CCPC Minutes 01/09/2008 S
January 9, 2008
TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEETING OF THE
COLLIER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
2007 CYCLE 2
LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AMENDMENTS
Naples, Florida January 9, 2008
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 SPECIAL 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
Paul Midney (Absent)
Bob Murray
Brad Schiffer
Robert Vigliotti
ALSO PRESENT:
Jeffrey Klatzkow, Chief Asst. County Attorney
Susan Istenes, Planning Director
Joseph Schmitt, CDES Administrator
Catherine Fabacher, LDC Manager
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January 9, 2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to
the -- oh, my goodness it's January what, 9th, 2008 meeting ofthe
Collier County Planning Commission. This is a continuation of the
LDC Cycle 2 amendments that we started last year. It hasn't taken us a
year to get here, but a year has transpired.
Would you all rise for the pledge of allegiance, please.
(Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, will the secretary please do the
roll call.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Kolflat?
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I'm here.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Mr. Midney is not here.
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?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Here.
Did you forget my name?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Just briefly. How could we forget
you, Bob?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Easy.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Let me start by saying that the
book we have in front of us today is a synopsis of only those issues
that were left from the last meeting we had in December.
And Catherine, I want to thank you for putting the book together
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in such an orderly fashion. It makes it a lot easier to follow what's
boiled down and remaining, rather than getting all the paperwork and
having to sort through it again.
MS. F ABACHER: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So with that, I know we have members
of the public here today. We'll start with the issues that they're here for
first. I think the first one will be the sign issue for the real estate --
MS. F ABACHER: Open house?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- part of it.
MS. F ABACHER: All right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'd like to go to the issue that Cormac is
involved with next.
MS. FABACHER: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And I think that takes care of it.
Is anybody here -- Cormac's issue is the affordable rental issue.
And Mr. Poteet's issue is the real estate location of real estate signs.
I notice two staff members are here. What items are you guys
here for? I'm trying to get you out of here and back to your jobs as
quickly as possible, because I read in the paper today we're so
shorthanded that you can't attend meetings anymore. So --
MS. BURGESON: Listed species.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Listed species? Okay. Well, then we'll
do the listed species item third and we'll move forward with that.
Catherine, did you -- were you managed to be -- able to follow
all that I just said?
MS. F ABACHER: Yes, sir, I did.
Do you want to go with the open house signs?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MS. F ABACHER: That is going to be on page --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: 47.
MS. FABACHER: Okay, 47. D on your summary sheet. And I
think -- well, we do have one public speaker. Is that how you wanted
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to proceed on that first with him, or --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I'd like to get through like we
always have, the commission's comments on the changes first, and
then we'll hear the public speakers and then we'll figure out how to
finalize it.
MS. F ABACHER: Okay. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, and that one, for everybody's
purposes, starts on Page 47. It's one we've talked about twice before.
There were some refinements. And it goes to Page 52.
Is there any comments from the commissioners?
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: The only thing that I had a
problem with is on Page 49, and it's under 3-A, ii, and it speaks about
100 feet. And recognizing that that can create a number of problems, I
know that the Chair recommended 40 feet. I'm in complete agreement
with that, and I think it should be 40 feet to allow people who are
adjoining each other that might wish to sell and plant those signs on
their property. That would be my only item on that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, any other comments?
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Let me see. Let's just start with
three. One thought I had is, is to call this a temporary open house sign
up in three, rather than -- because we sometimes refer to -- but there
could be an impression that AI is not temporary. So my thought would
be to scratch it and ii and just call the whole thing temporary open
house signs, because I think the intent is that they would be there
temporarily.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So what you're saying is instead of3
starting out, open house signs, it would be 3 and it would say,
temporary open house signs. And then the reference to temporary in
the other numerics wouldn't be needed.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Correct.
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And the -- and then just to make sure I understand it, the -- there's
one sign that would be allowed to be at the premise. That's i. There
was two other signs that would be allowed to be off-site somewhere.
Total of three signs. Yeah, that seems to be right.
And ii there isn't a time frame. So a thought is that this could be
somewhat reorganized where you don't mention the time in -- for
example, i, iii discussed the time. So maybe there should be a category
that just has the time.
Because the intent is that all these signs would be within that
time frame. So, for example, it appears that since it's mentioned in i
and iii but in ii there's no time frame. So my recommendation would
be to pull the timing out, make it a Roman numeral somewhere.
And that -- also, one more other thing is that the mention of 10
feet on the edge of the pavement might be smart to be a separate
Roman numeral II. Because all the signs essentially have to be 10 feet
off the pavement. Yet we're mentioning it in i, we're mentioning it in
5. So I think just pull that out, make that a category, and it would be
clearer. And that's it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Brad, part of the objective today is to
finish this, because we've been beating it around a lot. I really wish we
had brought these issues up before, maybe staff had gotten a heads up
from you beforehand.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, but at the last meeting we
just -- I actually wanted to discuss it, but we just took the input from
the audience. It would have been good -- these are comments I had
then. It would have been good, you're right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I do want to finish with this today.
I'd like to get this entire cycle done today. We've dragged it on for
quite a while.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And I think your suggestions are good. I
have no problem with that.
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But Catherine, before this meeting is over today, do you feel you
can maybe summarize his suggestions to a point we can feel confident
that you could put them into the right format to go forward with?
MS. FABACHER: Certainly.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, let's work from that angle
then.
There are two things mentioned that I'd like to further discuss.
