist of the existing church site as you
can see on the visualizer, which is the gray rectangle on the right of
the two. That site is nearly 21 acres and immediately -- lies
immediately east of the Neapolitan Park PUD, which is the gray
rectangle on the left of the two. And that project is 18.99 acres.
The proposed rezone seeks to simply expand the existing church
facility and uses to include the Neapolitan Park PUD parcel. That
parcel's currently zoned for mixed use and allows for up to 150,000
square feet of office, up to 38,125 square feet of additional
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December 6, 2007
commercial, and 81 multi-family units.
While I think it's well understood that even a large church will
produce fewer daily peak hour trips on the local roads than a 19-acre
commercial and residential mixed use project, as Mr. Strain pointed
out in a conversation we had, that analysis was not specifically
included in your packet and available for your review.
To that end, what I'd like to provide you for your consideration
on that aspect is that our traffic impact statement treated the project as
if the current land were unzoned. In other words, we're starting from
scratch, and here's what our added trips would be based on the
expansion of the facility. And so everything you see in your TIS is
based on that premise.
However, when you compare what's in the TIS against the table
before you, what we did is we took the existing uses in the Neapolitan
Park PUD and we placed them into a table using the most constrained
movement, as your transportation staff requires, which is typically
your p.m. peak hour movement.
To that end, by way of comparison, the 19 acres of the
Neapolitan Park PUD at build-out would produce 412 p.m. peak hour
trips. We also in this number did account for what would normally be
a pass-by reduction, as well as an internal capture. So we -- that
number's already been lowered by using those two tools.
So it's not a worst case scenario, it's something your
transportation staff -- very similar to what they would see if you were
to submit a TIS for the project under its current land uses.
This 412 p.m. peak hour trips compares very favorably to a
weekday p.m. peak hour trip generation contained in your TIS of 93
trips for the church. Again, an apples to apples comparison of 93 p.m.
peak hour weekday trips to 412 p.m. peak hour trips under the current
zoned land uses.
We all recognize that churches don't put most of their traffic out
there between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The church
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December 6, 2007
will have a significant amount of traffic for a short period, particularly
on Sundays, but measures such as traffic control being provided by the
church through the Florida Highway Patrol has been in place and will
continue to be in place into the future to address Sunday morning
flows.
The proj ect as proposed will generate fewer trips during those
weekday peak hours on the adjacent roadways and achieve dispersion
through providing access to and through the adjacent Dolphin Plaza
project, which is currently under SDP review by Collier County.
Because the county aerials were flown in January, and the
Dolphin Plaza project, which is on top of this aerial, the cleared area
there, with the exception of the gas station on the corner, was cleared
subsequent to that, the church went for an afternoon flight and took
these pictures.
What you see here at the bottom of the picture is the existing
New Hope campus. That large rectangular squared area is the existing
campus.
To the upper portion of the photograph moving to the west is the
Neapolitan Park PUD, which is the wooded section, which is -- again,
it goes from front to back, left to right. The existing wooded section
behind the church is a part of their current campus.
As you go again to the north, what you have is the Dolphin
Plaza. The Dolphin Plaza has an existing developed gas station at the
corner there of Santa Barbara and Davis.
What the church has proposed and what is currently under SDP
review by Collier County is an interconnection from the northwest, or
as you look at it the upper right wooded section there, an
interconnection between our project and the Dolphin Plaza project.
That same connection is evident on the site development plans that
have been submitted to Collier County for Dolphin Plaza.
We've also provided staff with a copy of a letter from Dolphin
Plaza agreeing to continue to work with the church to ensure that
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December 6, 2007
interconnection occurs.
More importantly, your staff has got us both at SDP and we're
not going to exit that particular process without making that
interconnection happen, neither one of us.
So the project, from a traffic dispersal pattern, will not just put
its traffic onto Davis Boulevard as it does today, but will have use of
Santa Barbara through the Dolphin Plaza project. So the project will
be accessing two major arterial roadways.
We believe the staff report correctly addresses issues of
compatibility and consistency with applicable sections of the Land
Development Code and the Growth Management Plan, with one
exception, which I expect will be the focus of much of our discussion
today, and that centers around water management and preserves.
Mr. Chairman, I've briefly hit on some traffic issues, which
you've raised in a conversation with me. Is it your pleasure to address
the transportation issues now and then focus on what I believe is the
one remaining issue, or go ahead and complete the presentation and
address all at the end?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I think you ought to -- Tim, there's a lot
more than traffic as far as clarification goes. And normally, if you'll
complete your presentation, we'll just start with the questioning and
work our way through. Maybe what the best thing we could do is save
transportation to last so Nick can then come up and address all that
collectively.
MR. HANCOCK: Yes, sir. We'll proceed.
The staff recommendation of approval includes a stipulation that
stormwater management not be allowed in preserves for this project.
The basis for this, as stated in your staff report, is that the
environmental staff is of the opinion that the project is not consistent
with Policy 6.1.1, paren (5)(b), which states the receipt of treated
storm water discharge or such use, including conveyance, treatment
and discharge structures, does not result in adverse impacts to the
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December 6, 2007
naturally occurring native vegetation to include the loss of the
minimum required vegetation and the harm to any listed species
according to the policies associated with Obj ective 7.1 as determined
by criteria set forth in Land Development Code regulations.
Discharge to preserve having wetlands requires treatment that
will meet water quality standards as set forth in Chapter 63-302 F AC,
and will conform to the water quality criteria requirements set forth by
the South Florida Water Management District.
In short, it's kind of a do-no-harm statement. If you're going to
put stormwater management in the preserves, staff wants to be
comfortable that such use of those preserves will not adversely affect
the native vegetation.
The difficulty comes in when you look at that statement, there's
a line that says as determined by criteria set forth in the Land
Development regulations. I think this body is all too aware that the last
attempt to actually create a change in the Land Development
regulations that addresses this issue specifically resulted in no action
by the board.
The EAC was on one path and I believe this body had their
recommendations, and the BCC determined that it needed either more
study or more time. And so nothing was implemented in the Land
Development Code as a benchmark, if you will, that a project would
have to meet in order for this standard to clearly be shown than it's
met.
The basis in the staff report really has three elements to it for
their recommendations: Number one is the staffs opinion that
directing stormwater to be retained in the proposed upland preserves
will disrupt the natural hydroperiod balance.
Number two, that the proposed preserve is mostly underlain by
well-drained, non hydric soils.
And three, that directing stormwater runoff to the proposed
upland preserves can result in changes to the nutrient and sediment
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December 6, 2007
loads.
Through the course of this application, which as you know from
the AR number has been going on for some time, we've provided the
staff with a variety of reports and analysis.
The first thing we were asked to do is a Harper analysis. A
Harper analysis is when you're impacting five or more acres of
wetlands, the District typically will request one, and the county staff
has come now to request one whether the District wants it or not.
The focus of a Harper analysis is to address if the project's water
management design will adequately reduce the nutrient loading from
development so that the post-development nutrient-loading discharge
or the discharge from the project has a lesser degree or an equal
degree of nutrient loading as predevelopment.
We did that analysis. We provided it. We answered some
questions. In the end the Harper analysis was accepted and the project
water management design will achieve that objective. The
downstream nutrient loading will not be worse post-development than
it is predevelopment.
We were then asked to calculate what kind of storm event it
would take for water even to enter the preserves. Let me explain the
stormwater management design as simply as I can.
There is an area of dry detention that all the stormwater goes
into. That dry detention achieves the pretreatment of that stormwater,
per Water Management District standards. That water then enters a
lake on the property. The purpose of the lake primarily, it does
provide additional treatment, but it primarily provides for quantity or
storage.
When that lake rises to a certain level during peak events, the
water will seep back into the existing preserves, and then as the water
levels fall that water will seep back toward the lake and eventually
discharge from the site. And the term that Mr. Lorenz coined was pop
off. When do we get to that point that water pops off into that
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December 6, 2007
preserve? The water, other than the ground water elevation itself, will
rise and move into the preserve.
We looked at that, we modeled the system. And what we came
up with is if you have a four-inch rainfall in 24 hours, the system will
allow water to basically seep back into the preserves.
Over the course of 12 years of data there were only a handful of
times you had four inches of rain in a 24-hour period. We submitted
that information.
What we got back was, well, okay, that's not a lot, but what
about successive events? What about in a typical year, what if you
have one amount of rainfall one day and two more days of two or
three or four inches on those days, what happens then?
We went back and basically pulled 12 years of rainfall data. We
analyzed the 12 years, determined what we thought was the year just
above the median. In other words, an average rainfall year, let's take
that next year up and let's model a 30-day window, the wettest month
of that year.
We started at control elevation, which means our control, which
is 9.5, is almost like a glass table in the wet season. When you pour
water on it it's going to do one of two things: It's going to run off or it's
going to stack up.
So assuming we started at wet season water table, which is the
average high, we modeled 30 days. We took the rainfall events, real
time rainfall events and plugged them into the system day after day
after day after day for 30 days.
And what we were able to show is, in that 30-day window the
system achieved full recovery, which means that -- full recovery is
defined by when you have a major event, a 25-year storm event, over
the course of 15 days the system fully recovers. In other words, the
water elevation is back down at that 9.5 control.
There were no successive events that allowed water to stage in
the preserves to any great degree. And more importantly, throughout
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December 6, 2007
that 30 days, the majority of those days water was not even in the
preserves.
Our control elevation for this site is 9.5 feet. Our natural grade is
between 10 and 10-and-a-half. You'd have to have the water table
elevated six inches or more over the seasonal high to even have water
in your preserves. We provided that information to staff.
And before the EAC, the staff looked at that average year, and
Mr. Lorenz testified that there appeared to be in a given year only
eight or nine times in which water would enter the preserves. Over the
course of those 12 years, there were single events in the number of 15
to 20 that may have allowed it to happen.
We felt that information was pretty good. It spoke well of the
design. It spoke of the fact that any water being put back in the
preserves was short term, short duration, and minimal effect.
The EAC agreed with us and recommended approval 5-1.
I'll be candid, though, one of their elements of recommendation
was gee, you haven't given these guys a standard. Every time you ask
them to model something and they do, you ask for more modeling.
Well, that wasn't the end of it. The staff asked for modeling, and
we provided it. We modeled in addition to the 25-year, three-day
event which we had already provided, we provided the requested
10-year event and the five-year event. The result of that additional
modeling was the same recommendation.
And folks, I think what we're dealing with is not -- we don't want
to become the test case. But we have become the de facto test case for
water management in preserves.
Is there a level at which it's acceptable? We don't have that
mark. We believe we've met it.
We believe through proper design our water is pre-treated in dry
pretreatment to a commercial -- exceeding a commercial standard
before it ever goes into our lake. Then it sits in the lake, receives
additional pretreatment before it ever discharges into the preserve.
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December 6, 2007
And it only discharges in the preserve in peak events for short
durations.
The fact that our EIS states that an increased hydroperiod will be
beneficial to the preserves, we still have a recommendation of denial --
I'm sorry, recommendation of approval with a stipulation that we
cannot discharge into the preserves.
I believe what we have is a philosophical issue, not an issue
based on analysis. That's difficult for me to stand here and deal with.
But let me boil it down to what I think is the actual question we need
to answer with respect to this project.
It is my sincere hope this body hopefully takes one of two
actions today. The one is to approve staff recommendation with the
stipulation. That's obviously our second choice, that we not discharge
into the preserves.
The second is to approve the proj ect or recommend approval
with the fact that the project has shown as designed that it does not
represent adverse impacts to the preserve.
To that end, you're looking at two options. We've given you the
information on option one, and let me try and make it as simple as I
can. The way we've designed the system, that preserve is connected to
our water management system. And the staff sees that as a negative
because it allows for water to build up in the stormwater system and
move back into the preserves.
We candidly think the opposite is true. If we disconnect that
system from the water management system, if we leave that preserve
as it is today, we all know the first thing we do when we build in
Southwest Florida is we elevate the site. Preserves end up being
encased, if you will, in two to three feet offill. That preserve will
become a bathtub with no outlet. Peak rainfall events as a result will
stand in that preserve and they will stage not higher but longer.
The only benchmark we've been given is a study by Mike
Duever with the South Florida Water Management District. And I'm
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December 6, 2007
sure staff will share that study with you. We're dealing with what's
called a mesic flatwoods. And in Mike's report, he says mesic
flatwoods, which are one step away from a hydric flatwood, can
accept inundation on average for up to two inches over a 30-day
period. None of our models show that this system will be inundated
for greater than 30 days for more than two inches.
I spoke with Mike last week and he went a half step further. That
model is not intended to be a snapshot in time but over a six to 10-year
window.
We believe we have shown that not only do we have a good
design, but if you take Mike Duever's report, where the idea is if you
get over two inches of staging in that area for 30 days or more, you
begin to transition from mesic flatwoods to hydric. Our system does
not do that. The model shows that's not what will happen.
We've met the only standard we've been given. And I think the
alternative is to create a bathtub around the preserve which will
actually cause longer inundation.
So my request to you is we're not asking you to set policy, but I
do want you to take a look at the aerial in front of you, and right
where my pen points, you'll see a strip of green. I know it's difficult to
see on this aerial, but I want to point out that we have a case study of
exactly what we're asking you to approve. It's on-site.
Ten years ago this project was approved by the South Florida
Water Management District. At that time churches were not held to a
commercial standard. Water did not have to be pre-treated prior to
discharging into preserves. Our existing stormwater management
system takes the church and the parking lot and discharges the water
through sheet flow into an existing preserve, which is mesic pine
flatwoods.
For nine years this has been going on. We're happy to put
lengthy testimony on, but we don't think it's necessary. That area is
doing well. There's a very simple, and I know, Mr. Strain, you've seen
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December 6, 2007
this, if you go out to cattle lands where you get a lot of standing water
over time, the saw palmetto will get what we call leggy. All of a
sudden the branches on the bottom will die off and it almost looks like
it's trying to step out of the water. You'd think after nine years some of
that might be going on if this was being transitioned from mesic to
hydric. That's not evident in any way.
Admittedly, there are three or four pine trees in here that are
stressed. I can take you out to the middle of the Picayune State Forest
and show you three or four pine trees that are stressed too. There's no
indication -- if everything was being stressed due to water or
inundation, we would see a broader application of that.
My point is that we've done all the studies. We've met or tried to
meet what standards we've been provided in the Mike Duever report.
And we have on this very site a case of a higher degree of inundation
going into a preserve than what we are proposing on the new preserve
in the year.
Folks, we've met the standard. And our request of you today is,
assuming we meet the standards in all other areas that -- on this
particular issue that on this project you determine that in fact what
we're proposing does not represent adverse harm to the preserve.
With that, and that being the key issue, if you have any specific
questions about water management design or the health of the system
out there, Jeremy Sterk, who's the environmentalist with our firm, is
here. His -- Dan Underhill did the EIS in your package. Jeremy's
experience with the site actually pre-dates Dan a little bit. He can
address any questions you might have.
I've chosen just to focus our presentation on the one key issue of
the stipulation, but at this point obviously we'd be pleased to address
any questions or concerns you might have about the balance of the
project.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Questions from the planning
commission?
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December 6, 2007
I would like if we could hold our transportation questions
collectively towards the end and we'll have Nick address all those at
one time. At least I have some, so I'll hold mine.
Mr. Midney?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Yeah, the way I read the staff
recommendation is not that the area be made into a bathtub and
completely isolated, they're just talking about full water quality
pretreatment before it would backflow into the preserve. Are you
against --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Paul, that's the wrong -- there's been a
new recommendation issued separately by staff. That was their first
recommendation. If you don't have the second one -- here, I'll give it
to you to read.
MR. HANCOCK: The recommendation you have in your packet
we were fine with, and quite frankly was a little confused when we got
it because didn't match the analysis or the statements in the staff
report.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right after our packet went out, I think
it was after the weekend even, a separate recommendation went forth,
and not all of us who get e-mail on a regular basis may have received
it. And that's why Mr. Midney may not have had it.
MR. HANCOCK: Actually, Mr. Midney, if you want to go back
to the previous recommendation, we're all for it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That was going to be my question. The
previous recommendation seemed to make sense, especially in lieu of
all the studies that you've done and the fact that you're in an activity
center in an urban area, I was surprised to receive the second
recommendation. But we'll go from there.
Mr. Midney, did you want to follow up with that at all?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: No.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Are there any other questions?
Mr. Murray, then Mr. Schiffer after Mr. Murray.
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December 6, 2007
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Good morning. I'm looking at
the PUD that's extant.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray, could you bring the
microphone.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'm looking at the section one
statement of compliance, and No.8. I just want to make sure I
understand what there are no conflicts. No.8 reads, the planned unit
development includes extensive open spaces which are preserved --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Bob, I'm sorry -- we'd like to follow
along with you. The statement of compliance in the PUD?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, in the old PUD. This is
the Neapolitan Park planned unit. January, 1990. My apologies.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We were looking at the new one.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I apologize. And I'm on page -- I
guess it's 424. Section one.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
MR. HANCOCK: Yes, sir, I'm with you now.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I just want to be clear that we
don't have a conflict in any way.
Under No.8, the planned unit development includes extensive
open spaces which are preserved from future development in order to
enhance their natural functions and to serve as a project amenity.
It's that's a statement that's -- although it's intended to be
specific, I think it's more general than I'd like it relative to what you're
currently relating. Because I'm trying to differentiate, do we lose any
of these open spaces as a result of this new program?
MR. HANCOCK: To answer that question, I'll refer you to the
next to last page of Ordinance 90-06, that same document you're
looking at, which is the conceptual PUD master plan for the
Neapolitan Park PUD.
And if you take a look at what -- it's a little tough to see because
it's obviously a scanned -- but if you'll note the size of the preserve.
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December 6, 2007
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I just want to get there, if you
give me a second.
MR. HANCOCK: And the pages are numbered by OR book to
37, then Page 444, then it's the very next page.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I just lost my page.
Anyway, go ahead, sir.
MR. HANCOCK: If you look at the PUD master plan, obviously
compliance statement No.8 is intended to work in concert with the
master plan. The proposed native vegetation that will be retained in
the project exceeds -- if you'll notice that area of preserve on that
master plan?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yes. Well, I'm not sure I can
differentiate -- it's Tract B, I guess, that we're looking at?
MR. HANCOCK: Correct, it's--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: One looks like a lake and the
other one might be the -- or are they both preserves?
MR. HANCOCK: No, one is a lake, which provides water
management, the darker of the two. The lighter color is a preserve.
Again, my pen is pointing to the preserve area.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: This needs to be turned on. I
have to look over here. I'll look over here in the meantime.
It's as simple as that, huh. Thank you.
MR. HANCOCK: So the preserve area within the Neapolitan
Park PUD shown on the master plan is actually smaller than what will
be retained on-site through the existing combined PUD.