And Mr. Murray brought up a really good point about the 100 foot
separation. And it is good to keep them 100 feet apart. But then again,
sometimes if you have smaller lots, like in a lot of cases that we talked
about where there are only -- some lots get down to 40 feet in width
and you want to have an open house on that 40-foot lot but your
neighbor's got a sign on his lot, you can't have an open house sign on
yours.
So maybe an exception to Roman numeral II -- or little ii, I'm
sorry, would be no closer than 100 feet unless the lot width is less, at
which case it can be on each lot.
MS. F ABACHER: I could respond to that. Catherine Fabacher,
for the record.
Small i is the one in front of the house. There's no restriction.
Small ii was put in to response to your concerns that at certain corners
they would all cluster up in front of one property. So the 100 foot
applies to the signs that are more or less directional, not the ones
placed in front of the subject property.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, excellent, okay.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I have a -- if I may?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Because under ii when you get to
the second sentence it says, such sign shall be located no closer than
100 feet from another temporary open house sign.
I can't imagine -- I can't imagine a situation where you would be
able to then fit necessary signs in some of the locations where there
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are loads of houses up for sale. Somebody would be excluded simply
because of the 100- foot rule.
Now, I grant you that I thought that that referenced parcel to
parcel or lot to lot, but in the context of what you just explained, I'm
just wondering.
So I'm visualizing -- let's see if I'm right. I'm visualizing that
here's an intersecting street and here is a sign and then 100 feet away
from that is another sign and 100 feet away from that is another sign.
There aren't that many hundreds of feet before you are into the
intersection and down that street. So I don't know how that's going to
work.
MS. FABACHER: Well, Commissioner, as I had mentioned
earlier, we're just responding to the planning commission's concerns
about having a bunch of signs jumbled up at the corner in front of one
person's property. So that's why we put it in. So whatever you want to
direct as a commission, we're happy to do.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, maybe I might offer as a comment,
now that ii is, as you've corrected, is directional signs only, if you've
got a series of homes down the street that have got open houses going
on and you go to that intersection and you put up a sign to direct
people further down the street, whether you put one sign up for one
house, it's going to function for all, simply by the fact that that one
sign's going to point people to go down that street. And if they pass
one house that the sign actually was put up for but happen to see the
other three or four, then that works. It gets people down the street. So
that may be a really effective way of doing it and that could -- and if
you look at 100 feet on basically -- that becomes an issue for every
corner then of an intersection is almost about 100 feet apart because of
our road system.
So ifthere's a house -- if there's one sign on every intersection
pointing down each driveway or each street, no matter how many
homes are on that street they're all going to benefit from that one sign.
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COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Y eah. You may recall part of the
conversation earlier was my thought was, perhaps foolishly, but to
have some kind of a little slip thing that said one house, two house,
multiple houses, whatever. That was rejected and that's fine. But I
recognize that.
And I understand we're not going to be perfect on this, I
appreciate that. I just am concerned with the possibility that you'll
have people pulling signs out in order to put their sign in place of it.
But one sign, if we're going to restrict it to one sign as a directional
sign, that might actually be the better answer overall.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, the other comment that I
had is the 10 feet from the edge of pavement. And that's fine. I'm just
curious, how would you apply that in Golden Gate Estates in areas
where there's no pavement?
MS. F ABACHER: No, I believe -- isn't it 10 feet from the edge
of -- oh, it says pavement. It just would be the edge of the road, or it
could be interpreted as the gutter.
This is kind of the direction that staff has gone to in other
departments when they write the code, to specify that something that
would cover both, something with a curb and gutter and something
without.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Could we just say from the edge of
pavement or road, if there is no pavement? That may be hard again to
define, but the intent is from the traveled surface that's there. Because
there is no gutters in Golden Gate Estates, and there are some rural
areas that the roads are not paved.
MS. FABACHER: We can certainly do that. But when staff
interprets it, that's what they've come up with. Instead of going with
all that language distinguishing between a curb and gutter situation or
just a swale and the edge of the road, they interpret it to be the edge of
the road when there is no sidewalk or curb and gutter.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But see, I certainly don't like staff
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making interpretations. I like everybody to read the letter of the code.
If the code says pavement, then we should be measuring from
pavement. And if it says pavement or the edge of road, that then
would give maybe better latitude.
Mr. Klatzkow?
MR. KLATZKOW: Why not just make it road?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's fine for me, too. Yeah, take out
pavement altogether. That covers everything. From the edge of the
road.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Does that in any way impact on
other measurements that are made, such as for setbacks? I mean, are
you going to create a controversy?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, this is just for signs.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I recognize that. But can it be
construed, so limited that it's just for signs? That doesn't create an
unintended consequence someplace else?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I don't see how.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. I'm good if that's good.
That's fine.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, so let me -- Mr. Schiffer, go
ahead.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Actually, Mark, I remembered
two more things.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sure.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: One is, and I think we keep
calling it that in ii. Can we change that to be directional signs? In other
words, let's just call them what they are.
And then the other thought is that since we have the -- A is off
premises open house signs, I think we should quit repeating it
throughout the whole thing. In other words, i, we don't need to say off
premises. In iii we could wipe out off-premises open house. All the
way down the line, we keep saying off-premises, off-premises, which
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essentially it's under the subtitle of off-premises, so I think we could
clear that up, too.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. And Brad, I really have to
compliment you on your ways of cleaning this up. I think they're
good, I think it helps the code. But I'm very concerned about how
much -- I don't want this coming back again to us, so I'd like to ask
again, Catherine, I don't know how much of this you have in a format
that you can jot our corrections to us, but I'll repeat what's been said so
far for the benefit of you and for the benefit of panel in case anybody
disagrees, and then we'll hear from the public.
And I want to make sure we can come back before this meeting's
over today with confidence that all the changes will get made.
Because Brad's points are well made, I just wish they were made
to you before today's meeting in a manner that we could have gotten
them in print.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, Mark, let's clear that up a
second. I mean, what if -- I mean, I never had the thought that I would
go to Catherine and have her change the wording --
MS. FABACHER: Not change--
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: -- without the rest of the board.
MS. F ABACHER: -- but raise your concerns.
Excuse me.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But then we would be at the
same point with Catherine in tune to my concerns, but we'd be in the
same position.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Or otherwise -- and Brad, I just -- the
only problem I have is we're -- this is what, the third?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, we didn't hear this last
time. And when the --
MS. F ABACHER: Third.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: -- there were people in the
audience, we weren't going to discuss it that night. But I actually did
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bring up that I would like to get my comments out, too.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Yeah, Brad, I think your
comments are good, and will help clean it up. My concern is if we
send this back for a rewrite and it doesn't come back, it's got to come
back to us again and we might have to make changes again. We're just
going to drag this thing out longer.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's why I'm hoping --I'm going to
read through that was suggested so far. Maybe Catherine can try to do
the best she can before the meeting today is over.
Jeff?
MR. KLATZKOW: We can make these changes and sort of
bring it back to you on a consent agenda kind of thing on one of your
regular meetings, and if you're not happy with it, pull it and fix it
there. This is not going to the board for a while, is it?
MS. FABACHER: It's going to them on the 16th.
MR. KLATZKOW: You'll have a chance to see it before then.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, if it's on the 16th, we have a
meeting -- our next meeting is -- well, other than Friday, our next
meeting next week is our regular meeting on --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: 17th.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- the 17th. Yeah, so we don't --
MS. F ABACHER: And Commissioner, I have to -- excuse me, I
have to send these packets out before the 16th.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right, I understand. So we're kind of
stuck on the time.
MS. F ABACHER: Tomorrow.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, well, let's finish this today
somehow. But let's walk through what we've talked about so.
MS. FABACHER: I had one more response to what
Commissioner Schiffer had said about the making it a directional sign.
I met extensively with the sign code people. And directional
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signs are unfortunately in our code is what refers to what I used to call
a multi occupancy sign where you can have a tall sign with all the
different thing there. So I know it's residential, but we were trying to
avoid the confusion of using the term a directional sign. Because in
the current sign code a directional sign means like I said, what I used
to call a multi occupancy sign for a shopping center or would even be
for multi-family units.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Ifwe didn't bold it, then would
that maybe mean that it isn't the definition version of directional? In
other words, anything that we have a definition for, and if you say we
have a definition --
MS. F ABACHER: Actually, no, because the bolding is very hit
or miss in the code.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, if you read the second sentence, it
says for -- two temporary open house signs may be placed within the
public right-of-way, providing direction to a supervised open house.
MS. F ABACHER: Yeah, that's why we chose that language.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay, let it go then.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, let's go through the rest of
them real quick and make sure we're all in agreement.
Starting at the number three: In front of open house signs, we
now insert the word temporary open house signs.
Then A where it says off-premises open house signs stays the
same. But where we use the word off-premises in the rest of these we
strike that word because it's redundant, it's in the title. Is that -- Brad?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I think it's where we use the
word off-premises open house. We can keep the word signs. But
throughout the thing we refer to off-premises open house signs, so I
think it should just read signs, not off-premises open house.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I agree.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, so one -- the first i would be one
sign may be located in the public right-of-way.
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Okay, and then the references in each one of these Roman--
these little i's referencing the hours of which they can -- where they
can be replaced and the location will be in a separate paragraph and
the redundancy will be taken out of each paragraph.
MS. F ABACHER: Commissioner, I note that we do have that in
small iii, we do kind of state open house signs may only be displayed
-- we could just move that up to the first and that would take care I
think of your concern about the time and we could take it out of
everything --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But my concern is you didn't put
that in ii, so the impression could be --
MS. F ABACHER: I understood, I understood. And I think your
direction was to put that up as its own, and we would move three up to
one, and then we would strike the times out of all the others, because it
would cover everybody.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So you'd have -- you'd summarize in the
sense that you'd take the commonality out of them all and you'd put
them in separate paragraphs. So you'd have an overall time in one
paragraph and a distance --
MS. FABACHER: Exactly.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- a replacement, a distance from the
road in one paragraph.
MS. F ABACHER: Right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Strike it out of the rest, strike out
off-premises open house so that we're referring to the signs, because
we've got the title defining what they are. And that gets us to where
we need to be, I think. Those are the issues that we seem to be talking
about here today.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: B, we also have --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- a change under ii from two to
one.
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COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: No, no, no.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: No?
MS. F ABACHER: No.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I thought we agreed that you
would have only one sign. Maybe I was just agreeing with myself.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, a total of three. One, the first i and
then two in the second --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'm talking about ii.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I thought the way that you came
up with solving that would be to have one directional sign.