Furthermore, what was required on the previous conditional use
for the New Hope Ministry site has been increased because the
regulation of the native vegetation requirement since the original
adoption of the conditional use requires more. And the fact that they
left the area to the rear vegetated, it increased our overall.
So when you combine the two projects as currently approved,
the resulting vegetation is more than what those two projects wouldl
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December 6,2007
have had to have done under the current approvals.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's interesting. Could you
return to that other photo where you had your pen. While I was
appreciating what you were trying to show us, you showed us what
appeared to be a rather small line of vegetation.
MR. HANCOCK: And I was incorrect. And thank you for
catching me on that. The wider area, which the pen now -- let me get
out of that glare.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's a little different.
MR. HANCOCK: Yeah, that looks more like a preserve and less
like a landscape buffer.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: Yeah. Now it makes a little bit
more sense to me.
And the -- how wide would you say that is? That looks, I would
guess, maybe 35, 40 feet?
MR. HANCOCK: It's actually closer to about 70 feet in width.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: You say there are only a couple
of pines that are stressed?
MR. HANCOCK: There are about 70 pines total in that area, and
there are three or four of them in one small cluster that appear to be
stressed, based on site visits to the site and whatnot. It's not unusual
when one tree gets stressed that you get some boring insects that will
spread out to a couple around it. So it's not terribly disconcerting, but
it does not appear to be anything related to hydrology.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. Let's see if! have
anything else that's pertinent.
MR. HANCOCK: I do have people far more qualified than I to
make those statements.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Bear with me a second. If I have
anything else that's consequential -- yeah, I have this one I noted, too.
There's a reference in here and I have to find it. It talked -- here. Well,
there's a reference to a 5.12 and there isn't any 5.1 -- Page 8 of the new
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December 6, 2007
planned unit development, the new PUD. Under B, item two. At least
it's not contained in this document that I could find.
MR. HANCOCK: It should read 5.10. When sections were
eliminated from the PUD during the course of review, we failed to
catch that --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So that's just a scriveners or a
typo?
MR. HANCOCK: That is my fault.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And I think -- yeah, my note was
a concern I had under Page 4 was internal flooding. I was concerned
with the berm actually creating an internal flooding problem. And not
in the truest sense of flooding, but containment of water that probably
was more -- where are you going to put your water? If you berm it in,
what are you going to do?
MR. HANCOCK: Well, the only berming on-site for water
management areas is going to occur, it's not even going to look like a
berm, it's in essence going to be -- you'll see a flat grass area for
parking and then it will drop off into a dry detention area and that
water is moved through dry detention ultimately back to the lake in
the rear and then it is brought through a system of pipes and swales
back to the front of the property and the ultimate discharge being a
control structure next to the right-of-way on Davis Boulevard.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, thank you, sir. Those were
my issues and questions on this for the PUD, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let the record show Mr. Vigliotti is
here.
And Bob, for your reference, we're on the New Hope Ministries,
and we're just now starting the questions after the presentation.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Thank you. Sorry I'm late,
everyone.
MR. HANCOCK: You didn't miss any of the fireworks, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer, you were next, then Mr.
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December 6, 2007
Adelstein.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And my question, I think, is use
of the site and the site planning. What is the educational building?
What is the intent of that?
MR. HANCOCK: It's really a general purpose building, Sunday
school classes and so forth. It's education in association with the
church programs and membership.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Is there a day care on this
grounds?
MR. HANCOCK: No, we do not have day care.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: The question is why do you
have that building up front like that? Why wouldn't you push it to the
back? You have a nice axial drive on the future sanctuary. This thing
is going to block that.
MR. HANCOCK: That particular building, as you see on the
PUD master plan what we did is we treated everything at a full
build-out. That particular building doesn't have a set of architectural
plans in the wings waiting to move forward.
And what we're currently proposing, that's in the subsequent
phase. So the likelihood that that building is going to be exactly as
shown, exactly where shown is questionable.
One of the things that you do try and do, though, is that there are
times in which the sanctuary is in use and you have educational uses
that are running concurrent. And I think what it does allow is it allows
you to come onto the campus and access the educational facility
without mixing your parking for those that may be using the
sanctuary .
Can it be moved to the back and be aesthetically nicer or
whatnot? It's possible. But I can tell you that this plan was derived
from thinking of a couple of years back, and that building may move
in the future.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And the last question, is all this
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December 6, 2007
parking intended to be paved?
MR. HANCOCK: It is our goal to have as much grass parking
on the site as possible.
I've had discussions with Nicole Ryan at the Conservancy,
because they just recently ran into the same problem with their site.
It's gotten to the point even for churches, you want to do grass parking
but it accounts towards your water management almost as if it were
paved. You get very, very little credit for grass parking because you
have to have stabilized sub grade and limerock under it.
So I've expressed to the Conservancy our desire to work with
them, particular in dealing with not-for-profits in a way to maybe,
maybe improve that, where the required sub grade is not as high so you
get a greater infiltration and you get credit to water management so we
can encourage more grass parking. Our goal is to have as much grass
parking on the site as possible where feasible.
How's that for qualifying?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay, good. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Adelstein?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Thank you. I have great
respect for your effort. And I'm trying to decide in my own mind how
much larger will this New Hope Ministry become by what we're
doing?
MR. HANCOCK: The proposed sanctuary here, which, due to
the time and expense of this process, the church made the wise
decision to put as big a number in there as they can dream. And we're
talking about a 4,200-seat sanctuary is what we based all of our TIS
information and whatnot on.
The likelihood of getting there on this campus, you know, I don't
know that ultimately all of the ancillary programs that would go with a
membership that high can actually fit on this campus. But we wanted
to maximize that so we didn't have to come back here in two years
because we were off by a thousand.
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December 6, 2007
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: That is something that I really
understand and respect. But my problem is, I still know Davis
Boulevard and I know the problem on Davis Boulevard and I can see
what could happen on some of these days in which the traffic will not
be able to flow. And I'm wondering, how are you going to protect
that?
This is a very large street with a very small use availability. And
now we're going to make this much, much larger.
Davis Boulevard maybe is a failed road. There's nothing we can
do about it. And all you're going to do with it now is make it fail faster
and possibly put us into a major problem.
MR. HANCOCK: In response to that, the failure of Davis
Boulevard is a p.m. weekday peak hour failure. It's Monday through
Friday, 4:00 to 6:00 is when it achieves that failed status, if you will.
At build-out, based on 4,200 seats, there's 93 trips in that p.m.
peak hour. The bulk of trips that will apply to this campus will occur
predominantly on a Sunday morning.
In the TIS provided to you, we actually went out and did traffic
counts during the hours of operation of the church on Davis
Boulevard. Right now traffic coming out of the church has two
choices, east or west on Davis. Davis is the only way in, the only way
out.
With the approval of this project and the requirement of the
interconnection, approximately half of our trips will now be heading
to Santa Barbara. And that is going to be a tremendous benefit for
Davis. And that's why I think the number of 93 peak hour trips, if you
begin dividing that between Santa Barbara and Davis, it becomes
minuscule.
Will there be some traffic congestion on Sunday mornings?
Absolutely. And all of us that attend a church of any size have dealt
with this. And that's why the church hires the Florida Highway Patrol
to allow for safe ingress and egress of their parishioners.
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December 6, 2007
Because this is an off-peak use, I believe, Commissioner
Adelstein, that the concern over traffic on Davis, the worst thing that
could happen is not rezone this to a church and allow it to become
something that contributes to a higher degree of that weekday p.m.
peak hour. We're off-peak. If we can get more off-peak uses out there,
some of those traffic numbers will look a lot better.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: I'm hoping you're thinking the
same way. But the idea is to make sure that it's going to be safe and
usable when it's going to have to be usable.
MR. HANCOCK: I think if we didn't have the access to Santa
Barbara I would probably share your concerns to a greater degree --
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: I guarantee that--
MR. HANCOCK: -- but fortunately some of the folks
developing the Dolphin Plaza just happen to be in the congregation on
Sundays, so we've got a good neighbor there.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I've got one more question.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sure, go ahead, Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: With regard -- if you'd show that
other picture again ofthe -- I recognize that's the current -- when the
child care, you said you had no child care, and that's fine. But within
the PUD you're asking for the opportunity to provide child care.
MR. HANCOCK: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So my question would be
relative -- very simple thing. How close, and I can't really make it out
on this master plan, to be honest with you, where would the child care
be relative to those what look to be like residences there? They look
like several story high residences.
MR. HANCOCK: In the next phase of buildings, the only thing
we're actually building in this next phase is -- back by the lake there
was a building that kind of ran east-west?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Could you relate it to that so that
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December 6, 2007
I get a better orientation and I can try to then relate it to this? Okay,
that far.
MR. HANCOCK: That would be the next building that is firmly
in the building program. Beyond that, quite honestly, we're still a little
bit in the hope, dream and pray a lot phase.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. So that's -- based on what
you told me earlier is like 70 feet for the preserve area, that's got to be
probably well over 150 feet.
MR. HANCOCK: Yes, the master plan --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: It's very hard to read this master
plan from my -- it's very --
MR. HANCOCK: You all may remember Ms. Kelly Michelle
Smith, who is with our firm. A wonderful lady, but made the mistake
of giving you way too much detail.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I know.
MR. HANCOCK: She took the SDP plan and submitted it as our
PUD master plan, and it's got way too much stuff on it.
But when you look at this, one of the nice things about the
identification of the preserve area is that we've been able to retain
native vegetation along the perimeter of the boundary everywhere
where we butt up against residential housing, with the exception of, I
think there's one building immediately to our east that does not look at
the preserve. Everybody else, we're maintaining a strip of preserve
anywhere from 30 to 70 feet around that lake. Then there's a two-acre
lake, then there's a building.
So we feel very comfortable that folks are going to -- when it's
all done and said, would everybody like 10 acres of trees behind
them? Sure. But we think this plan results in the right native
preservation and the right buffering for this condition.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Are there any other questions of the
applicant before we ask transportation questions?
Page 3 1
December 6, 2007
Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Hancock, on Page 6 of your
PUD, the new one, the current one.
MR. HANCOCK: Yes, ma'am.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Okay, question on 3.2(B)(2).
Included here are boat docks. Why would that be?
MR. HANCOCK: Well, with the exception of any type of a
summer program where they might canoe in the lake, you've got me.
COMMISSIONER CARON: I think we can take that out of the
PUD?
MR. HANCOCK: Can we live without boat docks? The kids
will complain, but we'll take it out anyway.
COMMISSIONER CARON: And number three --
MR. HANCOCK: And maybe later you can tell me what you
were getting at, because I understand there's a story there.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Number three includes a bookstore
and a printing shop. So is this for commercial purposes, or is this just
strictly for the church to print their Sunday morning --
MR. HANCOCK: It's to support the church use. Pastor Thigpen
is on tape every Sunday, and there's a lot of recording and production
that goes on and people requesting things from the church and
whatnot.
So one of the concerns we have is these days if you aren't so
inclusive in your PUD and you ask for an interpretation from staff that
it's consistent with what you have, seven months later you're in front
of the county commission asking for a print shop.
So it is to support the church uses, period, it is not a commercial
use.
COMMISSIONER CARON: On Page 9, for your preserve area
plan what are the water management structures that you're talking
about?
MR. HANCOCK: It would strictly be related to an outfall
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December 6, 2007
structure. As currently designed, we don't have any structures in there,
but if down the road, for example, there was a change in the design,
that's what we would limit it to.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Then I think it should say outfall
structure.
MR. HANCOCK: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If you're going to go that far as to define
the structure, you may want to make sure you put in the pipe that leads
to the structure, because the foot of that may end up being into the
structure, and I can see someone mincing words during review that the
pipe isn't allowed but the structure is.
So you might -- I think water management structures covers you
because it's anything that the South Florida Water Management
District basically requires to be good engineering. I'm not sure by
mincing into defining each piece of a structure, if you decide to use an
outfall that might vary in shape or size or use a mitered end or
something like that, then you've got a different kind of structure but
still one that would be reasonable.
COMMISSIONER CARON: The goal was to keep them out of
issues, not to create issues for them. So if everybody is happy with
water management structures --
MR. HANCOCK: It's probably far more limited in actual
application than you may think. There's not too much there --
COMMISSIONER CARON: That's probably the better way to
go.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Could we state water management
structures as required by permitting agencies?
MR. HANCOCK: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Because you're not going to want to do
more than that anyway, so--
MR. HANCOCK: No, sir, they're kind of expensive.
COMMISSIONER CARON: And on Page 13, vacating the
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December 6, 2007
current conservation easement, is that the conservation easement in
front of your property along Davis? Where is this?
MR. HANCOCK: No, ma'am, that conservation easement, that
preserve area will be retained along the front of the project.
COMMISSIONER CARON: What is the conservation easement
that you're trying to vacate?
MR. HANCOCK: That vacation has already occurred. This
PUD's been in process for a long time. There was a taking that
occurred along Davis Boulevard for right-of-way and drainage, and
there was an alteration in the location and the intended location of the
preserves there. To my knowledge of the current conservation
easements, we're not vacating any of them. So I believe that's holdover
language.
Our goal, Ms. Caron, is basically that what you see meets or
exceeds the county standard, at least for preserve location and type.
The environmental staff has approved it. We just simply -- we're
happy to limit ourselves to what's on the master plan. That may be
holdover language.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Okay, I'm --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Do you have any problems striking that
language then?
MR. HANCOCK: I've just been informed by my client that on
the east side there is a narrow strip that the county said is too narrow
to be counted towards the preservation requirements that are in place
today, so we may be vacating that.
However, it's not going to be altered because it's really -- you
know, there's drainage that goes through that area. But that may be the
only area in which we vacate an easement.
As you see on your master plan, though, that area is not culled
out as an easement to meet the county's requirement.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Okay, can you explain then
exactly where that is? I mean --
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December 6, 2007
MR. HANCOCK: Going back to the over-information plan, as
you look at the right side of this plan, on the bottom right corner you'll
see that, you know, approximately 70-foot wide preserve area that
we're talking about.
And see how it kind of starts to turn up to the north on the
bottom right corner there? That used to extend up on as a part of our
preserve on that eastern boundary. It's pretty narrow and it's not going
to be part of our preserve plan into the future.
So that would be the only area that I believe that language would
apply to on the current plan.
Our current plan in for SDP review is really not to touch that
area, but we just can't count it as preserves, so why leave a restriction
on it that isn't necessary.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Could you blow that plan up and
specifically show us the easement that the you're considering
vacating?
MR. HANCOCK: Thank you, Mr. Bellows.
Again, lower right-hand corner, you see how it kind of sweeps to
the north a little bit and then the parking area starts? To the right of
that parking area is a narrow strip, and that was part of a conservation
easement that doesn't need to be there anymore.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Okay. Thank you. I'm good for my
questions in here.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Are there any other questions before we
go into transportation?
Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: I'm sorry that I was late. You
might have went over this, this morning before I got here, but where
do you stand on stipulations regarding the water quality?
Sorry .
MR. HANCOCK: I will do my best Reader's Digest version.
We've provided staff with all the information they've requested,
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December 6, 2007
we've done countless analyses on it, and there's not a standard that
we're being told we have to meet. And so we are pre-treating all of the
stormwater before it would ever enter the preserve. It will only enter
the preserve on very extreme rainfall events. And my having it
connected to our stormwater system, we believe it will exit quicker.
We think it's a better plan than leaving it alone and hemming it in with
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Tim, I think we can shorten this by what
you already suggested, was that the recommendation that was
originally submitted by staff that says the CPUD and master plan
show full water quality pretreatment volume before the water reaches
an elevation that would have the lake overflow its banks and then
backflow into the natural ground area preserves. That one he can live
with.
The new one that came out bye-mail, I know the look on your
face, so that's probably like Mr. Midney, you didn't see it. Another one
came out that said all stormwater shall be prohibited from entering the
preserve shown on the master plan. That one they can't live with.
So they're in agreement with the first one, not in agreement with
the second one.
MR. HANCOCK: Thank you, Mr. Strain, and that is correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Midney?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Yeah, does the backflow back
into the preserve? Is that by just natural groundwater seepage or is that
by some sort of plumbing, like pipes?
MR. HANCOCK: No, sir, it's -- between the lake and the
preserve there are no structures as a part of the water management
system. It literally just rises. And because there's a berm around the
lake, portion of the lake that's adjacent to the preserve, the water just
basically seeps back. And as the lake level falls, the water seeps back
toward the lake.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Well, if it's all subterranean,
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December 6, 2007
doesn't that imply that there's not going to be any nutrients, it's just
going to be the natural flow of water?
MR. HANCOCK: To guarantee that there is no nutrient loading
is almost an impossible task --
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: I mean, isn't it considered that if
it's subterranean that you're not talking about nutrients flowing back
and forth?
MR. HANCOCK: That would be correct. And again, because of
the pretreatment factor, that the water's being pretreated before it gets
to the lake and before it gets to the preserve, we believe the statement
that nutrient loading is increased to be erroneous.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, before we get into transportation,
are there any other questions of the applicant?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: I'm good, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Tim, if you could, I haven't asked any
questions and I do have a few.
MR. HANCOCK: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let's start on Page 7, Table 1,
Community Facility Development Standards.
Your maximum height on that table in your PUD, your reference
is 48 feet and three stories. The way we usually do it is three stories
not to exceed 48 feet. Do you have any problem with the correction of
that language?
MR. HANCOCK: No, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Under the requirements where it says
minimum building setbacks, PUD boundary, you have under
accessory use a 10- foot setback. Since most of your buildings are
accessory uses to the main large building, that would potentially put a
huge building right next to some residential areas. Do you have any
objection to a larger setback requirement along residentially-zoned
properties?
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December 6, 2007
MR. HANCOCK: I think 25 feet, same as principal, would be
acceptable?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, so PUD boundary, where it abuts
residential, you're saying will do --
MR. HANCOCK: A minimum of 25-foot setback, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm trying to make some of these
changes on notations so we can, in our stipulated motion we can keep
it nice and clean, so --
This project has the potential of a lot of uses that may have
compatibility problems with adjoining residential areas. You're
certainly entitled to the uses you're asking for. However, if you were,
say, sold to a different church, as some churches grow out of their
different areas and move on to others, and some new facility came in
and decided that the uses that are in here mean something different to
them, something greater than what the neighborhood or that this board
or another board may have intended, we have introduced a suggestion
in the code, it hasn't passed yet, but we discussed it with a couple of
other PUDs last week, in implementing noncompatibility language, so
that if a use is interpreted in the future by an applicant in a manner that
seems to be inconsistent to what was intended, staff could request that
that use be rereviewed for potential compatibility uses back before a
board.
I don't know if you're familiar with this language, it was
introduced by Mr. Klatzkow some time ago and it's been working its
way through the system. Your PUD, should it go through now and
prior to that language being instituted, it would basically not fall under
that language or be questionable whether it fell under it.