MS. FABACHER: No, I believe he--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I was just defining why we may not need
to have multiple signs closer at the intersection. But this would allow
two.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, here again, I'll restate my
issue. If somebody, an eager real estate person somehow or another
decides I've got to get the play and they pull one person's sign out in
order to replace it with their sign, that's all I'm concerned about.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I mean, I think then that's a
violation of law. Probably because it's either theft or fraud or
vandalism or something, I don't know. They could certainly go after
one another legally in that case.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I know, but I thought we would
like to make the law as clear as we could to make sure we could
obviate that opportunity. Okay. Maybe the public speaker will
mention the issue.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, from the --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Just one more thing, Mark?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: In ii we remove the word
temporary?
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CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, you're right.
Okay, any other comments from the planning commission?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Catherine, from our perspective so far,
do you understand what we're trying to say?
MS. FABACHER: Would you like me to repeat?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, I just want--
MS. F ABACHER: Yes, I do, I have everything.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Then public speakers, I guess Mr.
Poteet is the only public speaker?
MS. F ABACHER: Exactly, Mr. Poteet is here.
MR. POTEET: Good morning. For the record, my name is
William H. Poteet, Jr., and I'm here representing the Naples Area
Board of Realtors.
First of all, I would like to compliment Catherine and her staff,
because what they've drafted and they brought before you today our
board thinks is a very effective tool. It will take away a lot of the
complaints we get from code enforcement and allow us to do our jobs
and represent the buyers and sellers of Collier County.
My only question I had on this thing is on number three I believe
you took away the word temporary -- or you added the word
temporary there. And there was a clear distinction between the two
directional signs and the open house sign.
We just want to make sure that if we have two open house signs
that are adjacent to each other, two open houses going on that are
adjacent to each other, that they're not in violation of this little
ordinance and each of them can put a sign in front of the house. As
long as that's clear, we do not have a problem with it whatsoever. And
we actually think this is going to be very good for the community.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you. And I think your issue is
resolved in the sense that -- well, you can have -- every lot can have
its own sign is what it basically boils down to. And then the beginning
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in number three, the header to this whole thing, labels the whole thing
as temporary. So that's why the redundancy of the word temporary, as
Brad pointed out, is probably --
MR. POTEET: But when you went down to ii it said you can
have two signs, but they couldn't be closer than 100 feet from each
other. And we just wanted to make sure that that didn't overlap back
up to three.
MS. F ABACHER: No, that -- no, that's for -- that's why we put
in providing direction.
MR. POTEET: Okay. As long as it's clear. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you very much.
Okay, with that do we have any further comments?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I guess we'll reserve final
recommendation until, Catherine, you can come back and clarify the
language to us as we've talked about before the meeting's over today,
okay?
MS. F ABACHER: Sure.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I just want to make sure that if you could
just go back through it and scratch it out. Is there any way you can
modify anything before the meeting's over today, or is that something
that you don't have the capabilities because of lack of computer?
MS. FABACHER: Well, lack of --I'm the only one here, so--
perhaps I can get John on the computer.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: If you could give me a clean
copy where nobody marked on it, I'll take the shot at scratching
through and doing it.
MS. F ABACHER: I think I have that.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Let me -- it will take me a
second to do that. We can do that while we're going on.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN : Well, so we'll just defer the final
recommendation of this until we finish with that.
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I want to make sure it's right. Because I want to -- we don't have
time for a second reading. I don't want it to go forward and then have
someone say well, you didn't get everything in to the BCC correctly,
and then staffs at -- on a threshold of being blamed for something and
we're disappointed because it didn't happen right. So we're just going
to hold off until later in this meeting for that issue.
Next issue I think we talked about having is the affordable
housing.
MS. F ABACHER: All right, Commissioners, that is going to be
on Page 1 in your book, and Page A of the spreadsheet. And we have
Cormac Giblin here to explain the changes that he's put in since your
last -- our last meeting.
And then I think we have the director of housing and human
services here to provide comments also. All right?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MR. GIBLIN: Good morning, Commissioners.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Good morning.
MR. GIBLIN: Cormac Giblin, project manager with
WilsonMiller.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Cormac, if I'm not mistaken, the reason
you're presenting this over staff is that this was generated as a private
sector amendment to the LDC --
MR. GIBLIN: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- is that right?
MR. GIBLIN: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, thank you.
MR. GIBLIN: Project manager with WilsonMiller, representing
the Oliver Group.
I was here at your meeting last month presenting the first draft of
this. And from that meeting there were several comments and
suggestions made on the part of planning commission, which we've
attempted to incorporate into this draft you have before you now.
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I'll walk through a couple of those changes that have been made.
Also, since your last meeting this amendment has also been
brought to the county's affordable housing commission where it was
overwhelmingly approved at that meeting in December.
A couple of the key areas that have been changed since your first
draft was the concept of the essential service personnel employee,
which was very much at the forefront of the previous amendment.
At your recommendation that language has now been taken out
of the requested amendment, and basically this would apply to all
affordable housing, regardless of where you work or who you work
for. I think there were some concerns on the part of the planning
commission last month about it may produce company towns or have
people with obligation over their head tied to their living situation, and
so that entire situation has been taken off the table now, again at your
direction.
Another change that was made, again at your direction, from the
last meeting was that we've attempted to split the density bonus chart
and density bonus amounts into two categories: One for home
ownership and one for rental units.
And you can see that on Page 3 is your existing home ownership
chart has been virtually unchanged except for some minor cleanup of
the percentages that was at the housing commission's
recommendation. But the chart itself and the amount of bonus you get
as a basis of how many affordable units you provide has not changed
at all in the home ownership side.