So I have a copy of that language as it has applied in the last
couple and I was wondering if you have any objection to entering
some noncompatibility language into this PUD for the circumstances
that I just described?
MR. HANCOCK: It I could have the opportunity, as you're
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December 6, 2007
discussing transportation with Mr. Casalanguida, to speak to with Mr.
Klatzkow. My primary concern--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Here's a copy of it for that purpose,
when you do. And then before we get to the end, I'd like to ask you
your thoughts on it.
What that does is prevent situations like we've had occur in a
couple places in North Naples, one being, as an example, the Stevie
Tomatoes in Pebblebrook Plaza incident. So --
MR. HANCOCK: Understood. And because we're not a
commercial site where we have somebody coming in to -- you know,
that was selling property, so to speak, it's lesser of an issue for us.
My concern remains, and I'll discuss this with Mr. Klatzkow, as
-- you know, what constitutes a complaint? Three neighbors who don't
like the church? Are we -- those type of issues. How it ferrets out is
my primary concern for this particular project. But I'll discuss that
with him.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We'll look forward to your comments
before we finish.
On Page 9, your preserve areas. Under 4.2(A)(2), biking, hiking
and nature trails and boardwalks, do you have any concern if we
reference those as being non-paved?
MR. HANCOCK: No, sir. Your EAC LDC subcommittee also is
bringing a recommendation back to you hopefully in the coming
months on that same item.
But no, sir, for this project pervious only would be acceptable. I
assume that does not apply, obviously, to boardwalks.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Elevated non-pervious. No, I'm talking
ground surfaces.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Patent it, you'll be rich for life.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: On your PUD master plan, I have two
problems with the master plan. One is I do not think you really want to
make this your master plan. The fact that you're putting this intensity,
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December 6, 2007
and I would have to turn to Marjorie or Jeff or whoever was the
county attorney that reviewed this, this master plan is so detailed, I
would be concerned that you might be back in here every year to
change the movement of a parking space or the -- it's just way beyond
what I think is reasonable in the public record for a master plan.
It is an SDP plan, I certainly agree with you, and that's the
scrutiny that this could entail going through review for one change is
going to be devastating to your applicant.
Ms. Student?
MS. STUDENT -STIRLING: Yes, it would be our opinion that it
should be more conceptual in nature. They typically are.
MR. HANCOCK: With that direction, we'll be happy to modify
it, leaving the uses where they are but taking the detail out of it. We
didn't want to do that in the middle of the process, because we'd go
through 14 reviews. But with your direction, that's only one review, so
we're very happy to do that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. And I think we could stipulate
something that would give us enough assurance that the remaining
plan, say with review by both staff and Margie, would be a plan that
would be something more in line with a conceptual plan that we're
used to seeing, so that we don't have an applicant forced to come back
through the system every few months for a minor change.
MR. HANCOCK: And preserve locations and lake locations will
be unchanged in that plan, basically we're going to remove the parking
detail, primarily. And ifthere's any water management that's in
addition to this, we'll show it so it's more reflective.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN : Well, you have a set of standards in the
LDC that trigger insubstantial and substantial changes. If you were to
use those as a the guideline as the ones needed to be on here, and
anything that doesn't require a substantial change for movement, you
don't need to put it on here. So I think that would be a good way to
approach it.
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December 6, 2007
MR. HANCOCK: We appreciate the suggestion and certainly
agree to doing just that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I have -- and I should have mentioned
this during disclosures, I did speak to the Conservancy, and you
reminded me of that by your reference to them earlier.
Their suggestion, and I happen to agree with it, is that a lot of
these -- and I understand your argument about the grass parking, but
grass parking, while it may not help you in water management
because of the base that still has to be there, it does help in
appearance, a lot of green space and reduces the heat generation from
black asphalt, which is a -- for lack of a better reference, it's a
warming issue that we all need to be aware of. We have way too much
dark asphalt overall.
I would like you to consider limiting your asphalt to aisles only
on that westernmost large parking area and use grass -- with the
exception of those couple of aisles up close to your facility that would
have to be handicapped or more daytime and constant use. But once
you get past the first two aisles, run asphalt in your travel lanes and
leave all your parking spaces grass.
Do you have any concerns with that?
I know the base issue, I know the sod issue. But honestly, I think
if we can do with less asphalt on this planet, we would have a lot
better place to deal with.
MR. HANCOCK: I don't disagree. The problem that a church
faces, for example, is it's a financial issue. Unfortunately it's cheaper
to do asphalt over a 20-year period than it is to maintain grass,
unfortunately.
I think if you will allow me to discuss it with the pastor, maybe
when I come back up and we address this other language, I might have
something more concrete to offer you, no pun intended.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You might want to consider the fact that
our recommendation, if it's such, to limit this master plan, will save
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December 6, 2007
you considerably more money over 20 years than coming back before
this board every month.
MR. HANCOCK: The weight of your recommendation is noted,
SIr.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Tim, I've got to ask you a couple
of questions about the Neapolitan PUD. I'm not sure how familiar you
are with it. It's 90-16.
MR. HANCOCK: Mr. Chairman, I thought I had a copy of it
with me and I don't see it in my packet.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It might be a question I'm going to
better ask of staff. It's not built. So I'm wondering, is this considered
sunsetted, do you know?
MR. HANCOCK: If you look at when we started our rezone, it
would not have been.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: When did you start your rezone?
Because it would have had a five-year window from 91-102, which
was the establishment of our sunsetting provisions. By that would
mean if you hadn't got 15 percent done by '96, it would have
sunsetted.
MR. HANCOCK: We started in 2003 with the application.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You would have needed 45 percent
done by then, which you wouldn't have had. So I would think this is
sunsetted in some manner, unless there is some other action that
prevents it, a failure of government or something like that.
Ray, do you know?
MR. BELLOWS: I don't know if it's sunsetted, but your logic
would apply. And I think it should be classified as sunsetted.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The reason that may be important is
depending on what Nick's got to say when we talk to him about vested
trips and things like that.
Tim, that may be all, except for transportation, of which I have a
lot more.
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December 6, 2007
So with that, I appreciate your time.
Are there any other questions of Tim while he's up here,
gentlemen, ma'am?
(No response.)
MR. HANCOCK: I'll do my best to listen with one ear while we
speak to Mr. Klatzkow on this language.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: For the record, Nick Casalanguida,
Transportation.
(Speaker was duly sworn.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Good morning, Nick.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Good morning, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I watched you dance around the traffic
corridor questions at the BCC meeting. You did a good job.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: I'm a lousy dancer.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I don't think you answered their
question in some regards, but you did a good job.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'll ask the other members here first if
they want to ask you any specific questions first.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No?
I went and found the traffic analysis for the new -- I didn't find
it, actually, Melissa did at my request, the traffic analysis for the
Neapolitan. And actually Tim's one that they did to provide us with
today was not as bad as it would have been. Actually, he was more
conservative in his approach.
Based on what I can see here, their ending trips were much
higher than what peak and -- entering and ending trips were much
higher than what Tim indicated they were going to build. So in that
regard, it actually comes out better for them.
But they're going from 700 seats to 4,200 seats. I know they're
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December 6, 2007
doing it off peak, they're doing it on the weekend, but they're relying
upon a traffic access agreement that I haven't seen. Have you seen that
in regards --
MR. CASALANGUIDA: I have not seen that agreement.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Do we know if one's in place?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: I've spoken to Brian Howell probably
about eight months ago, who's building that Dolphin site, and he said
that that was agreeable to him to provide cross access. But I have not
seen the agreement. It might beneficial to have the agreement in place
or brought to the Board of County Commissioners before approval.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Do you know if that agreement, when it
was devised? When the Dolphin one was I think put together a while
back, they would have had to agree to this accessway at the time. And
at the time were they realizing that they were agreeing to it for a
700-seat church or a 4,200-seat church?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: You know, the difficult part is -- I go
to St. Agnes. No church works well on a Sunday morning or a
Saturday afternoon. And you can't design the access points to work
well for a church.
You look at 4,200 seats and you cut it in half and conservatively
say two people per car, 2,000 cars leaving at the same time. Even if
it's 1,000 cars, it's going to muck up the road system for a good hour.
So you can't build the intersection.
Now, I will say this: The intersections that are going to be
designed, Santa Barbara and Davis, are designed to handle p.m. peak
hour traffic significantly higher than Sunday traffic. For that one
concentrated 20 minutes where they all leave church, you're going to
have a problem there. But every single other church in the county
does, too.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But see, my question about that access
that's being -- that access easement area that they're utilizing, they
have a statement in their TIS that says it was designed by
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December 6, 2007
WilsonMiller.
My question to you as our traffic engineer, it says these turn
lanes have been designed and analyzed by WilsonMiller Engineering,
the engineers who have designed the Dolphin Plaza property, and they
already have a permit for the right-of-way work.
My question is what did they design to for the impacts on that
access? Did that intersection work that they now have a permit for? Is
it with the intention of a 700 traffic-generated church or 4,200, or
would it make a difference?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: No. And it won't make a difference,
and I'll tell you why. I have the WilsonMiller plans here, I pulled them
this morning. The Dolphin Plaza is going to put in a northbound right
turn lane as part of their site plan. The southbound left on Santa
Barbara, which is an access point, is substandard because of the
emergency access we have to provide to the EMS site, so --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You're talking way too fast.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: The southbound left on Santa Barbara
is underdesigned because of the EMS access we have to provide the
emergency medical service.
So again, I can't build any access point to any church to peak
event, peak entrance-exit traffic. You just can't do it. St. Agnes, where
I go is the same thing, you wait a half hour in the parking lot to leave
and you wait to get in. Everybody's coming at the same time and
leaving at the same time.
Now, for point of clarification, on Davis Boulevard -- I spoke to
the church fathers before I came up here and I said, I just want to be
clear on two things, and maybe it wasn't clear in the PUD document.
There is a 60- foot drainage utility easement that's in front of
their -- on their property. It doesn't say right-of-way easement. I would
like that clarified to read right-of-way easement as well, too.
There is an existing eastbound left turn lane, and existing right
turn lane. When we expand that road to six lanes -- and right now it's
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December 6, 2007
four lanes divided, not two as we show -- I'll have to rebuild those turn
lanes. If this site was not going to expand I would do that on the
county's dime.
What I asked the church fathers is when I rebuild this road that I
get compensating right-of-way of 15 additional feet if! need it and
that they pay for those turn lanes. And they've agreed to do that. And I
think that's the best I'm going to do working with the church.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Maybe that answers the next question I
was going to ask, because I think you referenced the same one.
In their traffic report on Page 11 under the Davis Boulevard
section, they talk about that currently the site provides two turn lanes.
The right-hand turn lane is currently maxed out and will remain in
place and operational during and after construction, with no
modifications proposed. Is that the one you're referencing?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: The right turn lane westbound is. And
I'm not worried about that, because that's a decel. lane and you've got
throats, so that will work okay.
The left turn lane will have to be increased, either now or when
we get the SDP, and I have copies of the site's aerial, or at the time I
widen Davis Boulevard, depending on what we see as traffic impacts.
My problem is I'm about a quarter mile from the intersection, I
can only lengthen it so long before I get into the turn lanes for the
intersection, but my median's pretty thick there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Nick, I have another one. I'm
trying to figure out the best way -- well, there's a couple different
ones.
Under their trip distribution, Page 6 of the TIS, it says based on
discussions with the pastor of New Hope Church, anticipated
congregant draw will be about one-third from each of the three
directions north, south and west.
South? We don't have anything south, do we?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: You will, Santa Barbara extension.
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. But currently there's a direction
coming from the east.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: East.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So he's saying that there's no
congregants really coming from the east?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: I show 25 percent of the driving
coming from the east.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. If --
MR. CASALANGUIDA: And keep in mind, this started in
2003. I think in fairness to Davidson, we met and I finally put my
hands up and said I'll deal with the traffic issues. They had three or
four internal engineers that started the traffic statement, some people
that were fairly new, and it got to the point where we met, I don't
know, probably seven times. I said enough, no more traffic statements,
I'm getting a headache. I said we'll review it based on what I know
about the roadway capacities and the road projects that we have on it
with respect to a church.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, then I want to clear a couple of
things up for the record, but at the end I'm probably just going to ask
your overall impression about this in regards to traffic and see where
you go.
Page 4, they talk about Phase 2 trip generation for a multi-use
building, and they base their table of trips based on the church
administrator's prediction. How scientific is that compared to the
standards used in the traffic -- ITE?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: It's not atypical to deal with a site like
this and talk to the church and say what are you doing right now, what
do you propose to use, and you take it on good faith, no pun intended.
What I think, you could look at ITE, church sites, they do
different things. So I look at worst case scenario. Even if I double the
p.m. peak for ancillary uses I'm okay in the future.
So you'd ask the overall opinion, I'm concerned about peak event
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December 6, 2007
traffic. I can't do much about it. P.M. peak I know will be fine. If they
agree to modify their turn lanes in the future in the right-of-way I
think I get an overall improvement to the system that they've helped
me with.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We have a serious problem with Davis
and 951.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: A lot of times -- every time that I can
recall we've received a TIS we have had a breakdown of the linkage
impacts on each link that the area -- that any particular project
impacts. And in this case we'd have to have Davis Boulevard both east
and west and Santa Barbara at least north.
I didn't see that percentage breakdown, and I know that Tim had
indicated to me in a phone call that it was somewhere in here.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: I think it's on page -- the one I have is
Page 9. They have Davis and Santa Barbara to 951.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I don't see the percentage, though. Do
you see that?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Percentage of trips?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Percentage of impact -- where it
broaches the level of service impact that we need to be concerned
about.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Tim, we've got seven different studies
going around on this thing. Are we looking at the same one? Not the
one I received? Could be. Let me take a look.
Show me 14 over 153.
Okay, I see where he's showing it to me.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, tell me.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: He's showing less than three percent --
roughly one percent impact on that link, based on p.m. peak analysis,
which is what 5.1 tells you to do. Even if! double that, Commissioner
Strain, and I go to two percent impact or three percent impact, I'm still
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December 6, 2007
not going to have an adverse impact on the road going east.
The first part of Davis I'm improving is from Radio to 951.
State's five-year work program just came out and they still have 2011,
2012 Santa Barbara to Radio in their work program. That's solid, that's
been approved. So those links going east are both scheduled to be
improved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: In the analysis for the impact on the
adjacent roadways, were you relying on any vested trips for this
project?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: I was not.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So the Neapolitan approval of the PUD
you had not factored in as a vested trip project?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: I took what they had done on worst
case scenario. I took 4,200 seats, cut it in half and said worst case on a
Sunday you've got 2,000 cars. I asked them to do some Sunday
analysis. Based on that, the roadway capacity, even with the additional
cars, say 1,000 on each lane, is still below the service volume that we
look under in p.m. peak design.
So they were okay in terms of that. But will they muck up the
roads on a Sunday for about a half hour? Yes, they will.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No more than the flea market used to
and the drive-in theater across the street probably.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Probably no more.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: On Page 10, under CCMA
requirements, Item D, flexible work schedules that are expected to
reduce peak hour automobile work trips generated by the
development.
That's the standard they're supposed to be responding to. Their
response is the addition of a multi-purpose building will generate little
new trips and the hours of operation will coincide with that of the
church. The church's main hours operation are during Sunday, which
will not coincide with the peak hours of the adjacent roadway.
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December 6, 2007
How does that answer the question?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: It really doesn't. And when they
referenced the TCMA, and I can tell you again, we probably had five
different TIS's done by five different people from Davidson going
forward from 2003 till now. They were trying to go through what was
in our policy 5.1, they were trying to go through the Growth
Management Plan, and they were responding to all of that in a sense
of overkill. And I said don't worry about that, that's not going to be
applicable to this project.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So Policy 6.2 is not applicable to this
project?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: They're not going to probably have to
do the TCMA requirements when they come in for application, and
that will be reviewed at SDP.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: On Page 12, the second paragraph, they
talk about a significant remaining capacity in the middle of the
paragraph, where it says while our project would only will impose
another 579 Sunday trips, peak direction, peak hour under the
segment.
I'm trying to figure out how they got to that calculation. Because
on Page 3, the existing peak hour is 536. So how can seven times the
existing be only 579?
Again, I may be reading it wrong, so I'm looking for
clarification.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Peak hour, peak direction. I had said
to you 4,200 seats, cut that in half, that's cars, that's worst case. You're
looking at 2,000. Then you start splitting the trips up, in versus out in
all directions, you get to like a quarter of that. So you get into 500
peak hour, peak direction because they're going to split 25 percent in
all directions.
So when you start looking at that, that's kind of where you can
get to a number like that.
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, the Sunday seats in the
Page 3 looks like their peak hours are 536 entering and exiting -- or
228 -- I'm sorry, 211. Which one is the right one for their peak hours?
Page 3.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: I don't think they did a total. I gave
them the number of2,000. That's probably where you're getting the
500 from. I said assume worst case. So they probably took my
guidance and put that in that response.
Again, I've got to tell you -- on Page 3?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I know it's the existing trips. If they're
seven times now the seating, it would seem to me logical that they're
going to have some ratio of six or seven times what their existing is. If
they're not, that's fine. But I haven't seen any -- I don't know what the
reasoning as to why they're not.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: You're talking about in versus out total
trips. When you do peak hour, peak direction, remember, you're
breaking total trips down into directions. They come out, they go
different directions. If they've got two access points and one goes
north, one goes south, you're getting a reduction.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. So it's only one direction that this
579 is referring to.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Peak hour, peak direction.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That helps.
Under the first bullet, I need to ask you how this is implemented.
It talks about -- and it's on Page 12 again, that they've hired a patrol
officer, and looks like he's been there 14 years -- he certainly likes his
job -- and he's going to continue to service.
Is this an element or an item that is required?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: I don't think it's in our codes. I think
it's a courtesy the church does to their members as well as to the
public. I know at St. Agnes they have a police officer out there as
well, too.
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Does it have any factor into your
analysis?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: No.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's my traffic questions of you, Nick.
Thank you very much.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: You're welcome.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody else that has any traffic
questions or have I beat this to death?
Thank you, sir -- oh, Donna?
COMMISSIONER CARON: I just want to say thank you for the
explanation, because I had that same question, but it's the peak
direction that's being talked about here with the 579.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: It's really hard to analyze a church.
You don't really have -- you know it's going to be a problem, you do
the best you can and go from there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you very much, sir.
MR. CASALANGUIDA: So those stipulations or
recommendations, Mark, were you able to notate those, about the --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I noted them, but I noted to say no
because Nick asked for them. Did you want those introduced?
MR. CASALANGUIDA: If I could.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: They're here, they're noted. Yes, sir,
thank you.
With that, we'll go into staff presentation.
MS. ZONE: Good morning. Melissa Zone, Principal Planner
with the Department of Zoning and Land Development.
We're going to be brief in my presentation, since it was a very
in-depth presentation from the applicant and transportation.
For the record, New Hope Ministry is on a parcel that is zoned
rural agricultural with a provisional use for the church use.
And they have purchased the Neapolitan Park PUD, which is
west of the church property, current church property. And Neapolitan
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December 6, 2007
Park PUD, by standards of the code, has sunsetted. Why they didn't go
through the sunset process staff, you know, can determine that.
And staff will ensure that your recommendations are placed in
the PUD in front of the Board of County Commissioners. So I want
that for the record.
But there is a conflicting recommendation. Transportation wants
the drainage easement along Davis Road, that 60-foot wide drainage
easement, to also include right-of-way. But if that becomes, or if
right-of-way can go into that 60-foot drainage easement, it could
impact the Lely area stormwater project, and there could be issues.
And Robert Wiley is here to address that, if you make that
recommendation to include it as right-of-way with the stormwater.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, we're going to -- Nick's obviously
got a comment on this --
MS. ZONE: I know. I know. As well as probably Robert Wiley.
But I wanted this board, before you make the determination to hear
both sides.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We will certainly, if we have questions
ofMr. Wiley, we'll certainly bring him up here and ask questions of
him, since he is here.
MS. ZONE: Ifthere's any questions for me, I'm happy to address
them; otherwise, staff will support planning commission's
recommendations.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
Nick, would you mind addressing that comment about the --
MR. CASALANGUIDA: Not at all. The LASIP manager who
works on that was Robert, is now Jerry Kurtz, who's in our building,
and we coordinate -- all road projects for LASIP are coordinated with
road projects, so there will not be a conflict.
It's just a clarification that says 60 feet of drainage and utility
easement -- it says right-of-way and I need two feet of that. I wouldn't
want to have to come back for clarification. But Lely would take
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December 6, 2007
precedence over roadway expansion, so that's not -- will not be a
conflict.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you. Are there any questions of
staff before I go to public speakers?
Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah, Melissa, I just wanted to let
you know that on Page 3 of 8, I think you've got east and west
confused.
MS. ZONE: Oh, I did. And, you know what, I'll make sure that's
corrected for the -- to be presented to the Board of County
Commissioners. Thank you for pointing that out.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Then if you go to your rezone
findings for PUDs, couple of things. On number four, on Page 2 of3,
it's talking about internal and external compatibility. And one of the
things that you say as far as a pro is concerned is the proposed rezone
document incorporated design and buffering requirements. Additional
buffering requirements might be incorporated during the development
order process. Or we could be stipulating something here today,
correct?
MS. ZONE: Correct.
COMMISSIONER CARON: And I just want to cite an example
for the rest of the CCPC. Mr. Hancock pointed out that in -- that while
they've been very careful here to try to make sure that lakes and
preserves abut all of the homes, one or two of these homes apparently
are not included.
And so I'll ask Mr. Hancock afterward, but I think it would be
appropriate for us to stipulate now that additional buffering be granted
to those residential units.
MS. ZONE: I will address that.
And also, they had asked for a recommendation -- or a deviation
for the wall adjacent to the residential. And staff didn't support that
deviation because we wanted when they come in through the SDP
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December 6, 2007
process, there's -- in the LDC, they can come in for a fence waiver.
And at that time we could determine if they do the fence waiver
against the residential property, they have to enhance the buffering to
what the standards would be.
So that's also another mechanism to -- in addition to the PUD
process or the rezoning process, that we would make sure when they
come in -- if they do come in for the administrative fence waiver. If
not, there will be a fence there to buffer those residential parcels.
COMMISSIONER CARON: So you're not supportive of a PUD
deviation for fences --
MS. ZONE: Correct.
COMMISSIONER CARON: -- and a wall?
MS. ZONE: We're not supporting that. We're saying that if they
want the fence waiver, they would have to come in and submit an
application and have us look at it more in detail.
COMMISSIONER CARON: But that's not on your
recommendations.
MS. ZONE: Well, no, in the staff report I say we're not
recommending that deviation.
COMMISSIONER CARON: But wouldn't it end up being one
of your recommendations as well not to?
MS. ZONE: Usually we're not supporting it. But if you want, I
could add that in that we're not -- because they're asking -- staff gave
an explanation why we're not supporting it. And -- but if you want me
to present it differently, I'm more than happy to work with --
COMMISSIONER CARON: I just think we need to be specific
again. And we're trying to be very specific and make sure we include
all of these things as to whether they're supported or not supported.
MS. ZONE: Certainly. It's on Page 6 of8 in the staff report.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, are there any other questions
before we go to public speakers?
Mr. Midney?
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December 6, 2007
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Yes, I notice in the Exhibit A,
area one is existed native preservation and water management area. So
that means that you're combining water management with native
preservation, and that's already been there before.
Is that kind of combination something that is still normal
practice, or are we trying to separate water management areas from
preservation areas?
MS. ZONE: I know that they're wanting to separate them. I don't
believe the LDC amendment -- Barbara might be more informed of
that -- has gone through yet or not. But as a whole, that's how they are
looking at it now.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: In the future.
MS. ZONE: Correct.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Could you have you or somebody
else try to explain the sort of controversy or disagreement between
staff and the applicant in terms of whether they want to have the water
pre-treated or whether they want to prohibit all water from going into
the preserve area?
MS. ZONE: Yes. And I have here, and I'd like to read it into the
record, there is a recommendation that staff has looked at since this
discussion, and to read into the record for a new stipulation for this
water treatment.
It would be that receipt of treated stormwater discharge where
such use, including conveyance, treatment and discharge structures
does not result in adverse impacts to the naturally occurring native
vegetation, to include the loss of the minimum required vegetation and
the harm to any listed species, according to the policies associated
with Objective 7.1, as determined by criteria set forth in land
development regulations.
Discharge to preserves having wetlands requires treatment that
will meet water quality standards as set forth in Chapter 62-302 of the
Florida F AC, it's Florida --
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December 6, 2007
COMMISSIONER CARON: Administrative Code.
MS. ZONE: Thank you, I had a loss there. Florida
Administrative Code. And now I've lost it.
MR. SCHMITT: The reading is the language from the CCME. I
think Barbara is going to have to read the stipulations.
MS. ZONE: Sorry, I thought that was the stipulation you wanted
m.
MS. BURGESON: For the record, Barbara Burgeson with
Engineering and Environmental Services Department.
The original staff report that you received with the stipulation
regarding the stormwater was not recommended by environmental or
engineering. That was -- it accidentally got into the staff report. It was
part of discussions back and forth. But the final determination by the
engineering and environmental services staff department consolidated
determination that the appropriate stipulation for that staff report
should never have been what you had in your original staff report. It
should have been what was amended and sent out to you, that no
stormwater would be permitted in the upland preserve.
And there's a number of things that I wanted to put on record,
just to give you some back-up for that.
The first that I wanted to correct, or at least expand on, is that the
EAC, Environmental Advisory Council, did approve this project. It
was not a unanimous approval. One EAC member did deny the project
for environmental reasons.
But the reason that the remainder of the EAC approved the
project, and as they cited on record was not for any environmental
reasons at all. All of the reasons that they cited to approve the project
was based on the use. And they felt that it was a good use in a good
location. It was not -- there was not environmental basis for their
approval.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Before you go farther, Barbara, on that
point I'd like to ask the county attorney, this is happening more often.
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December 6, 2007
Why is the EAC getting involved in planning issues that are outside
their jurisdiction, which is basically they're an Environmental
Advisory Council. And this has happened on other projects.
I'm just curious as what product analysis, use analysis they really
have to offer when their whole objective is environmental.
MR. KLATZKOW: This office allows a free discussion from all
boards on issues that they deem to be appropriate. We don't tell a
board what they should say or what they shouldn't say. If the Board of
County Commissioners starts to feel otherwise, I'm sure it will be
communicated downstream to them.
MS. BURGESON: We do attempt to keep the EAC focused on
just environmental issues. This is one of the -- we rarely see where
they go off, stray quite so much as they did on this one particular
proj ect.
But I just wanted to put that on public record, that it may have
sounded like they supported the site plan environmentally, but that
was not the basis for the five people to support the site plan.
And also, earlier in the discussion there was a comment about
vacating a conservation easement. The original New Hope property,
the original 20 acres had the entire rear half of the property under a
conservation easement. And that was part of the property that had to
have the conservation easement vacated.
I'm not sure if that's been done yet or whether they're still in the
process to assure that that gets done. That was under -- placed under a
conservation easement because of the red-cockaded woodpecker use
on that site and the cavity trees that were in that area and one that was
on that site.
During site visits back with Nino Spagna and Kim Dryden and
myself, we noticed foraging RCW s on that site, back when their
original project was approved. So that's where the vacation of that
easement -- I believe that they did mitigation off-site, and that the
RCW s at that point when the state accepted off-site mitigation and
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December 6, 2007
vacating that easement, there was no use of that rear portion of the
property for RCWs.
I also wanted to just put on public record at the -- two items: One
is the Board of County Commissioners' final hearing for the language
that was approved for the Growth Management Plan. And when the
Growth Management Plan language was discussed at that final
hearing, there was an attempt to -- or a proposal to modify what the
EAC and this planning commission had recommended, which was no
adverse impacts.
And at one point both the EAC and the planning commission
had recommended language that said that it needed to actually benefit
the preserve. But then at your final meeting for that hearing, the
language went from benefit to no adverse impacts.
At the Board of County Commissioners a recommendation was
made to change that language. And then towards the end of that
meeting, as it was rediscussed, brought back up for a final evaluation
of that proposed change of the language, it went back to no adverse
impact language.
And in that discussion, Commissioner Henning discussed with --
also with Commissioner Halas and Bill Lorenz, had a fairly in-depth
discussion in terms of that Commissioner Henning had stated that it's
not there to put extra stormwater on vegetation that won't accept it. If
it's acceptable and won't degrade it, that's the whole purpose of it.
They talked about putting stormwater into a system that necessarily is
not used to that much stormwater. And that's why we have the adverse
impact statement in there, inclined to allow this to clarify the details of
the criteria in the Land Development Code.
But as Mr. -- Commissioner Henning stated, that he would have
a problem if they were trying to degrade existing upland species. That
is not the objective.
So that was the discussions even at the final planning
commission hearing, that the objection is the stormwater was not to
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December 6, 2007
provide a negative or change to the upland vegetation.
Now, concern that staff has is twofold: One, we went through an
LDC cycle at length last go around. We had created some pretty
specific language that went to the EAC and the planning commission
and the board that identified that it was appropriate for stormwater in
wetlands, and we limited the stormwater to hydric upland soils.
But we were saying that non-hydric upland soils were
inappropriate because of the potential change to that vegetation, that
the reason that we were protecting these preserves as they were
selected was because of the descending criteria. For instance, if we
selected a particular upland preserve, it was because that vegetation
on-site had a higher function and quality than the lower quality
wetland on-site.
And so to allow that upland to be impacted with more water than
is normal may not cause that vegetation necessarily to immediately die
off, but to probably -- and as put on that public record at the board
hearing, that it would definitely degrade the vegetation in that upland
by having the longer hydroperiod, the longer inundation of the upland.
Even the berm around it could have had a spreader swale to
allow that, if you had natural rainfall that might be bermed into that
area to naturally be discharged as opposed to, as the applicant says,
that it would just be a bathtub. You have the ability to do that
differently.
The -- all of the information that we had and reviewed by staff
indicated that we do not have -- we do not have the comfort level that
we could find this consistent with the GMP policies or the policies that
we are currently working on for 2008 first cycle. Weare not proposing
language to allow this in the language that we're in draft form right
now.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Barbara, are you about to wrap up your
part of it?
MS. BURGESON: I can be done.
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. The only reason is, I didn't think
we were going to get into this. I thought we were about done with this
one, and I apologize, Cherie', for not stopping at 10:00.
We will stop now and reconvene at 10:30 and provide you with
the break you should have gotten. Thank you.
(A break was taken.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, everybody, welcome back from
our break.
We left off, Barbara was getting close to wrapping up a
presentation. I'll ask her if she has any final comments before we ask
any questions.
Barbara, there is some questions from several members here of
the planning commission. The first one was Brad, then Mr. Midney,
then Ms. Caron.
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And Barbara, it goes way back
to the first thing you said is that we have a report that the
Environmental Advisory Council voted 5-1. But you said that that
wasn't an environmental council meeting, that was --
MS. BURGESON: No, I said that was an environmental meeting
but the vote was not -- when they put on record why they voted for it,
they did not list environmental reasons. The reasons that they
supported it were not based on the environmental Conservation Collier
-- the CCME or the environmental sections of the Land Development
Code.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: The concern I have is we have
an environmental issue that they reviewed, and from the vote it
appeared they support it, but you're up here negating that support.
MS. BURGESON: I'm saying they supported it, but the
discussion was based on they thought that the church was a good use
of the property, that because of where the location was that they
would support a church in this area, that maybe more people would go
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December 6, 2007
to church. I mean, the discussion was not focused on environmental
issues.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So nowhere in here did they
discuss the issue of putting stormwater into the preserve --
MS. BURGESON: They did discuss it. And the only person that
voted against the project was voting against it based on the
environmental concern.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: This is my last point. So can I
assume that the people who voted for it knew of that concern and
didn't have a problem with it?
I mean, it's the Environmental Advisory Council, it's not the
planning commission.
MS. BURGESON: I could not say that--
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: If you can't say it, that's good
enough.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Barbara, if I was watching a BCC
meeting and I heard staff characterize our vote in the manner you have
characterized theirs, I would be concerned over it.
I don't think it's appropriate. I think that they voted the way they
did because they reviewed everything. Now, they may have
complimented the uses, they may have complimented the fact more
people need to go to church, but the point is they didn't come out as a
majority against it for any environmental reason.
And I think they would have if they thought there was one there.
And I think that's maybe the basis we ought to be relying upon, not
anything else at this point.
Mr. Midney, you were next.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Yeah, just to go back to what
Brad is saying. They didn't put any stipulations in. I mean, if they had
some -- if they were unhappy about the environmental aspects, I
would have thought that they would have put in some stipulations.
And they didn't do that; is that correct? The EAC, they didn't -- you
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December 6, 2007
said that they --
MS. BURGESON: They didn't add stipulations.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Okay. Is the environmental
department's objections related to nutrients entering in or just change
in the water table?
MS. BURGESON: Staffs recommendation on the EAC --
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Yeah, staffs recommendations on
this development. And their objection to any stormwater entering the
site, is that based on nutrients or is it just based on water table?
MS. BURGESON: It's mostly based on the water table and the
inundation, not on the nutrients.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: How can you prove that there
will be no adverse impact of a development onto this upland preserve?
MS. BURGESON: The evidence that we were using was the
tables that evaluated the inundation, typical inundation periods of --
and the hydroperiod in a typical upland.
We looked at what the maximum amount of stormwater in that
area might be acceptable in terms of under normal circumstances. But
that's without a berm around it holding it in. And remember, too, that
that is always without the consideration for the duration after that
event.
So if you look at the evaluation for let's just say a storm event
that is going to pop off into that preserve area, and they say that it's
just going to go up to, you know, maybe two or three inches or three
or four inches under normal conditions, if that preserve didn't have a
berm around it and wasn't actually part of the stormwater system
where the intent is to retain it there for a duration of 12 to 15 days.
So you're talking about each of those events has an extended
period of inundation. We had -- no one that we talked to felt that that
-- that they felt comfortable that that would not -- they could not prove
that that would not have a negative impact to upland vegetation,
especially where the upland vegetation was in non-hydric soils.
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December 6, 2007
I mean, and through the whole year of research that we did with
the last LDC cycle, we came up with the concept back and forth with
the stakeholders group that upland soils were not appropriate. And that
recommendation through that whole process never included upland
soils, it included wetland soils and hydric soils that might not be
jurisdictional. But these are not even hydric soils, these are non-hydric
upland soils.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: I'm starting to understand what
you're saying.
If they're building it up, the area around it, the drainage, I guess,
would be going down. Usually you think of an upland as an area
where water would drain out of. But you're saying I guess that where
they build up the area with fill and everything that it will become an
area where water will drain into it.
MS. BURGESON: Where it pops off after certain major events.
And the concern isn't necessarily how often that does that, but the
concern is the duration of that inundation in that upland area.
And there's another issue, too, and that is when you talk about an
upland area and upland soils and the vegetation, particularly the
ground cover that's in that area being completely flooded, one of the
things that's important to know is that it's not just whether or not that
area can accept a minimal amount of flooding, but there's also a
critical dry-down period that is necessary for uplands and upland
plants, and particularly ground cover, to be healthy and successful.
And if what you're doing is just keeping it a little bit wetter all of the
summer, and even if it's just a little bit, you're in the root system,
you're not allowing the natural dry-down and the actual need for an
extreme dry-down in an upland area.
So there wasn't -- and for the whole reason that we went for this
last process, not including upland soils, we feel that the language in
the GMP that requires, and in the discussions with Commissioner
Henning, Commissioner Halas and Mr. Lorenz, to not negatively
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December 6, 2007
impact the upland vegetation, that this would not be -- this would be
not consistent with that GMP language.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: So do you have any suggestions
about how they could manage their stormwater so that it wouldn't
have to go there? Because it seems like it's going to be kind of hard --
they're not talking about directly discharging in by any kind of piping
or anything, but just seepage through the water table. How can you
avoid that?
MS. BURGESON: I understand that from other discussions that
that is a lot more complicated, to design a stormwater system to keep
the -- the point here is directed stormwater into that system. We can't
-- we don't have a GMP language that specifically says that you can't
change the ground table. We do everything we can to prevent
stormwater being added into that preserve as an additional threat to the
upland vegetation, native vegetation in there.
But we do have e-mails back and forth on this particular project
where the project manager did say please -- because our
recommendation was denial of this project initially. And then we said
well, we don't have a stipulation that will allow us to approve this.
And then the recommendation from that applicant was we'll
accept language as a stipulation that there will be no stormwater in the
upland preserve, and we will work around that. And we've got that in
an e-mail that they offered that they could do that.
And so there must be -- and I'm not an engineer designer, but
there must be some other opportunity to design that project, if that was
offered in an e-mail to us, in order to approve the project.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Okay, so you are recognizing that
they're not directly discharging in there by any piping, it would just be
by the seepage from the water table. But --
MS. BURGESON: Well, their proposed plan is direct discharge.
It is as popping off over the system, it is.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Tim, we're certainly going to provide
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December 6, 2007
you time to rebut, so --
MR. HANCOCK: Sorry.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Okay. All right, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah, I'm a little concerned, and I
want to go back to the issue of this vacation of the conservation
easement. You made a statement that half of the back of the current
project was a conservation easement.
MS. BURGESON: Correct. That was -- half of that property was
preserved through the previous SDP as listed species preserves and
required a state conservation easement on it.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Okay. And I read in the back-up
material that they had mitigated for any listed species issues.