What we've done is create a new table below that on Page 4 for
rental use. And it was the pleasure of this commission again that
affordable housing density bonuses should be allowed for rental
housing, but perhaps they should not be allowed at the same level as
owner occupied housing. There was a desire to make it -- to install a
preference in the code for owner occupied housing, while still
allowing some level of benefit for rental housing.
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January 9, 2008
And that's what the table below it on Page 4 does is that it
essentially shifts everything over to the right 10 percent, so essentially
it's 10 percent harder, or you get 10 percent less benefit for doing
rental housing as you would if you were doing owner occupied
housing. And again, I think that was the direction given by several of
you at the last meeting.
Since we produced this draft I did receive a couple of comments
from staff through Catherine regarding how these units would be
monitored or enforced by the county, and also what the maximum
rental amounts charged on these rental units would be or could be.
And to that end, I provided some information to staff regarding
what the county's monitoring and enforcement current code is. And I
believe it's very stringent. It requires a yearly monitoring progress
report listing all the occupants, all their rents, all their incomes,
requires third-party verifications of household income. Failure to
provide those to the county on September 30th of each year results in
a $50 per day fine. If violations are found and they're not corrected, it
goes to a $500 per day fine, up to and including 60 days in jail for the
property owner and ultimate penalty would be revocation of the C.O.
of a unit that is found in non -- not in compliance.
So we think that the existing monitoring and enforcement rules
that the county has on the books would certainly apply to these units
and that they are sufficient to guard against people trying to take
advantage of the system.
The second issue by staff was the rent limits. HUD -- the county
and HUD determine the rent limits for Collier County, maximum
rental amounts for affordable units. And it's based on a percentage of
medium income.
Now, if you were to take the -- this amendment, remember, is
asking for rental -- affordable housing density bonuses for rental units
at the workforce and gap level of housing. If you were to take the 80
percent of medium income, which is low income, and use the HUD
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January 9, 2008
chart as to what maximum rent would be allowed to be charged, you
would be probably just over what fair market rent in Collier County is
anyway.
So again, at the -- to address staffs concern, we've added a
sentence here in the amendment that all the rents, regardless of income
level, would be capped at no more than the 60 percent of median
income level, which is about $850 a month, which we feel would be
very affordable rent for a two-bedroom apartment.
With that, those are the changes that we've incorporated since
your last meeting. And if you have any questions, I'd be happy to
answer them.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I have questions.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, so for the commissioners, this
issue starts on Page 1 and goes through Page 5. Are there any
comments from the planning commission?
Mr. Schiffer, then Mr. Murray, then Mr. Vigliotti.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Cormac, to start with, prior to
this we get to this section in code, we reference table A a lot. So
should we change that everywhere it says table A to be A and B?
MR. GIBLIN: That's correct.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. So that strike through and
underlined in the prior wording should be done. Or we can call both of
these table A. You obviously choose one for the particular use you're
usmg.
MR. GIBLIN: I think actually that was a change Catherine made.
I think since -- when I submitted, I think I did A-I and A-2 or
something like that. And then it was changed. It should just be
consistent with whatever the previous code says.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So Catherine, everywhere we
reference table A, make sure we reference table B also, if it applies.
There may be a reference to -- okay.
Cormac, why did you change in gap housing the ratio in which
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January 9, 2008
you do it? And the concern I have is that in the owner occupied, the
premise that you have to do 10 percent at 80 percent before you get
the gap credits, if you essentially change that the way you worded it,
gap is at 80 percent, thus you would eliminate I think the intent of that
double asterisk. So if you wanted -- in other words -- you see what I'm
saying? Gap starts at 80 now. Prior to that, it was greater than 80.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Cormac, what I think Brad's referring to
is on Page 2, the two changes you made. I think you may have a typo,
because you start both workforce and gap housing at 81 percent.
MR. GIBLIN: No, that is actually correct that way. Gap housing
-- again, if you look up to the owner occupied gap housing, which is
about five lines above that, gap housing by current definition is 81 to
150. And workforce is essentially a subset of that that goes from 81 to
100.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Why do we have workforce then? It
doesn't make any sense.
MR. GIBLIN: There were many terms adopted over the past
couple years that tended to overlap and --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, but my real question is,
back on table A, under gap, you change it to 80 percent. And what
essentially you're saying is if you look at your double asterisk, you
know, may only be used in conjunction with at least 10 percent at or
below 80 percent. So in other words -- I think what I'd rather say is
can you say at or below workforce product, which is a definition you
have --
MR. GIBLIN: I think I understand the confusion there. Maybe
just deleting the word below. So the asterisk would read may only be
used in conjunction with at least 10 percent below 80 percent.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But why are you moving gap to
80 percent? That's what you've kind of done in your table, which I
don't think is correct anyway.
MR. GIBLIN: Yeah, again, I don't think that that's correct.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I mean, you should say greater
than 80 percent.
MR. GIBLIN: Correct.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But no less than --
MR. GIBLIN: Right, removing the word "and" in the table.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. But you're going to say
greater than 80 percent. In other words, if you say 80 percent, then
you can -- essentially gap would qualify for the 10 percent for gap, so
-- okay, so --
MR. GIBLIN: You're correct.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: -- you're going to say greater
than 80 percent.
And Mark, that doesn't solve the problems you had over here,
those -- it's a separate issue.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Cormac, the other thing is why
is there zero, 10 percent zero. You're requesting people to build 10
percent product again, kind of the same issue in rental, yet you're not
giving any density bonus for them to do that. So what you're saying
with table B --
MR. GIBLIN: You're speaking of the asterisk under table B?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And referencing the fact that if
someone did that, they wouldn't get any density bonus for it. You've
zeroed out a density bonus --
MR. GIBLIN: Right, I understand.