MS. BURGESON: Um-hum.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Now, does the environmental and
engineering staff agree that we as a county are getting more in
preservation at this point than we would have gotten otherwise? In
other words, I'm trying not to lose -- I mean, understanding that
they've mitigated, so that --
MS. BURGESON: Right. I don't have any specific information
on what that off-site mitigation was.
We were concerned to make sure that the project was compliant
with the current GMPs for minimum preservation of native vegetation
on-site. And since, the listed species surveys identified that the RCW
were no longer on the property. So I can't tell you whether -- assuming
that 50 percent of that site, they had originally close to a 10-acre
preserve, sayan eight-acre preserve, we are getting less preservation
on this site. I don't know what the off-site mitigation acreage is.
COMMISSIONER CARON: I'll ask Mr. Hancock, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I respect the fact that you're
trying to do your job, no question about that.
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December 6, 2007
But you indicated that there -- in conversations with
Commissioner Henning and others that they felt, you feel, that there
could be no inundation or putting water into those upland preserves,
and I appreciate that.
But I have -- Mr. Hancock indicated that they attempted to
respond to each and every request for scientific determination of when
something can be shown proven, scientifically proven, that it will
degrade the vegetation. And from what I heard, and unless I'm in error
in what I heard, it sounded as though the probability level is extremely
low for these events.
Is there any standard that you use to reference at what point we
should not allow any development relative to such a condition? I
mean, is there any point where you will accept that there's a scientific
basis for going forward?
MS. BURGESON: Yes. And we are in the process of -- Margie
asked that I not discuss too much of the draft LDC stuff because it's
not been approved or aired yet, but we are in the process of creating
criteria.
And for this project, because it comes before all of that criteria is
created, we went through all of the evaluation of all of the data that
was presented to us and the applicant's attempt to support that this
would not be a negative impact to this upland soils and upland
preserve.
And staffs full evaluation and discussion with engineering and
environmental, the conclusion has been from the beginning, each time
additional information was provided to try to support or change staffs
mind that the scientific data would support this stormwater in the
upland preserve, staff did not feel -- not feel -- staff did not evaluate it
the way the applicant is presenting it to you to feel comfortable that
that would not be an adverse impact.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So you're telling us that you
have those criteria.
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December 6, 2007
MS. BURGESON: We are working on that criteria right now for
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: So then you don't have those
criteria?
MS. BURGESON: Correct. We have the--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, if you don't have those
criteria, how could you possibly make a determination?
MS. BURGESON: We have the criteria that we developed
through or were using through the LDC cycle last year to come up
with the language that we had proposed through the entire LDC cycle
that this board approved last year, and went to the Board of County
Commissioners and only got to that final meeting where there was a
change in that language.
And we have done a handful of reviews and projects where we
have evaluated whether it's appropriate to put stormwater in
non-wetlands, non-jurisdictional wetlands, and have permitted that
through this similar type of evaluation. But those have always been
hydric soils and not non-hydric --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I hear you and I respect the fact
that you are attempting to do your job, but I don't think --
MS. BURGESON: We do have criteria that we've been using.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You two can't talk over one another.
And I think we heard the story. I think we know what you're going to
say if we ask you another question.
I have no further questions. Anybody on this panel?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you. Ray, do we have any public
speakers?
MR. BELLOWS: We have three public speakers, but I believe
they're affiliated with the church. Grant Thigpen, Pete Smith and Earl
Morgan.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If any of you gentleman would like to
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December 6, 2007
speak, you need to come up to the podium and identify yourselves for
the record. And we ask that you limit your discussion to five minutes.
Thank you.
MR. THIGPEN: Grant Thigpen, Pastor of New Hope Ministries.
I want to thank you for seeing us this morning.
Really, I think Tim has pretty well voiced all of my concerns
and has represented the church very well this morning. And I would
just ask you to -- by the way, I don't envy you having to do this. But I
just ask you to take into consideration what the EAC has
recommended and go with it and let us move on and do what we're
called to do.
But I appreciate you, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, sir. Any of the other
speakers wish to speak? Ifwe they do so, please come on up.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Nope, doesn't look like it, Ray.
Okay, with that, Tim, do you want to take a short rebuttal?
MR. HANCOCK: The word short well noted, Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
MR. HANCOCK: It was not our intent to engage you in a policy
discussion today about stormwater management and preserves, but to
display as clearly as we can the extreme effort we've gone to show on
this site that it works.
I think we have done that. I think the EAC decision reflects that
effort and the evidence put into record, despite the characterizations
you heard today.
I was at that meeting. I'm pretty sure I was, I presented the
information. And the EAC minutes reflect that one of the key issues
was the lack of a standard. And in the face of the lack of a standard
you have to use what is reasonable and prudent. And we as an
applicant met at a minimum that standard.
The only standard that's been touted out there is Mike Duever's
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December 6, 2007
report which talks about the transition of a hydric soil condition of
mesic flatwoods to a wetter soil condition of hydric flatwoods.
We don't trip it. I don't know what else we can say in the
absence of a standard.
The RCW issue, I want to be very clear about this. That
preserve, Commissioner Caron, was for an RCW colony, which no
longer existed. They even went to the extent of 30 days of continuous
video taping and whatnot. And the agencies all signed off that the
RCW s were no longer present or nesting.
In a form of mitigation for the church when it was originally
built, 30 acres were purchased off-site for a combination of wetland
and RCW mitigation, and were then improved and exotics removed
and so forth.
So any concern about a net loss, actually it goes the other way,
there's a net of -- an increase in land being set aside, when you
combine all of the elements together.
There's a patently false statement by Ms. Burgeson that I have to
point out when she indicated direct discharge into the preserve. I don't
know if it's a lack of understanding, I don't know what it is. But our
water management plan associated with this project under the SDP
review includes all stormwater entering a dry pre-treatment area, then
into a lake before discharging into the preserve. The only direct
discharge into that preserve is rainfall under our plan.
Characterizing water that comes out of a lake which is part of a
water management system as direct discharge is not true. What is true
is when you do directly discharge, that's what you get. (Indicating.)
Wow, that's awful. I'd hate to see that happen.
This is where the water will be going, nine to 15 days a year. I
don't see ground cover drowning in that picture.
Folks, what is an individual approval that we're seeking has been
turned into a policy directive by the environmental staff, and we're not
buying it.
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December 6, 2007
We've proved our case, we've made the best effort we can. We
can only ask for your consideration. And I apologize for placing you
in this position, but on this project where we have nine years of proof
that direct discharge has not adversely affected a preserve, for us to
pre-treat water three times the commercial requirement prior to
discharge into a preserve, meaning less water, less hydroperiod
influence, and to ask for your consideration I hope is more than
appropriate.
With that, sir, I'll answer any other questions you may have.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Midney?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Yeah, could the drainage system
be redesigned to avoid even indirect water table shifts into the upland
preserve?
MR. HANCOCK: Yes, sir. All that requires is that we give more
land up and lose the use of it.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: How much more would you
estimate that it would take?
MR. HANCOCK: It would require the construction of an
additional lake structure, because the existing lake is wrapped on three
sides by the preserve. Due to the side slopes required to even achieve
a one-foot across the board volume in this, it may be as much as two
acres.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: When you say that the lake is
what directly goes into the preserve, is there a berm between the lake
and the preserve? Or what is it like, the lake merging into a wetland?
MR. HANCOCK: The western edge of the lake itself -- and I'll
provide the soon to be simplified plan for you. The lake in the upper
right hand corner there, as the water enters that lake it will spill over
that lake on the western side at grade into the preserve. So no, there's
-- it doesn't have to breach a berm necessarily.
Now you will naturally, when the lake is constructed, the edges
of the lake will come up a little bit, just by nature of construction. But
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December 6, 2007
the water will, almost like a spreader swale, if it gets to that point it
will then spread out into the preserve.
We're not berming the preserve. What we have to do is we have
to elevate the balance of the site in order to meet South Florida
District criteria for finish floor elevation. So by elevating the rest of
the site, it's a de facto berm.
But let me point out that it's happening on the other two sides of
these preserves without us doing anything. The difference is, no
matter what happens water will never sheet flow out of this preserve.
Whether we put stormwater management or not, water will cease to
sheet flow across this site.
The question is, is it better for the preserve to connect it to a
water management system with a positive outflow, or do we allow it
to in essence be bermed and isolated and require that the water leave
only one way, vertically? Our answer is no.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anything else?
Ms. Caron, did you have -- did anybody else have anything?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Tim, I had asked you to research two
questions that we had talked about earlier, and I was wondering if
you've gotten responses to those.
MR. HANCOCK: Yes, sir, and I hope they will please you.
On the issue of the language that you put forth, we've reviewed
it with Mr. Klatzkow, and for this particular use in this land we have
no objection to the inclusion of that language.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
MR. HANCOCK: The second issues, Mr. Casalanguida
mentioned a 15-foot -- or changing that easement to include
right-of-way. We have no issue with that.
He had requested that the church -- if the turn lanes are required
to be extended prior to the road widening, we have to pay for that. If
they are extended as a function of the roadway widening, we will
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December 6, 2007
participate in that also.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I asked you about eliminating the
asphalt for the parking spaces and do asphalt aisles only with the
exception of the two easternmost lanes in that westernmost large
parking lot. How do you feel about that?
MR. HANCOCK: I'd like to go a slightly different route but I
think gets there. While the LDC allows for up to 70 percent
impervious, there's no minimum. In other words, you don't have to do
any.
What we'd like to suggest is that we think we can very easily
live with a minimum of 30 percent of all required parking for the
church will be of pervious surfaces. And we think that what that
allows us to do is because that includes the existing parking, which is
paved, so we don't get ourselves in a bind there, it results in about half
of the required additional parking ending up as pervious.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anything's better than nothing. I think
that's fine.
Anybody else?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Tim, I have one last comment to make,
and your aerial portrays it pretty well. First of all, there's a lake in the
bottom of the aerial, and there's one in the north right-hand corner.
The property, you're digging another lake.
During the rural fringe and during the stewardship area lands
review five years ago the environmental community was very
concerned about excavations close to preserves. Their argument was
that the closer you get with an excavation, the more change to the
hydrology and the draining of those preserves is going to occur as a
result of that excavation.
And so we had minimum standards. And I think they were
asking for 2,500 feet, and I think we ended up with maybe 1,500 or
something like that.
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December 6, 2007
In this case your lakes are adjacent, contiguous or part ofthe
preserves. The hydrology is going to change in those preserves. So
from the testimony you supplied today and the engineering that you
supplied today, not only do I feel that you are not having an adverse
impact to those preserves, you're having a positive impact to those
preserves, and I'm glad that you're doing what you're proposing to do.
So with that, I have no other questions or comments.
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I just have, and this is a huge
question. What was the problem with the dock again? I didn't --
MR. HANCOCK: I'll have to defer to Ms. Caron. We quite
candidly haven't been hanging our hat on the dock anyways, so --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: It's a nice little pond, the kids
might want a nice little dock.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: It's the same with a boardwalk.
COMMISSIONER CARON: I asked.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The boardwalk wasn't removed.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But Donna, you really don't
want their ability to put a dock in the pond?
COMMISSIONER CARON: No, no, no. I asked a question
about why there was boat docks, plural, in this proposal when they
have a very tiny little lake that --
MR. HANCOCK: We'd rather remove the concern than fight for
the docks.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So you are taking it out?
MR. HANCOCK: I'm happy to remove it.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I'm not going to fight much for
that. It just seems -- I mean, the kids could have a canoe dock.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Before we go there, Donna, do you care
if the dock's in or out? You were just asking a question, right?
COMMISSIONER CARON: I just asked a question. It was a
very simple question, along with several others about uses that are on
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December 6, 2007
that property, about printing uses and --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So we can put it back in.
COMMISSIONER CARON: -- book stores and everything else.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right, I think in an effort to not cause a
problem, we jumped to a conclusion that that was something that
somebody didn't want. I don't think that's the case. So why don't we
just not strike boat docks and just leave it there.
MR. HANCOCK: Applicant agrees to leave it in.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Now, what about a marina? Would you
like to go for a marina?
COMMISSIONER CARON: No.
MR. HANCOCK: Nothing over 35 feet, I promise.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ifthere's no other questions--
COMMISSIONER CARON: Don't worry, administratively you
can have it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti, did you have a question?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: No, I'm waiting for discussion.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, we've got to close the public
hearing first, that's where I was leading to.
No other public speakers? We'll close the public hearing and
we'll first entertain a motion.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: I will entertain a motion of
approval. But I'd like to make a discussion beforehand, or do I need a
second?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: I'll second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Why don't we -- yeah, why don't we
make a motion, then we'd have a discussion as part of the motion.
So Mr. Vigliotti made the motion, Mr. Midney seconded. And
Mr. Vigliotti wanted to make a statement with the motion. So go
ahead, sir.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: It would be good to know what
the motion was.
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December 6,2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion of approval.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: I'm really concerned about
staffs confusion on this. I'm really disappointed. Staff has
recommendations that should have been in that were noted under
deviations that aren't here. We got stipulations that came last night, it
was early. I have no idea how that happened. Then we're being told
that the wording was wrong on the ones we have.
Also, we spent most of our time talking about environmental
issues and we have an EAC that knows, I believe, more than we do
here. And I think we should go with their recommendation.
So I'm going to make a recommendation for approval without
any stipulations and putting in a 30 percent impervious parking, and
I'm sure commissioners have others, so --
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: I'll second the motion.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, Mr. Midney already seconded the
motion.
Mr. Midney, you still second the refined motion, as we'll call it?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Um-hum.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Motion's been made and
seconded. Now we have discussion.
And I certainly have -- I have 11 notes that have to be discussed.
And Mr. Adelstein wanted to comment. Go ahead, Mr. Adelstein.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: No, it's all right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Anybody else want to offer any
discussion before I go into the stipulations?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: No, I'm waiting for your
additional notes.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Just notes that I --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Midney, you had something you
want to say first?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Yeah, I just kind of agree with
Mr. Vigliotti, that if the EAC supports it, and they have more expertise
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December 6, 2007
about that than I do, then I'll go along with that.
But I am interested in that there be some sort of standards so
that, you know, if environmental staff does want to prevent water
being discharged into uplands, that there be something concrete that
we can go on. And I'm not opposed to the idea of prohibition of
drainage into uplands, but I would like it to be something that could be
more provable.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, sir.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: I'd like to add one thing.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, Mr. Vigliotti.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Over the last few months we've
had quite a few churches come in for PUDs and new construction and
expansion. I'm really glad to see the churches getting together and
realizing this county is growing and they're stepping up to the plate to
the needs of the community and preparing to grow, because it's a
costly and expensive situation for a church to grow, and I'm just glad
to see they're all stepping up to the plate.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, the notes that I have, the
first one is involving the topic we spent probably way too much time
on and that's the wetlands, or the discharge. And basically staff had
given us a recommendation originally and then followed it up by a
second recommendation.
The first recommendation, the applicant has already said they
can design to and they agree with, and I think it's a good
recommendation. And it reads as follows:
The CFPUD and master plan shall full (sic) water quality
pre-treatment volume before the water reaches an elevation that would
have the lake overflow its banks and then backflow into the natural
ground areas, parentheses, preserves.
I would suggest that part of our stipulation, that is the
recommendation that we include.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: That's fine. I'll add that to my
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December 6, 2007
motion.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: (Indicating.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The second does too. Okay.
The next item I have is -- we clarified some language, and I'll go
through it all. Maybe we'll get a comment at the end. 4.2.8.3, the water
management structures that are used -- you have placed in the
preserves will only be those required by the permitting agencies.
We'll strike Item 5.8.C. I'm not sure what that is, I didn't make a
note on it. I'll double check right now so we don't have a mistake.
Thank you, Ms. Caron will get that. While she's doing that I'll go
on to the next one.
The PUD boundary setback to residentially adjacent properties
for accessory structures will be the same as principal, 25 feet.
And Ms. Caron, is that --
COMMISSIONER CARON: 5.8.C was the conservation
easement vacation.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, that's right, there wasn't any -- the
need, and so we're going to strike that from the PUD.
COMMISSIONER CARON: It's already happened, according to
the applicant.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
Under number five, which was the allowable uses in the
preserves: The paths, bikeways and pathways referenced will be for
non-paved surfaces, excluding of course the boardwalk, which
wouldn't qualify for that. That was 4.2.A.2.
The master plan will be modified to produce it as a conceptual
master plan, because the one that was obtained here is an SDP plan,
which would actually lock you in and cause you to be here many more
times than you need to be.
The master plan shows parking. The 30 percent of the parking
will be impervious. Yeah, will be impervious -- will be pervious areas,
not impervious, will be pervious areas.
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December 6, 2007
Okay, now those are the items in the PUD that I found.
Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: No, no, you're--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: First, before we go further -- I've got
more, but let us finish the PUD ones up first.
Does the motion maker agree with those for the PUD?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Yes, I do.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Does the second?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody else?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Then the next ones that I have, there
was a -- Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Before you go off of that, did you
talk about the 25 feet --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN : Yes.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Okay. I didn't check that off.
Sorry .
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No problem.
We talked about verification that the access agreement between
-- for that other access on Santa Barbara is in place and should be
provided to the BCC by the time this gets to them.
That the right-of-way easement on the south side of the property
along Santa Barbara that's now shown as a drainage easement will also
be shown as a right-of-way -- I mean, it's a drainage easement that will
be shown as a right-of-way easement as well.
MR. HANCOCK: I believe that's Davis.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Davis. I'm sorry, I said Santa Barbara.
I'm glad you corrected me, thank you.
That the applicant has agreed for providing compensating
right-of-way for any additional turn lanes and to pay for the turn lanes
that are going to be installed to service their facility.
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December 6, 2007
Staff is going to add a comment to show that they are not
supportive of the deviation request and the reasoning why.
And that the applicant has agreed to add the incompatible
language that we introduced in the previous PUDs last week, same
language.
Are there anything that I missed?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Yeah. Three stories, not to
exceed 48 feet.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. That was a grammatical change,
but that's fine, that was one we brought up.
With those changes and those stipulations in mind, does the
motion maker accept those as part of the stipulation?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Yes, I do.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Does the second?
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: (Nodding.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Second does by nodding affirmatively.
Any other discussion amongst the panel?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All those in favor, signify by saying
aye.
you.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries unanimously 7-0. Thank
MR. HANCOCK: Thank you.
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December 6, 2007
Item #8B
PETITION: PUDZ-2005-AR-8416, DISTINCTIVE RESIDENTIAL
DEVELOPMENT AT LIVINGSTON, LLC
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, the next item up today is Petition
PUDZ-2005-AR-8416, Distinctive Residential Development at
Livingston, LLC, represented by Wayne Arnold and Richard
Y ovanovich, to rezone from agricultural to an RPUD.
All those wishing to testify on behalf of this application, please
rise to be sworn in by the court reporter.
(All speakers were duly sworn.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you. Disclosures on the part of
the planning commission?
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I had a conversation with Mr.
Y ovanovich and asked him questions and pointed out issues that I had.
And he was going to take it under advisement and we'll discuss it this
mornmg.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Adelstein?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: I also talked to Mr.
Y ovanovich.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: I had a conversation with Mr.
Y ovanovich as well.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: He's been a pretty busy fellow this time.
Anybody else besides me? I had a conversation with Mr.
Y ovanovich and Mr. Arnold. And we will be talking about the same
things here today. And it's involving most of the PUD standards.
Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: And I also spoke to Mr.
Y ovanovich.
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, with that, the applicant ready for
a presentation?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Good morning. For the record, Rich
Y ovanovich, on behalf of the applicant. Also with me are Steve
Fiterman and Dave Sturdyvin, representatives of the owner of the
property, Wayne Arnold, Mark Minor and Kim Schlachta also are
available to answer questions.
On the visualizer is the -- is an aerial of the property location.
This is a request to rezone 17.52 acres currently zoned agricultural to
RPUD.
The property is located on the east side of Livingston Road just
north of Veterans Memorial, as you can see on the bottom half of the
aerial. It's completely surrounded by Mediterra to the north, east and
south. And further east is Tuscany Reserve.
The property is designated urban residential under the
comprehensive plan.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Richard, your speaker -- as short as you
are, you need to pull that speaker a little closer.
Oh, I'm sorry, I was thinking of Tony Pires.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: There's a short end for the short guy. Is
that better?
Okay. I know, I've got nothing going for me.
Under the urban residential fringe designation in the
comprehensive plan the property owner could ask for the base density
of up to four units per acre, plus various other bonuses. The request
before you is for 43 units, which is essentially a density of 2.57 units
per acre.
We worked closely with representatives -- why don't I just do
this. We worked closely with representatives of the developer of
Mediterra on designing what we anticipated putting on this infill piece
of property. They wanted us to have products similar to what they
were doing in Mediterra, so they were looking at decent size
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December 6, 2007
single- family homes or decent size zero lot line product on this parcel.
And if you drive up and down that street, you'd wonder why this
wasn't in Mediterra in the first place. They had issues acquiring the
property with the property owner. We came years later after Mediterra
was designed and did acquire the property. So we're trying to do
basically what's in Mediterra, since it's so close to Mediterra.
More than likely, we'll be doing a zero lot line project on that
property. However, we do want to have the ability to do single-family
if, you know, marketing conditions dictate that we should develop this
as single-family.
Therefore, I need to make a couple of changes in the
development standards table that were pointed out to me through
meetings with various members of the planning commission.
Wayne and I kind of took this project over more than halfway
through and didn't catch these standards in the table.
Under the single-family column, you'll see we have a side yard
setback of seven-and-a-half feet and then a minimum distance
between principal structures of only 10 feet. And as creative as I can
be at times, I couldn't figure out how to make seven-and-a-half and
seven-and-a-half equal 10.
And then I realized well, that's usually not what you see in front
of you anyway. Usually you see on single-family, you see a six-foot
setback and a minimum separation of 12 feet between structures. So
that's really the numbers that should be there for the side yard. It
should be a six-foot setback, and then the distance between principal
structures should be 12 feet on the single-family standard.
Also, under maximum height your staff report says that's
maximum zoned height. That wasn't clearly reflected in the table. So
we need to say maximum zoned height on that table of 35 feet.
And really, footnote number seven is really -- I believe it's
footnote number seven, is really not necessary for this project. So
footnote seven should come out. I've got that right, right? So footnote
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December 6, 2007
seven should come out of that development standards table as well.
One other deviation that you'll notice, we didn't ask for, is
because -- which is the standard deviation that -- for cul-de-sacs
greater than 1,000 feet. Do you have the master plan?
You'll notice that when you measure the cul-de-sac, we were
asked to move the access further north to get it away from Mediterra's
access. And what that did is that created that portion of right-of-way
that will put us over 1,000 feet in length.
We were told when we originally went through the submittal of
this that we didn't have to ask for the deviation of 1,000 feet, that it
could be administratively granted. That was asked -- many of you
asked that question of me as we were talking about that. And I just
wanted to clarify that on the record that yes, we can have that
administratively. If not, I know it's unusual, but we'd like to add that
as a deviation at this point, if it's something that we need to add in the
PUD. It's something you see frequently, so I hope it won't be
something that would be a problem to add that now.
But we were told administratively we can have that. It was
questioned by several planning commissioners. I'd like to get that on
the record. And frankly, it might make more sense to put it in the PUD
so you're not going outside of the PUD document to have to track
down the record as to maybe that administrative provision goes away
in the LDC later and we may have somehow unintentionally gotten
stuck with a problem.
So I think that highlights the changes to the development
standards, highlights the project, shows you what it's about.
Wayne's going to briefly take you through the deviations we've
requested. And after that, if it makes sense -- or you can ask questions
any time, obviously, but if you let Wayne go through the deviation
discussion we'd be available to answer any questions you may have
regarding the project.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Mr. Chairman, if I may?
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: There was one issue that we
discussed on Page 4 having to do with the arithmetic, and 1.4. And I
spoke to you about if the lot lines we weren't sure, you weren't sure
about. I know there's a minimum lot 5,000. When you do the
arithmetic, you come up with 7.404 for the home sites.
Do you recall that conversation?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Yes, I do. And if you look at the water
management report, and that's another thing I need to bring up, you'll
see that the lots are not uniform in size. The R area on the master plan
is 12.51 acres. So even though we have the minimum lot standards,
they're not all minimum lots. And that's going to be the difference in
how we come up with this size of the development area of 12.51.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, because my question to
you at the time was what are the 5.1 additional. And I speculated what
was that, clubhouse, pools, what? And you said no, they were not the
amenities. So it's all of those lots, regardless of their size, that are all
dedicated to housing.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Minus the preserve area, which is .82,
minus the water management area, which is 2.2, and the roads, which
are almost two. The difference is the development area is 12.51.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. I wanted to get that on the
record, because that makes it what otherwise would be confusing.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: And I was also asked the question about,
you know, the water management report says 41 lots, you're asking for
43. Well, the water management report was the current plan.
However, that could change. And we would like to have the ability to
do 43 units.
In the project it would still be within the same development area
and it would have to still meet the development standards. But right
now the product we're looking at probably will only yield 41. That's
why the water management report shows 41. But we would like to
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December 6, 2007
have that flexibility that if things change we could go to the maximum
of 43 units.
So that explains the discrepancy between the water management
report and the PUD request.
Any other questions before I turn it over to Wayne to talk about
the deviations?
Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Yeah, is this project going to do
anything for affordable housing?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: The answer is yes. And honestly, I didn't
know which way to handle it. I didn't know whether to put it in the
PUD document or go through a separate donation. We're acceptable
going either way. You know, what has become the standard has been
1,000 per unit at closing. We're fine with doing that either in the PUD
document or through a separate letter with an agency that provides
affordable housing.
So that yes, we plan on doing that. And we didn't know which
was the better way of handling it, and we're acceptable either way of
handling that, however the planning commission deems appropriate.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You wait long enough because of the
market, we may be paying you not to do affordable housing.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: I know that's a joke and I hope that it
stays to be a joke.
Anything else before I turn it over to Wayne?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody else before we talk to Mr.
Arnold?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Nope. Thank you.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Thank you.
MR. ARNOLD: Good morning. Wayne Arnold.
I wanted to touch on the couple of deviations that were requested
that staff did not support.
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December 6, 2007
We requested a deviation from the standard right-of-way width
for this project from 60 feet down to 40 feet.
Your staff, in the various comments that we received back and
forth over the past several months, we had no idea that staff was not
supportive of that deviation request.
And upon receiving the staff report, we're obviously concerned
that they didn't support the request. We had several examples that both
Rich and I and my assistant have just independently have worked on.
And I came up with seven projects that I've been involved in that have
been approved for that deviation down to 40 feet. Keeping in mind
that we have an infill project, we're trying to go ahead and shape this
in between a developed community. And we know that that standard
can work.
To give you an example, one of the more recent infill projects
that you heard was V ornado, which was over by the Glades. We were
approved with a minimum 40-foot right-of-way for that project.
Rich and I were involved in a project for WCI Communities on
the south end of Livingston Road called Manchester Square. That too
was approved with a 40-foot right-of-way.
Lands End Preserve that's off of Tower Road behind Eagle
Creek, that project was approved with local roads 40 feet.
Copper Cove Preserve, a project that's just north of Fiddler's
Creek and off of Collier Boulevard was approved with local streets of
40 feet in width.
Orange Blossom Ranch, a mixed used project in the Orangetree
area was approved with a reduced right-of-way to 40 feet.
Our neighboring Mediterra community was approved with
private road rights-of-way of 40 feet.
And our clients have developed property in the Pelican Marsh
community, and that PUD as well has reductions to 40 feet for local
roads.
So it's a standard that we know can work and it allows some
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December 6, 2007
flexibility in design for us and for the product type that we're
developing. I don't believe it's contrary to anything that's happening in
the neighborhood, and it certainly doesn't become, I think, any type of
safety standard for something that's serving 43 lots.
So I would hope that you can support our deviation and override
staffs objection to that, based on the fact that it has been approved on
other cases and we can demonstrate that it can function properly.
This probably will not be a public road network, it would be
private, and again, not requiring the standard types of utility issues and
dedications to the county.
The other objection to a deviation request was to have a
sidewalk on only one side of our cul-de-sac. Staff did not support that.
We had offered that we would pay in lieu of for the second side of the
sidewalk into the county's fund. They didn't support it. I'm not quite
sure on the justification.
There was discussion in the staff report that alluded to that this
would become an overcrowded community. And I think our clients
actually took some very recent photos.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, Wayne, I think the words were
overcrowded neighborhood character and overstuffed residential
neighborhood. And since staff has opined that a 2.57 unit per acre
project is overcrowded and overstuffed, I would hope that we never
see another project in this county above 2.57 acres.
MR. ARNOLD: If I can direct your attention to the visualizer,
that is a project called Terrabella, and it is in Pelican Marsh. It's a
cul-de-sac street system. It shows a sidewalk on one side. That's one
streetscape. It doesn't appear to be an overcrowded streetscape to me.
I can give you another view. I mean, I think it looks like a
typical single-family and villa neighborhood, which it is, very similar
product desired to be placed in the Pezzetino Di Cielo project.
Just another streetscape shot down the cul-de-sac.
Closer in view of the type of attached villa product that has been
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constructed by our clients. They're attached with privacy walls and
some other attachments for the accessory structures, but it provides a
different style for living on these on smaller lots. You get a lot of
product, no doubt about it, for the lot. But I don't think that the
reduction of the sidewalk or the right-of-way results in an
overcrowded and overstuffed neighborhood that's out of character
with anything else you're seeing. I think these are fine examples of
very beautiful projects, and they command very high prices of
neighborhoods that they're built within.
I have some other examples, again, in Pelican Marsh. A Grand
Isle community. Very similar product. But you get the sense that this
doesn't look like an overcrowded neighborhood to me. It's a very nice
single- family neighborhood.
So I would hope that we could get beyond this. I think that there
are other projects that have been approved with the right-of-way
widths and the single side of the sidewalk. You know, frankly, a
43-unit subdivision to me shouldn't warrant a sidewalk anyway. If you
notice on those pictures, those were taken yesterday in the late
afternoon. I don't see another car on the streets or a person walking on
them.
So, I mean, the character of these neighborhoods, they're
primarily seasonal, they're not heavily used, they're not typically
family neighborhoods, they're more adult-oriented neighborhoods.
And in this particular case, having the sidewalk on one side seems
more than adequate for the streetscape.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: The pictures you've just shown
us, how many units per acre are those?
MR. ARNOLD: Probably in the same range. I mean, the
communities vary, but Pelican Marsh overall is approved at around
three units an acre, I think. I can look that up on a PUD list. But this
isn't a much higher or lower density per se than --
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December 6, 2007
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: So it's somewhat equal?
MR. ARNOLD: Pretty similar. Mediterra adjacent to us is a
good example. You'll find certain local streets where they have -- they
were before the days of deviations, but their cross sections allowed
certain cul-de-sacs to have sidewalks, certain cul-de-sacs had one side,
certain local streets had sidewalks on one side.
I don't think they were at the time required to pay into a fund,
but part of our deviation was the ability to pay into the county's fund
and let them use the money where it better fits the community.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: I just wanted to make sure
these are a fair comparison, and they are.
MR. ARNOLD: I think they are. I certainly think they are.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions of the applicant?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I do.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And it's -- one thing. Wayne,
when you show these things, what are the setbacks for the buildings?
Are they comparable to this project?
I mean, we have a situation here where you could put a side
entrance garage 10 feet, which essentially would put it right on the
edge of your utility easement. And can you plant landscape in the
utility easement?
MR. ARNOLD: I don't know about planting in the utility
easement, but I think that generally speaking if we're going to go to
the smaller lot product, you probably aren't going to find too many
side-loaded garages if we go down to the 50-foot standard. It's just
very impractical to provide the backing and turning movements into
that.
But I will tell you that for the front-loaded garages, we're going
to have to be 23 feet from the back of the sidewalk. And certainly,
though, within the 10 feet that would be in the front yard. I don't see a
scenario where we would be placing the side-entry garage if we went
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December 6, 2007
that route 10 feet from the right-of-way line because of the easements
that we would have to also deal with.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: The product we're looking at
here, what is its front setback at?
MR. ARNOLD: The product you see there, I believe -- I can't
say for sure. It's either 20 on the side that has no sidewalk or I believe
it's 23 on the side where there is a sidewalk. I had a photo where it
actually shows vehicles parked in front in the Terrabella project. Let
me show you that. I didn't show you that on the visualizer.
See, there are a couple of vehicles parked in the driveways on
the left side of the screen. It shows that there's adequate room between
the setback they provided. And I believe the standards are very similar
in Pelican Marsh for what we've proposed here.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But the 23 is only at a garage?
MR. ARNOLD: That's to the face of the garage, yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And your setback is 20 for a
building?
MR. ARNOLD: Correct. But if we have a sidewalk, it's required
to be 23 feet. The footnote number two provides for the back of
sidewalk at least 23 feet to the garage --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: From a garage door, not from a
primary structure.
MR. ARNOLD: Correct.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And one thing, while we're
looking at number two, you have that 20 feet only if there's a
sidewalk. Could we also add to that or back of curve, in case there's
not a sidewalk?
In other words, do you want 20 feet from a garage door on the
side of the street without the sidewalk?
MR. ARNOLD: Let me think about that for a moment and I'll
give you an answer. Let me have our client contemplate that to see if
that makes any material change to what they hope to do.
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December 6, 2007
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Another question. So essentially
we're going to be 30 feet from the center line and we have a 35-foot
height that we could build to. That could be a problem, I think.
Number four, footnote four on the development standards, some
of the things that I'm not sure about is you can encroach into the
adjoining -- you see my concern is you're allowing people to encroach
if the unit owner allows you. Obviously there's no unit owner, so it
would be designed with that encroachment, I assume.
But what is that you're actually describing to have happen?
MR. ARNOLD: I have a photo that may describe that for you,
Mr. Schiffer.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Wayne, when you talk, you have to be
on the speaker. It's hard to record your comments.
MR. ARNOLD: Let me go back to this one. It's hard to make
out, but in this location, between those two structures is a six-foot high
privacy wall that provides for a courtyard on the interior of that wall
that is utilized by one of those structures. There would be a like
courtyard on the next side for these attached structures.
That also carries forward to the rear of the structure where they
might have a pool or a pool enclosure where you would have a
privacy wall that could be actually on the property line, where you
have the screen enclosures that come and meet on that privacy wall.
That was how that's intended.
It's comparable language to others you've seen. I know that
Mediterra, Pelican Marsh, some of the other communities have
utilized a standard that allows this encroachment language. And I
think that encroachment language is there primarily so that there can
be maintenance easements that are authorized for the continued
maintenance of those facilities.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Why wouldn't you just put the
property line essentially down the centerline of that wall or on the
outside of it or something?
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December 6, 2007
MR. ARNOLD: Because in some cases the product doesn't have
just a linear wall that's parallel to that property line. There may be
indentations in and out where there could be the structure built
actually on the property line. In other cases it would be offset from the
property line. But the accessory structures typically would have that
attachment, at least through the privacy wall there that would go
across the property line in the front and rear.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay, that seems -- and then
people would be measuring off of a property line as the wall is come
across. So I mean, that seems --
MR. ARNOLD: Right, that would be -- I mean, ifthere's an
easier way to say it, I'm happy to do so. I guess the intent of the
language was to allow something similar to this, where you would
have privacy walls and accessory structures that would be allowed to
have these encroachments up to and on those property lines.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And the benefit, I guess, being
that if you followed that wall with a property line, your setbacks
would be subject to following that regular property line, I guess.
I mean, if no one has a problem with it, I have no problem with
it.
The -- can you show that one picture you have that showed
Mediterra, the aerial photograph?
MR. ARNOLD: Sure.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And so our preserve will not be
contiguous with their preserves?
MR. ARNOLD: No, it's not.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Thank you.
The other issue is the cul-de-sac. The concern I have is that if a
fire -- emergency vehicle comes into this development, there's really
not enough space for it to turn around prior to the gate. So if they are
in the wrong development, they have to, I guess, go through the gate,
go all the way down, turn around at the end of the cul-de-sac.
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Is there a way you could put at least aT-turn or something prior
to the entrance to the gate?
MR. ARNOLD: I think we've designed one. If you look closely,
we have an area that's shown as a utility easement to the north
property line, just north of the preserve, on our master plan.
We've worked with the county to provide the potential for a
pump station at that location. And you could come in and we have to
provide a turnout for the county to get its utility vehicles in. So there is
an opportunity, I think, to -- it would be a backing movement, but I
think that would be acceptable to the fire department to make that
movement.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: It looks a little small now, but if
you could just do that, so that if they are in the wrong development,
they can get out. If they are -- this is the right development, the
lengthy cul-de-sac is not an issue.
MR. ARNOLD: Yeah, I'm certain we can accommodate that.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: That's it. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Adelstein, then Ms. Caron.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: First of all, we are going to
have driveways of 23 feet, aren't we?
MR. ARNOLD: Yes.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: All of them?
MR. ARNOLD: I think the driveways are all going to be -- if
you take it to the edge of the pavement, they certainly would be. But
where you have a sidewalk we have to be 23 feet to our garage door to
provide adequate parking.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: On this idea of a sidewalk
itself, I see no reason for you to have two of them. It doesn't make
sense. First of all, because of the size of this.
Second of all, you're trying to make it feel comfortable. And in
doing so, I would say even if you wanted it to do for good, for the
actual look and appeal of it on one side of the sidewalk is absolutely
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correct. Otherwise it gets a little bit out of line for something 42 or 43
units.