That could be changed to at least 20 percent then. Because again,
there would be no bonus for rental housing if you only did 10 percent
of the units.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And why not? Is that a --
MR. GIBLIN: Well, the reasoning was again because I felt it was
the pleasure of this commission that the code inherently favor home
ownership. And so that was a -- what I came up with to try to favor
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January 9, 2008
home ownership is to make -- getting a bonus, you have to do a little
bit more.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But I think, you know, the times
we're in, rental's important, too.
MR. GIBLIN: I agree.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I mean, we -- there's a lot of
discussion on rental, especially now since a lot of the rentals went into
condo, and a lot of those condos are under foreclosure, so they wish
they could rent the unit they bought. But anyway, I question that.
And the other question really is, is how do you come up with this
spread of density? I at one time charted the density bonus system, and
why would anybody build past -- when they hit eight, why would they
go into the other categories? They never would. So in other words, we
give them the prize pretty quickly. In rental we give it to them at 50
percent. In gap we give it to them at 40, the highest density they can
get. Why would they ever go further down the chart?
MR. GIBLIN: Well, there are other reasons why people build
100 percent affordable developments, with be it grant funding or state
funding or federal tax credits. But our code itself tries to encourage
people to do as much as they can. And that seems to be -- these
numbers that are in the chart, if you remember, they were adopted
maybe two years ago as a result of a study that Fishkind and
Associates did for the county, where he looked at property values and
construction costs and ability to buy. And that was in response to the
Board of County Commissioners asking for some economics or
science to be put behind these numbers, and these were the numbers
that came out of that study.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: That's the upper table.
MR. GIBLIN: The upper table.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And the lower table we're
inventing today, correct?
MR. GIBLIN: Well, the lower table is the same numbers, just
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January 9,2008
made harder to get there. It's been shifted over one column.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: That's all you've done?
MR. GIBLIN: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. That will be it for now,
Mark, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I don't think mine's a meat issue.
Mine is on Page 2, and I just -- maybe I missed something, but you
have a recitation for each under owner, and then you have a recitation
for rental, but you didn't have a recitation for 61 to 80 percent. Is that
left out on purpose? Did I miss something, or is that just --
MR. GIBLIN: Again, with so many of these categories tending to
overlap, it mayor may not be needed. Certainly could be added, just
for consistency, rental, affordable housing, or rental workforce
housing, 61 to 80 percent of median, just to keep the flow complete.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I mean, Mr. Murray's right, if you
don't put that in, you can't have rental housing between 61 and 80
percent, can you?
MR. GIBLIN: I think that's right. That's correct. That will be
added.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I thought maybe I was wrong,
but hey. That was my issue. So we're going to put the recitation--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, well, we'll go on. I'm
summarizing everything. In the end we'll go through it all again.
Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Good morning, Cormac.
You came up with a term median market rental price?
MR. GIBLIN: Fair market rent.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Fair market rent.
How did you accumulate the numbers and when were they
accumulated?
MR. GIBLIN: Fair market rent is a calculation done by the
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January 9, 2008
federal government once a year for every MSA in the country. And it's
available, published by HUD or published by the federal government.
It was -- the number that I was referencing was the 2007 number. So
it's the most current that's available.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: So that's a Nationwide number,
not specific --
MR. GIBLIN: No, no, it's done specifically for every MSA in the
country. So Collier County has its own, Lee County has its own.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: And what is ours right now; do
you know what --
MR. GIBLIN: Ours right now -- I didn't bring it with me, but I
believe it's around $875 or something, something to that effect is our
fair market rent.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Right now?
MR. GIBLIN: Um-hum.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: For a two-bedroom?
MR. GIBLIN: Yes, for a two-bedroom. It does vary by bedroom
SIze.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Okay, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah, on Bob's point, Bob, in
the back of the book Cormac has included, if you look there's a yellow
page in the back. Beyond that there is an analysis of what that is.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, are there any more comments or
questions on this part of the LDC amendments?
Ms. Fabacher?
MS. F ABACHER: I wanted to correct what might have been a
miscommunication. But initially I think when Cormac said that they
had put the 60 percent cap in on the maximum rental price, that it was
responding to staff, actually staffs concerns were identified as the fact
that the higher end from 80 and -- well, 120 and 140 on, those higher
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January 9, 2008
end rentals, staff said were way above rentals that were being offered
by the market itself. And my personal logic was that, you know, if
you're paying that much money you might as well buy something.
So I didn't -- we didn't recommend capping it at all. Just to
clarify. My concern only was saying that these higher end rental,
monthly rental prices for the 120 and the 140 were way out of the
ballpark for anything that is in the market for I think would be an
obvious reason.
MR. GIBLIN: And I think the cap solves that problem, though.
MS. FABACHER: But I'm just saying that we did not direct
towards the cap. Because that was not --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, that's fine. But I think the cap
accomplishes the goal of retaining it as rental.
MS. F ABACHER: I just wanted to clarify that that was not
anything staff was looking for at cap.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is there any other comments from the
planning commission?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I have one more. How long or how do
we control -- and you may have answered this in your dissertation at
the end. I did read it but I don't remember it right now. How long must
-- how do we control the length in which someone has to retain a unit
for rental purposes?