MR. ARNOLD: Yeah, I think that it's a difficult thing for people
to understand. But if you live in a community that does or doesn't have
sidewalks, there are a large number of people who really don't want
the sidewalk in their front yard. It takes away from an area that can be
landscaped. And it does.
There's a certain curb appeal that it's just -- it's something that
some people really desire. And for those who don't want to live in a
community that would have dual sidewalks, I would hope that they
would go find a community that offered them, if we're allowed to have
this deviation.
But otherwise, you're going to go know going in when the road
is constructed whether or not you have a sidewalk. And if they choose
to live on the side that would have the sidewalk, that's great. If they
didn't, they would have an option to live on the side that might end up
with a little bit more green space.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Arnold, could you put up that
last picture that you had with the villa? I think it's in Pelican Marsh.
MR. ARNOLD: Was it this one that showed -- you can't really
see that.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Right, that's the one.
First of all, this is an attached situation. And your PUD, it's not
for attached villas, correct?
MR. ARNOLD: This is technically an attached villa. And we
would do something -- our attached product would be very similar to
this.
COMMISSIONER CARON: That's not what your PUD says.
MR. ARNOLD: Maybe we can look at the development
standards. This would be --
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December 6, 2007
COMMISSIONER CARON: Says single-family detached and
zero lot line detached.
MR. ARNOLD: Right, these are zero lot line detached because
the principal structures on that product are not attached. You have the
accessory structures that are the attached component of that villa
product.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's what I asked you.
MR. ARNOLD: And again, if there's another way to express that
that makes it more clear, I'm happy to do so.
COMMISSIONER CARON: So in other words, this building
that I'm looking at right here, that's one or two units?
MR. ARNOLD: You're looking at the garage face that's there
with the vegetation on it, one unit. And to the right --
COMMISSIONER CARON: To the left?
MR. ARNOLD: -- on the screen is another unit.
COMMISSIONER CARON: To the right is another unit.
MR. ARNOLD: You see the vegetation between it --
COMMISSIONER CARON: Thank you, okay.
MR. ARNOLD: And that attachment on this particular model,
the attachments are the accessory structures over and across those lot
lines. And you end up with a 10- foot separation between the principal
structures.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Okay, that's what I thought.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Are there any other questions of
the applicant?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Hearing none, we'll ask for a staff
report.
And Melissa did this, you're kind of filling in, right?
MR. BELLOWS: Correct. Yes, for the record, Ray Bellows.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any questions of staff?
(No response.)
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'll make it easy for you, Ray, because I
know you're probably not prepared to do a presentation. Well, one
may not be needed.
MR. BELLOWS: I appreciate that. Just for the record, I just
want to put on one note in regards to the deviations. I did discuss the
deviations with Melissa Zone, who's the planner.
And the deviation process is one that where the standards that
are being deviated from it, if they are intended to be applicable on
every instance, then those would be the standards that would be the
ones that would be the normal permitted standards and not ones -- so
therefore, deviations wouldn't be required.
And I think it was her opinion, based on -- or her research into
the project that those deviations would reduce or enlarge the footprints
of the buildings and not providing for pedestrian safety.
But the photos, information depicted by the applicant I think
shows that they can work. And if he's committing to a development
such as that, I don't have an objection to that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ray, I think it would be wise if we
avoided terminology that we can't support in the LDC from the
discussion that's used to either to be in favor or against any deviation.
Overcrowding and overstuffed are not terms in the LDC defined.
Ifthere's an incompatibility issue, then fine. But I think we ought
to avoid that kind of terminology. It's ambiguous and doesn't provide a
clear reference to the LDC for a turn down reason, so -- any other
comments of staff?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Do we have any public speakers, Ray?
MR. BELLOWS: No one has registered.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: With that, there's no need for rebuttal
then, thankfully.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Mark, let me just state
something. I asked Wayne to check out something that doesn't make
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sense, and that is that if the garage was on the side without the
sidewalk, there's no way you could get it closer than 25 feet to the
sidewalk, so it's a moot question.
I think it's actually a stupid question I asked.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You don't want to admit that for the
record, Brad.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So the point is, I just don't want
Wayne to waste time trying to figure that one out.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you for the clarification, sir.
Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Just one thing for Mr. Yovanovich
before we go to a motion. There's been a lot of reference to how well
you've been working with your neighbors at Mediterra. The
landscaping that you have in front of your project, the planned
landscaping, will it be like Mediterra?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Oh, yes.
COMMISSIONER CARON: So that as we drive down
Livingston, I'm not going to know essentially where Mediterra ends
and where your project picks up?
MR. YOV ANOVICH: Other than signage.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Other than the signage, yes. Thank
you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, no other questions, we'll close the
public hearing and entertain a motion. Anybody have a motion?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: I'll make a motion--
COMMISSIONER CARON: I'll make a--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Adelstein, I think, was first, then
we'll go to Ms. Caron.
Mr. Adelstein?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: I move that
PUDZ-2005-AR-8416 be forwarded to the Board of County
Commissioners with a recommendation of approval, subject to staff
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recommendations.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, we need a second before we can
go into discussion. I don't think we -- most of us here don't seem -- I
don't think we're going to be supporting staff recommendations, but
let's see ifthere's a second with it that way.
Is there a second?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, motion dies for lack ofa second.
Ms. Caron, do you have a motion?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yes, I'll make a motion for
approval for PUDZ-2005-AR-8416, and with the following
conditions.
I believe that the deviations that were listed are appropriate and
we're going to also add deviation D, which is for the 1,000-foot--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Minimum tangent.
COMMISSIONER CARON: -- minimum cul-de-sacs. There is
$1,000 a unit for affordable housing. They have offered to pay in lieu
for the second side sidewalk. And we made certain changes to the
development services -- to the development standards table. And let
me try to find those.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Six-foot and--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray --
COMMISSIONER CARON: Side yards setbacks were six feet.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: For single-family.
COMMISSIONER CARON: For single-family. Which would
make it 12 for -- we've taken out deviation -- I'm sorry, 12 for
minimum distance between principal structures. We've taken out
footnote number seven. And, yes, and the height of course is zoned
height.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That agrees with my notes, too.
COMMISSIONER CARON: I think that was everything that we
talked about.
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Before we go into discussion, let's have
a second. Is there a second?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: I will second that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Adelstein seconded that. Now
discussion.
Mr. Klatzkow, what's your issue?
MR. KLATZKOW: Just for purposes of clarity, since this is
going to be a PUD stipulation, they're paying in lieu of the sidewalks.
When will the payment be made?
COMMISSIONER CARON: When do we normally require that,
at CO?
MR. KLATZKOW: It's part of the PUD, so we're making a
change to what we're normally doing. It could be CO is fine, building
permit is fine.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: CO is fine.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: CO is fine with us.
COMMISSIONER CARON: I'm sure it is. I'm asking when we
normally do these things.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: We would expect it at plat.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Plat. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, it would be at plat approval.
COMMISSIONER CARON: So at plat.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: That's what we expected, yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So there's been a change to the payment
in lieu of. The stipulation would be a payment in lieu of for the second
sidewalk at the time of plat.
Does the motion maker accept it?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And does the second accept it?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Yes.
MR. YOV ANOVICH: As part of the short comment, we should
get CO, don't you think?
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You don't want to complicate this any
more.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Really.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: I also want clarification on the
affordable housing payment that we use, our typical language, and that
it's credited against any further fees and so on, the typical language
that we use.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is that acceptable to the motion maker?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Absolutely.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Second accept it?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Yes, it is.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I just want to add, you know,
the one thing you have in there, the deviation on the cul-de-sac length,
I would like to add into that sentence, if acceptable fire department
turnaround is at the entrance. In other words, that length wouldn't be a
good idea if you couldn't turn around prior to entering that.
COMMISSIONER CARON: I think they've already covered that
in their county easement turnaround right at the entrance, right?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: The layouts that they show on
this exhibit wouldn't make it. It's close. I think they can get it. I don't
think it's a hardship.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Brad, the only problem you might want
to consider with that is, if that was up to county staff to make that
decision I think that would be fine. But when you've got a dozen
different fire departments, each having a different idea of what size
truck they may want to turn around, it could get rather complicated for
the applicant to get it figured out.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: There is a county standard for
the turnaround, and it's part of the cul-de-sac requirements. Either the
50-foot outside diameter radius or it's a T-turn, which I think would
work better in this case, which they can make.
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I mean, the reasons we have lengths of cul-de-sac is to prevent
emergency vehicles from being trapped. And especially something
that has such narrow right-of-ways, they'd have no other way to get
out of there but go all the way down to the end.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, Mr. Arnold?
MR. ARNOLD: Again, Wayne Arnold.
I think as we stated on the record, we can and would provide an
appropriate fire turnaround. And I don't know exactly how that's going
to be configured.
I think Mr. Strain's correct, the fire departments all have a little
bit different standard. But it's not always a cul-de-sac. We've found
that they've allowed hammerhead type turns and stabilized
turnarounds and various things.
So I think the provision for us to do it, we certainly will and can.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. I have no problem with that.
Ms. Caron accept it as a --
COMMISSIONER CARON: Absolutely.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Does the second accept it?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anything else in this discussion phase?
Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Just a real quick note. I'm
Italian and I have a real tough time pronouncing the name. I'd like to
see a shorter name, if nothing, for the sign purposes in front of the
street.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Pezzetino Di Cielo --
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: I'm Italian and I have a
problem with it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You guys, we're on record here.
Ray, did staff get all that information?
MR. BELLOWS: I just want to go over it. It's being approved
subject to the requested deviations by the applicant, plus the additional
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deviation for cul-de-sac length. Then we're also having a condition
that the elimination of the sidewalk would be paid for in lieu of at the
time of plat approval.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MR. BELLOWS: And we're also to add the language to credit if
there's a fee increase.
Then there's a change to the development standards table for
single-family structures. The side yard setback is six feet and the
distance between structures is 12 feet.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MR. BELLOWS: And you're eliminating footnote number
seven. And then on the building, zoned height, we're going to make
sure it says zoned height.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You missed the affordable housing.
MR. BELLOWS: Affordable housing.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And it would be the standard language
that's utilized.
I would think for record purposes we ought to make that by
letter in lieu of in the PUD. Does anybody have a preference on this
panel, since the applicant offered either way?
I think it would be safer to do it by letter.
MR. BELLOWS: Can you say that again?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The applicant offered to make the
commitment to the 1,000 stipulation by letter instead of incorporating
the language in the PUD.
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: He has to do it in the PUD.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: He has to do it in the PUD?
MS. STUDENT-STIRLING: We always to it in the PUD.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I know we always do. But there's been
some concern over the --
MR. KLATZKOW: I've got a better ability to enforce that if it's
in the PUD than if it's outside the PUD.
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, then that's the way it will be. Just
trying to clean it up. But that's okay, we'll leave it dirty.
Anybody else have anything?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, we'll call for the vote. All those
in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries 7-0.
Thank you. And we will take a 15-minute break. We'll come
back at noon. I think we'll finish up easily the boat dock and we'll be
closed for the day. So we'll be back at 12:00. Thank you.
(Recess. )
Item #8C
PETITION: BD-2007-AR-12154, SAUNDRA CLANCY-
KOENDARFER
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Please take your seats. Nick is leaving
us. He doesn't feel he can contribute to a boat amendment. We're at a
loss now.
But the next petition up is BD-2007-AR-12154, and it's Saundra
Clancy-Koendarfer, represented by Ben Nelson, boat dock up in Little
Hickory Shores.
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December 6, 2007
With that, are there any disclosures on the part of the planning
commission?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, how about let's swear in those
that are wishing to speak on behalf of this petition. I did it backwards.
(Speakers was duly sworn.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you. And with that, we'll ask the
applicant for a presentation.
MR. NELSON: Good morning -- or good afternoon, whoops,
there we go. Thank you for your patience this morning. I appreciate
the job you're doing up there, and I have a real appreciation of what
you do, actually.
The applicant, Mrs. Koendarfer, and her husband, what their
plan is here, if you have drawings that show that, is that they want to
replace an existing dock that extends approximately 20 feet out into
the water and is approximately 15 foot from the property line. They
want to replace that with a dock that extends 25 feet out into the water
and has a boat lift on the front of it.
So actually, and I will put this on -- what this drawing does, this
drawing shows the existing dock lighter and it shows the proposed
dock right there.
And also, you're going to notice here -- also you'll notice here
that this is the adjacent property owner. There is the approximate
location of their porch on this side. And this is kind of a line of view
that would go across from this corner over across where the existing
dock is.
And because we've moved this other dock, this is what our
recommendation to the client was, was also to move it over to where it
was a conforming dock to where it was 25 feet off instead of 15 feet
off. And the actual dock extends only about five feet out further than
the existing dock.
So instead of putting a boat lift right in front of this dock, we
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decided to redo the dock, move it over, go out five more feet to get to
the better water depth, and then add the lift onto it. And that's
essentially it for the boat dock.
I'd just like to comment on the reasons for doing this. Naples and
Collier County, I think you've all been at the forefront of maintaining
in front of these -- in these natural areas, and even on canals,
maintaining a good benthic resource in front of these walls. And one
of the ways to do it is that back in the past, even on the bays, when
somebody would put a seawall in they would dig it out and dig it out
to depth, and then you would have nothing in front of these seawalls.
And I think that, like I said, Naples and Collier County has been
at the forefront of maintaining these now.
And this wall here, the existing wall has some rip-rap at the base
of it. It has a nice gradual slope. It has some benthic resources, which
would be some oyster shells and some other things out.
And we have an aerial that really kind of shows -- I hope it
shows up. I think you can see on -- maybe you can see. Really light,
you can see where this -- the bar comes out right here, the actual
water, edge of the water that's the deep water. You can see the rip-rap
at the base of the wall, just behind the dock, and you can see this edge
of this water. That's what we're trying to get out in front of, well in
front of, because that's at the end of where those resources are.
So anyway, the goal was to go ahead and get enough water
depth to where we would have adequate water depth for the boat that
they presently have and for the future boat lift, and also to move it
away from the adjacent property owner so that it wouldn't be as much
in the view there.
And basically I think that's all I have to say, unless you have
some questions.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron, then Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER CARON: How will you affect -- by moving
this dock, how will you affect those oyster beds that are there?$
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December 6, 2007
MR. NELSON: What we're doing is we're going out, we're
going further out over that. The walkway will be in a different area,
but going out further out is the best way to do it, because what we're
trying to do is to get the boat into an area to where we won't disturb
any of that.
The worst problem that we have in a lot of these shallow water
areas, if you put your dock in too shallow water, you know that
automatically your client is going to be prop dredging, trying to move
oyster shells out of the way of the boat. The boat lift is going to
continually bottom out and you're going to cause turbidity and all
types of stuff.
So really, long-term solution, the best way to do this is to go
ahead and go out to deeper water so that boat never does kick up
turbidity, it allows that bottom to go ahead and be a good part of the
ecosystem there. So that's our goal.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: The picture that we're looking at
right now on the visualizer, the -- that's the present boat dock, is it
not?
MR. NELSON: Yes, sir. And there's a boat moored at the front
of it.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I see that, yes.
And you have a line that you put on there that shows the person's
vision from the next door; is that correct?
MR. NELSON: Approximately, yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, if you were to
superimpose the new dock and push that boat out the distance
associated with the new dock, wouldn't that line of vision be
obstructed?
MR. NELSON: Well, what happens is, though, we come another
10 feet this way. So if we go from here, the actual dock would be out
another five feet. So that line would be right about there, would be
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exactly where the front of the boat would be.
So actually, it wouldn't be any -- and that's what we showed on
the previous drawing.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, that's what I'm relating to.
The previous drawing, when -- because you didn't have it marked off
for the new location. Why don't you put that back up then, please.
And I'm not disagreeing with you, I just want to be clear on it
because of the old dock.
MR. NELSON: So here's the old dock right there.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: The old dock there. And you're
saying to me that's being moved five feet; is that it?
MR. NELSON: We've moving it actually--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Ten feet --
MR. NELSON: Ten to 12 feet, actually, because this dock
actually goes at an angle here.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay, you're making me feel
more comfortable when you use the word 12, maybe even 13. Because
I would say to you if you're going to be concerned for the vision of the
people next door, then you need to come more center to the property.
MR. NELSON: Right. And like I said, this dock comes at an
angle. So it's 10 feet here, but actually if you go out here where the
riparian line is, it moves over some. And if you recall, the boat -- the
boat -- actually, I'm going to draw on this. The front of the boat was
actually right there.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, I appreciate it. That's what
drew my attention to it, especially when you put a lift on there and
that size boat.
MR. NELSON: And so when we get over into this area, the boat
would be approximately like this.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Thank you.
MR. NELSON: So I don't think that -- I really think there's a
good argument to be made that it doesn't worsen that part of that view.
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December 6, 2007
But I think really that my concern when we design these things
is that I think that we need to look at the environmental challenges
here first, that we really need to start taking better care of our
resources.
So far as dredging in these areas, really the DEP or anything,
they're not going to allow you to do any dredging here, mainly
because you have an option. They're going to tell you go out a little
further and don't do any harm to the environment and keep this littoral
zone intact right here.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: The proposed deck area, it is
essentially doubling in size. Is that necessary? Or could you lessen the
overall extension by making that, the proposed platform, narrower?
MR. NELSON: Well, you certainly could narrow it up. I would
say that the waterward section of that, the waterward line, the edge of
the boat lift needs to stay where it is. But I think that you could narrow
that dock up. In other words, right where the boat is moored out is the
important point to get to.
So you could go eight feet with it, you know, and narrow it up
by two feet, but it would actually be the back that moves towards the
open water, if you see what I mean. Where the boat actually sits is the
important part for the mooring. And maybe I can show you on the
drawing.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Okay, because you do actually
have depth there now. I mean, all you have to do is take a look at your
neighbor to the east. They're only 19 feet out and they've got a lift and
they're --
MR. NELSON: But if you'll look at this aerial again, you can
see -- you see this line, and I'm going to draw the line along the edge
of that. Thanks.
You'll see it actually curves like this. And I'm not sure what the
water depth is like in this in here, but I have an idea by looking at the
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back end of this that it's probably not -- I know it's not as good as the
water depth out here.
And if you come back into here, we have a topographical survey
that shows that the existing dock, the front is like .3 to .35. That's
really not quite adequate for the type of boat that we visualize being
moored here. And we would rather be in that minus four to minus five.
And I think a lot of you, when you see these come in, that's
generally the goal, is to be at that minus four to minus five. Especially
when you have a boat lift, and that boat lift cradle itself can be
anywhere from 10 inches thick to 12 inches thick to support that boat.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Well, again, one of the things we
were trying to protect in these waterways here, because we're in a
shallow backwater area, is that we don't have boats that are too large
for the backwaters.
MR. NELSON: Right.
COMMISSIONER CARON: And so by moving out to a depth
that will just allow you to have a larger boat is not a goal for this panel
or, you know, should it be. We shouldn't be lessening our standards
just to accommodate larger boats in an area where it may not be
appropriate.
MR. NELSON: I agree. And I don't think that this lessens the
standards at all. I really don't.
COMMISSIONER CARON: I'm comfortable with what I see.
MR. NELSON: Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: This is -- waterway is 640 feet wide
there?
MR. NELSON: It's 640 feet, approximately.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And you're looking at 37 feet.
Have your neighbors complained?
MR. NELSON: I think we have had a complaint about the view.
That's why I mentioned the view. The neighbor to the east has made a
complaint about the view there. And that's why I put this drawing up.
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And I know that there's concern, and I'm not going to say that
the neighbor shouldn't be concerned. I mean, neighbors have a right to
be concerned, so I don't want to -- I just want to show you on this
drawing, this is their boat dock right here. This is different for me
here. Sorry. There we go.
This is their boat dock right here. This is their porch and their
lanai right here.
And I think their concern was is that because if we went straight
out with this dock right here the way it was, it was going to get further
into this view. But actually -- and I'm not sure that they were aware of
it or not, they may have well been aware of it, but we are moving it
over, too.
So I think the line of view -- I think a good argument is to be
made is that because of that, we're going to stay approximately in the
same line of view as we are now.
And if you'll notice right here, we have some photographs, but
right in here, the reason that we don't crowd this over, right in here
there's a lot of vegetation. Pretty substantial vegetation right along this
site here that pretty much blocks this view here, the upland view. So
that's why we drew this line across the bow of this.
This one is probably more of the concern. And because of where
their own boat dock is right here, we kind of drew the line across from
where that blocked that view.
So I don't know if that's a fair representation or not, but it's the
best I could come up with.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Are there any other questions?
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And Ray, this is kind of to you,
is that given them the larger deck area, it would be nice if they would
cover it. There's nothing we do today that gives them the ability to put
a boathouse cover on it or something; isn't that right?
MR. BELLOWS: That's correct.
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December 6, 2007
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So they would have to come
back if they wanted to do that?
MR. NELSON: Absolutely. And then I think the county's
criteria on boathouses and the setbacks on boathouses and the criteria
for view really comes into play majorly then.
So I would see little or no chance of that happening.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions of the applicant?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is there a staff report?
THE COURT REPORTER: May I have your name, please?
MR. NELSON: Oh, I'm sorry.
F or the record, Ben Nelson.
MS. CASERTA: Hi. Ashley Caserta, Senior Planner for the
record.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Did you cut your hair?
MS. ASHTON: Yes, I did.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You look totally different. It looks very
mce.
MS. ASHTON: Thank you.
No report. Staff does recommend approval. If you have any
questions for me.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any questions of staff?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, thank you very much.
Ray, do we have any public speakers?
MR. BELLOWS: Yes, we have one registered speaker. James C.
Welch.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Welch, if you could approach one
of the podiums. Thank you for your patience today. I'm sorry the
schedule got changed around.
MR. WELCH: Thank you for seeing me. I appreciate it.
THE COURT REPORTER: Were you sworn in?
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MR. WELCH: No, I wasn't.
(Speaker was duly sworn.)
MR. WELCH: I have three current pictures, one, two, three, that
will make some sense. And I also took the liberty of taking the Collier
appraiser's.
I'm not a public speaker, but I'm rather confused why a 37-foot
protrusion is necessary when the maximum permitted protrusion is 20
feet as the norm.
As the three pictures demonstrate, in my opinion, you know, the
docks all along the side are not protruding 37 feet, and they're
considerably large boats connected to them, as my neighbors, which
has a V -bottom boat and doesn't have the need to be out that far.
In my opinion, this will leave -- it will have a major impact on
my westerly view and sunsets I look forward to.
As I see it, there will be a boat hoisted on a lift 25 to 37 feet out
in the water, which I think also compromises the existing customary
channel of navigation, which is along the seawall. I don't understand
why it's necessary to hoist the boat 25 feet from the seawall, as the
pictures show. Other boats are not.
I would appreciate clarification on the purpose. I haven't gotten
it with the depth. I'm asking members of the board to consider the
relevance of size of dock versus depth of water. It appears to me that
three-and-a-half feet at low tide is plenty of depth for a vessel.
I'm also questioning why depth was measured at my property
line, as shown in Nelson's rendering, rather than petitioner's proposed
site of construction.
To this end, I ask that the present character and simplicity of the
neighborhood be preserved. I just don't understand the need for a boat
lift 25 feet from the seawall. I do not see on the documents what the
total elevation of the boat lift will be out there, 25 to 37 feet out.
I'm also concerned that at a future date another lift could be
installed along the 15-foot walkway, which would further impede our
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View.
This graph paper, I represented a foot by each block, and I
actually drew it out exactly the way it comes out to show as it would
be rendered, because I couldn't understand the Nelson Marine
rendering per square footage. So I went and did one myself. And as
you can see, there's a considerable impact on view.
I would just ask if this must be approved, I'm going to request
that the dock be placed further west of my property in preserving my
westerly view, which I cherish greatly and why I chose to be at this
location.
It seems this raises the bar for allowed protrusions. There are
three other protrusions in the bay. One is a public dock, and two of
them are for a condo association at the end of the bay. Other than that,
they don't protrude out this far. For one boat on a lift, it seems like a
considerable amount of protrusion into the bay.
I took the picture also, the boat that's there drafts approximately
six inches. I draft approximately one foot with my boat. And it's no
difficulty, you know, being close to the seawall as I am. That boat
right there is a 17-foot boat that I have, and it draws a foot of water.
Pontoon boats typically draw six inches of water.
And I would ask that the board consider either relocating it
further west or maybe by the side of the dock, rather. But the depth, I
question how the depth would come about, because I stand in the
water out there. Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sir, I have a question. You had -- the
last photograph you showed, I mean, I'm trying to figure out where it
is, because the -- maybe you could show it, it was number three, you
had a number three up in the corner of it. There it is.
That picture shows a canal. Where is that in relationship to this
facility?
MR. WELCH: The canal starts about four or five homes down.
My neighbor is still on the bay, as I am.
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, I was confused. I remember
seeing the diagram that shows a 640-foot deep bay, and that's why I
couldn't figure out where the canal occurred.
Are there any other questions of the gentleman?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I do, Mark.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Is your concern -- in other
words, there's a couple dimensions that are important. One is to the
edge of the dock itself and then one is to the outside, you know, edge
of the lift. Is your concern more to the edge of the dock or the whole
thing out to the outside edge?
What he's asking for, his dimensions are to the outer edge of that
lift, which is 37 feet. Ifhe pulled the whole thing coming in, what kind
of a number would make you comfortable?
MR. WELCH: Well, if the issue is the depth of the boat, if it was
on the side of the dock, that would be perpendicular to the seawall.
That would be one issue.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Correct.
MR. WELCH: But I don't understand the need to go out that far.
I'm confused, because I stand in the water, I know it's deep enough. I
have -- I know what my area is. And by the county's picture, I know
that there's that band that goes around it, goes against the seawall, but
I also know that if you look at that, that's what I'm going to have to
look forward to in reality, not that sketch that I saw from Nelson
Marine.
And I drew that out, hand sketched one foot for every block.
And that's what I'm going to be looking at, 37 feet out, God knows
how high in the water -- out of the water.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But how many people -- it looks
like the existing boat is docked on the outside edge of their dock now.
MR. WELCH: Yes, but it's in --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: It doesn't have a lift, it's in the
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water, right? So your concern is even lifting that boat up, it would lift
it into your view.
MR. WELCH: Right. Well, it's going to be one more
obstruction. There's going to be a protected walkway that's going to
have a rail on it. Then there's going to be a dock that's going to be 10
by 20 out. And then on top of that there's going to be a hoisted boat
that's going to be 25 to 37 feet out into the water, and that totally
blocks my view.
I don't know where somebody thinks it doesn't block my view;
it's apparent from this sketch that I took the time to draw.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And Ray, from our past LDC
work, isn't that boat also able to have a cover on it now?
MR. WELCH: It has a cover.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But I mean, where we came up
with regulations on covers that are supported by pilings. So essentially
wouldn't this be allowed even on top of that boat that there's a cover
sitting out there?
MR. BELLOWS: Correct.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So it's worse than you think.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions of the gentleman?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, sir.
MR. WELCH: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. By the way, Mr. Klatzkow, do
we have to keep the papers he's shown for record? I think we do.
MR. KLATZKOW: I think you do.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If you could give them to the court
reporter here, she'll make sure they're filed.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Shouldn't we accept them as
evidence?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yeah. We each haven't got a copy, Bob,
so let's just leave it like it is.
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December 6, 2007
MR. NELSON: Mr. Chairman, would I be allowed to make a
couple more comments?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sure, you can have rebuttal.
MR. NELSON: So far as the water depth, I think a lot of you
remember when it used to be -- water depth used to be a source of
contention, the neighbor would say this, we would say that. So that's
why you started requiring for us to get the staff is to get a certified
surveyor to come in and do the water depths on there. You see this
bathymetric survey actually has the water depths on both sides, in
other words.
And what they did, the reason that they put the lines on both
sides here is so that you could kind of connect the dots and come
across here and see where those lines are. So it kind of takes the
dispute out of it of what the water depth is.
And so far as the other docks in the area -- I'm going to change
this again -- you have this drawing, too. This kind of shows kind of an
example of the docks, just a sampling of the docks.
From my experience as a marine contractor, a lot of the times
these older docks that have been put at 20- foot -- and these don't
include the lifts on here, these are just where the dock is, the
protrusion of the dock, and these are fairly accurate measurements
here. And you'll see that a lot of them are 21,23,21, they're all in that
area right there.
A lot of times in the past people have just put the docks in at that
20-something feet, rightly because they don't want to go through this
variance process. They come to us or come to somebody else and they
say, what can we put in? Well, you can go out 20 foot or you can pay
another $2,000 and whatever and we'll take a shot at getting you out
there with a boat lift.
Some people choose not to do that. Some people choose just to
go ahead and do a walk-around dock in the shallow water and deal
with that shallow water.
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I quite frankly don't think that that's the best case scenario. I
think the best case scenario is to get these boats into deeper water,
because the resource -- I believe that the resource is very important.
Not that the view and everything else isn't important, but most people
have a boat and a dock and a boat lift behind their house that they look
at too from behind their house as well.
And I understand how when you want to look towards the sunset
and you want to look across your neighbor's property that that's a
concern, but I think that shouldn't get in the way of somebody's right
to adequately have safe, reasonable access.
And I think that if you ask your staff if this is safe and
reasonable access and a reasonable request as part of the criteria that
you've set out, I think that you'll find it will be.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Adelstein, then Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: What is the depth that you
have it at now?
MR. NELSON: It's probably -- it's at a bit of an angle to the
shoreline, so I'd say it was at an average of a minus 4.5. What that
translates into is about at low tide, it's about four-and-a-half feet deep
at low tide at the front of the dock.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: And at full tide what is it?
MR. NELSON: At full tide it would probably be six foot. If you
get a foot-and-a-halftide change, it would probably be six-foot deep at
high tide.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Thank you.
MR. NELSON: And so far as the channel also, it's fairly deep. I
think it's fairly deep across there.
The gentleman's right, people have a habit of hugging the
shoreline as they go along there. But there is no marked channel in
this area, mainly because it stays so deep.
This is what I would consider to be a -- you wouldn't call it a
manmade waterway, it's a man-altered waterway. Years ago, in the
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late 1950's, early 1960's, they went around the area and in some areas
they dug this out by crane. You can see that by aerial photo. It's kind
of interesting, really.
And so right now the whole area's taken 40 to 50 years to kind of
recover environmentally from that. And so what our goal here is just
to try to do something that doesn't hinder that process. And although
we would be -- I have no objection at all to moving it further away to
the west away from the client here, I have no objection to doing that at
all, as long as we don't encroach in the 25 feet from the other side.
I'm sure my applicant has no objection to doing that. But it will
make it go towards the other neighbor we haven't heard from, but
they're not here, so I can't speak for them, that's for sure.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Mr. Nelson, I think you said
something about improving safety or making sure that there was
safety associated with --
MR. NELSON: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Does that mean that when the
original community was developed that the 20- foot docks were not
safe?
MR. NELSON: Well, I think that what the goal is to have safe
and reasonable access. And because of the 20-foot dock, when you put
a 20-foot dock in there, if it's too shallow, if you don't have a boat lift,
if you don't have proper access, your boat sits on the bottom or
whatever. I don't think it's considered safe access.
And, you know what, there's a good argument to be made that if
you're not in that deep water depth, and as long as you're able to stay
out of a navigational channel, I think that you've got safe access.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Sir, I'm not going to disagree
with you necessarily, but I will say that one of the pictures that we
saw looking down to that canal seemed to be a very large vessel
behind the vessel that was just in front. And I would say that if the
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community were planned with the 20- foot there, I recognize there's a
great deal of width in the bay, but a vision -- you know, somebody's
view is important, and the community character is important.
And ordinarily I wouldn't take umbrage, but we have somebody
who's indicating it's directly impacting. And even I noted that it
looked to me like when you put that other vessel out there, and you
made a statement earlier on indicating the vessel they want to put
there, which means that they have in mind something other than the
vessel we're looking at right now --
MR. NELSON: Sure, most people do.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- which would be considerably
larger.
MR. NELSON: It could be.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Presumably. So I don't know, I
thought that these were safe the way they were. I just caught that and
wondered about your choice of the word there.
MR. NELSON: And towards the other end of the canal there,
where the picture was taken down there in the canal, the character of
that canal changes. As you get down further towards the mouth of that
canal, the water depth increases towards the seawall. As you can see
by the drawing, the water depth increases towards the seawall, it gets
deeper, so you're able to come back in there further.
Also, as you get to that canal, you're limited. That canal is only
80 feet wide. You're limited to 20 feet, and that's all you'll ever be able
to do. So that's what they have to live with. And being a manmade
canal then towards that end, you're able to dredge there. So there's a
lot of reasons why it changes as it gets down towards that way right
there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Adelstein?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: From the point ofland to the
water, how far out would it be for three feet of water?
MR. NELSON: Right now the dock is 20 feet out, and it's at 3.5
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feet. So the existing dock. So right now if she just left the boat the way
it is, she's in three-and-a-half feet of water.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: How long would it be if it
was just three feet?
MR. NELSON: It appears -- it says right here that it's at minus
two point -- see, it drops off rather rapidly. At 15 feet out it's minus
2.3. At 20 feet out it's minus 3.5, so you kind of split the difference in
between there. Approximately 18 feet.
Now, minus three, by the way, minus three, if you ask the
department of environmental protection, minus three is the minimum
water depth that they would consider adequate water depth. And so
very seldom --
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: It is adequate. I've been using
it too.
MR. NELSON: Yeah, it's very minimal adequate water depth,
but -- and it depends on the draft of your boat. Generally, and I think
that in the environmental community, generally minus four, like I said,
a minus four to minus five is the usual, and it is the best thing for the
environment.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, are there any other questions?
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: One thing right now. They
couldn't put a lift on the existing dock right now, because that would
add dimension to it and would violate the 20 feet, correct?
MR. NELSON: We would still be here. Yeah, we would still be
here to get a variance for that.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So it's not like we're just -- you
know, the rebuilt dock is quite a bit bigger because of that lift. The lift
lifts the boat into a view that it may not normally be in. And because
of the potential of the covers that we recently approved, it could be a
permanent structure sitting out there.
I'm done. Thank you, Mark.
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December 6, 2007
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody else have any questions of
anyone at this point?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, Mr. Nelson.
Ray, we're done with public speakers?
MR. BELLOWS: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We'll close the public hearing and
entertain a motion.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I'll make a motion.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, Mr. Schiffer.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Move to deny.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion's been made to deny, motion's
been seconded. Is there discussion?
The only consideration I would have thought is the gentleman
suggested that if they could move this dock further away from his
house, it might help the situation. And I think they could move it
further away, based on the plan that's presented. I saw that as a
positive. So that was my comment.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Mark, can I respond to that?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sure.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: He can only move it over five
more feet. And even looking at it, I was trying to sketch it, he could
really only pull it in five more feet. So moving it over five feet and
bringing it down to 32 still doesn't help, I think, the issue with the
neighbor.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: That's right.
MR. NELSON: But I would ask what the option for the client is.
Does he not have the ability to have a boat lift? Is that what the
commission is telling us?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Based upon the 20 feet,
probably not. I mean, nobody else does past the 20 feet.
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December 6, 2007
MR. NELSON: Yeah, there's a whole county full of people that
do, actually.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But I mean on the wall of this
thing.
I think there was another thing that Donna said true, too, is that
this isn't an area where they really want to go out of the way to keep
getting bigger and bigger boats into it. So that's another factor.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other comments on the motion?
There's been a motion made to deny. It's been seconded, there's been
discussion.
All those in favor of the motion, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All those opposed?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
Motion carries 5-2.
Okay, with that, we will end. Thank you all for attending today.
Item #9
OLD BUSINESS
Next order of business is old business. Do we have any old
business?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I just want to kind of bring one
thing up is -- and Ray, we've got to be wasting a lot of money on
delivery of things. I'm getting letters, I'm getting fellows to the door
with one piece of paper.
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December 6, 2007
Could we do this, could you organize how you update data and
poll the members to see which they prefer? And here's what happens: I
print out an agenda that comes in e-mail, then two days later there's a
guy handing me one at the door. So we didn't achieve anything other
than the waste, that guy's expense.
So isn't there some way you could poll the board and see what's
the preferable method of update for different members?
And also, I think when you revise the agenda, I think revising it
like you did here, revision two, is a good idea. But I think if you could
just put the date that you revised it, that would be better than
numbering them one, two, three.
So I just really feel bad getting a letter, getting a guy and getting
an e-mail at the same time.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer, rather than have to have
staff make phone calls and correspondence back and forth, why don't
we just ask it? As far as I'm concerned, if we were to establish a
policy, say 10 pages or less it becomes e-mailed, 11 pages or more
you send it out, unless one of us indicates otherwise. Does that work
for everybody here?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Works for me.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That will save you polling everybody.
MR. BELLOWS: That will help.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MR. BELLOWS: I appreciate it.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Good. Thank you, Mark.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is there any other old business?
Item #10
NEW BUSINESS
Is there any new business?
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December 6, 2007
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Hearing none, I'll ask for a motion to
adjourn.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: So moved.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion made, seconded by Mr. Midney.
All in favor? Aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Aye.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Aye.
COMMISSIONER MIDNEY: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We're adjourned. Thank you all.
****
There being no further business for the good of the County, the
meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 12:35 p.m.
COLLIER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
MARK P. STRAIN, Chairman
These minutes approved by the Board on
as presented or as corrected
TRANSCRIPT PREPARED ON BEHALF OF GREGORY
COURT REPORTING SERVICE, INC. BY CHERIE'
NOTTINGHAM.
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