MR. GIBLIN: The affordable housing density bonus agreement
is attached to a PUD. Runs with the land. It's enforced by the full--
again, I went through the enforcement options.
The length of that agreement is 15 years. So these units must
comply with that agreement for 15 years.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, so they couldn't convert to condo
-- well, I guess they could, but then it would be a rental condo.
MR. KLATZKOW: It could be condos to begin with.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. As long as they're rentals.
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January 9, 2008
MR. KLATZKOW: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And they could sell them as often as
they wanted to, as long as they continued renting them out for the
price that they were obligated to for 15 years.
MR. KLATZKOW: That's right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Is there any escalation costs in
that 15-year rate on a year-by-year basis?
MR. GIBLIN: Well, the maximum allowable rent again that
we've capped at the 60 percent median level is calculated year by year
by HUD. So that -- sometimes it can go up, sometimes it can go down,
based on market conditions.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Now what does it go up and down based
upon?
MR. GIBLIN: It goes up and down based on median income.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MR. GIBLIN: That is a calculation of what you can afford. So if
the median income in the area goes up, that calculation goes up along
with it. If it goes down, it may go down.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Has the median income gone up or down
in the last couple of years?
MR. GIBLIN: It's gone both ways. It's gone --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is it up or down today compared to two
years ago, do you think?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I know the answer to that
question.
MR. GIBLIN: IfMr. Murray knows the answer--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
MR. GIBLIN: I think it's very close to --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I was at a meeting yesterday, I
think it was, and it was announced that the current median income is
$38,817.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, but that doesn't answer what is--
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January 9, 2008
MS. FABACHER: Excuse me, that's not the--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'm sorry, that's the average
wage.
MS. F ABACHER: -- MSA. That's not for the MSA.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: You're right. Sorry about that.
MS. F ABACHER: Metropolitan Statistical Area, which they use
the -- I guess the census tracks of Naples, Marco Island is really kind
of a substitute for the Collier County.
MR. GIBLIN: In the past few years, I know that the median
household income in Collier County has gone from $69,800 a year
down to 66,100, down to 63,500. The past few years there has been a
slight downward trend.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Where I'm going with this, rentals are a
little different than home ownership. Home ownership you're
obligated by a mortgage to whatever you buy in at the time. If the
rental program allows a fluctuation in rental rates, based upon the
median income, that fluctuates yearly, yet people for example two
years ago who would have bought investment property to rent out and
may have wanted to enter this program for 15 years in order to see
their depreciations and returns come back and forth would have been
locked into the mortgage that they locked into when they bought the
unit at the high side two years ago, but under our rental program, they
wouldn't be able to recoup a return on that to what they were counting
on when they bought two years ago, because the median income could
be declining, as it possibly is now. As a result, they're obligated to pay
more out of pocket to retain the price by which they bought the unit
and mortgaged it for, versus now what they're able to recoup
mandatorily because of this program on a rental cost.
MR. GIBLIN: I can answer that in two ways. The first is that
HUD -- the calculation here done by HUD is -- again, I've seen kind
of the backup for it. It's about three-quarters of an inch or an inch
binder just on how that number is determined.
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January 9, 2008
There are some safeguards being built into it that if it goes down
-- or if median income goes down, then income limits and rents don't
correspondingly go down as much. There is a buffer, if you would,
built into that number, calculated by HUD.
The second answer I would give was that sort of the same issue
was raised by our affordable housing commission when they discussed
this last month. And the bottom line that seemed to be consensus of
the commission was, you know, buyer beware. If you decide to
provide rental units in a program like this, these are the rules. And if
you don't comply with the rules, this is -- these are the penalties and
enforcement options available to the county. So you should be sure
that you know what you're getting into.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Are there any other comments
from the planning commission?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Just --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And Cormac, it's the HUD chart.
Essentially somebody gets the density bonus. They're going to
provide for less than 60. So they're happy, they got their eight, they
built the unit. But they make more money renting to wealthier -- in
other words, they make more money renting to a guy at 60 than they
would at a guy at 25 percent.
MR. GIBLIN: That's correct.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So what's the incentive to give
poor -- in other words, essentially what we're giving is 60 percent
people rental --
MR. GIBLIN: Well, the incentive would be you would -- the
lower you go on that scale, the more density you get in exchange for
fewer of the units being encumbered.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, they all seem to slam into
eight right away together.
My point is that the product for low and very low has a really
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January 9, 2008
low and very low chance of being built if the other stuff -- I mean, the
guy is going -- there's no advantage to a developer once he's got the
density to go lower, the way this chart's set up.
MR. GIBLIN: That is unless they only wanted to do maybe 10 or
20 percent affordable and the rest market rate. Then in those situations
they could do a few units at a very low income at a very low rent and
still achieve a workable density.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But my point is, we're never
going to get product to the low and very low by the way the system's
set up. There's no reward to the developer. He gets his density in a
straight line at 50 percent.
MR. GIBLIN: At 50 percent, yeah. The 50 percent is basically
the bottom. 50 percent and below is the bottom of the --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And again, so my point comes
down to what's the science on the numbers? I mean, the incentive of
what a program like this should be, the way the numbers are set up, it
doesn't seem to encourage that. But I'm done.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other comments from anybody?
Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Well, I agree with Mr. Schiffer's
comment. I think we are incentivizing the wrong end of this scale. I
just don't see this as good policy.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, can you elaborate on what you
think could be changed to make it better policy?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Well, again, I think you need to
reverse where the benefit happens. The benefit should happen for
people doing workforce or low income and moderate income, as
opposed to gap housing. Gap housing is profitable housing. And it
seems to me that we're sort of creating other profit centers for
businesses.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, well, I'm just trying to figure out
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER CARON: If you're in the hospital business,
we've now given you a second business to be in to make money. And
because everybody will build this gap housing because that -- the chart
does favor building the gap housing over the low income housing.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If I'm not mistaken, this was a private
sector amendment with the intention of creating rental units for
essential -- I think you termed it originally essential services, which
mostly fall into the higher end, not the lower end.
MR. GIBLIN: Correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. And now what is being -- what
we're attempting to do with it is not only provide what you asked for,
but to open up further realms into different categories that you had not
requested.
MR. GIBLIN: Or maybe the same categories but at a different
level or different benefit may be what I'm hearing.
Again, we did not monkey with the chart numbers, monkey with
-- for the most part, or actually in the whole part, the first chart is
unchanged. That's their existing code. And you can see, it does slant
the lower income you get, or lower income units you provide, the
quicker you can achieve that maximum density bonus. And that's the
basis of the chart. And then we've just carried that same premise over
to the other chart.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I'm trying to get to a point where
we've got some kind of workable program or we agree it isn't
workable. And I'm hearing a mixed review from this panel. And I
think the job is to get it off the dime.
Go ahead, Mr. Schiffer.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Mark, I'd like to -- I mean, was
staff involved in coming up with the densities that you show on table
B?
MR. GIBLIN: No, sir.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I mean, and what you did is you
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January 9, 2008
took the old table A, shifted it one category to the right --
MR. GIBLIN: Correct.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: -- and then zeroed out 10 percent
at no benefit for building a little bit of stuff.
MR. GIBLIN: Correct. And again, that was -- that's the way I
interpreted your direction at the last meeting was to make it -- make
the code inherently favor the home ownership chart over rental.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And that's been the direction of the
board all along. We were exactly trying to follow that.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Absolutely.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah. I mean, I think we need
low and very low rental. I certainly wouldn't mind sliding some
density bonus for that in rentals.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We have someone here from our staff
who could possibly shed light on that?
MR. GIBLIN: Mr. Schiffer, as she's taking the stand, now I do
see your point. And may I make a suggestion, that on the rental chart
B, that the low and very low, the zeros be removed in the 10 percent
category and everything be shifted back over to the left.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: See, I would be against that myself. I
think that's just the opposite direction this county's been heading in for
all these years. And while I favor rental housing, if it can't be done in a
quantity that works, then there's no sense in starting it out in small
piecemeal chunks.
But anyway, let's hear what you've got to say, maybe you can
help us out, young lady.
MS. KRUMBINE: I'm not sure. Good morning. For the record,
Marcy Krumbine, Director of Housing and Human Services.
And I have a couple of -- some more numbers to share with you.
But before I do that, I guess I want to say that I'm a little concerned
that -- to say that if the proposal is really doing what the proposal is
supposed to do, okay, and I like to bring things down to really plain
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January 9, 2008
language. So if Marcy Krumbine, developer, wanted to build let's say
16 units and then Marcy Krumbine would have the option of doing
one of two things: She would have the option of either considering
those units rental units and then hiring like a management company to
rent out the units to people of certain income qualifications, or Marcy
Krumbine, developer, would have the option of then selling them as
condos.
I don't see where this proposal allows Marcy Krumbine
development to sell the condos to Naples Community Hospital to then
rent them out. So I don't see that that is there. And I think that that's
what we're trying to accomplish. So that's my concern with the way
that the program is going.
But let's look at the market. Because the whole purpose of
anything that we want to do is to say is there a need, and if there's a
need, then how -- is it the government's responsibility to help fill that
need, and then are we filling that need and meeting that gap correctly.
So let's look at some of these things.
This is the rental chart that we've all been talking about. And if
you look at the bottom, highlighted in yellow is the rentals that could
be charged, based on the median income at 80, 120 and 140. And that
was the first concern that we had was that you're looking at rentals that
could be up to 1,800, $2,200. And that was -- how is that going to help
anybody? I mean, they could go out in the market and buy a -- and
rent or buy a very nice place for that amount of money. So that was a
little concern right there.
Okay, and then the way that this works is you take out the cost of
utilities. So we've adjusted that to take out the cost of utilities. And
we're still looking at a two-bedroom at 140 being $2,100, okay?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But before you go too far, wasn't there a
suggested cap at 60 percent?
MS. KRUMBINE: Yeah, I'm going to get to that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, thank you.
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January 9, 2008
MS. KRUMBINE: Okay, now, this is a little hard to read, but we
went to the Southwest Florida Apartment Association to say well,
what have you got out there and what's the occupancy rate?
And if you just look right down the first column -- well, the
second column. Let's all go by two/twos. If you go down the two/two
column and -- you see that there is nothing really that high up in the
scale that they monitor. And then you look to the far right-hand side to
the percentage of occupancy and right now the market is such where
these -- they used to be at 99 percent occupancy, and now they're not.
And so the concern is that where is the market for building these
units at a level-- at any level? Right now there is no market for it right
now.
And then this is the point, is if we go ahead and cap them, okay,
we're going to cap it at -- if you look at that. So a two-bedroom,
two-bath is going to be capped at $852. Okay, so that would be the
most that they could charge, which means that then somehow we're
subsidizing the balance.
MS. F ABACHER: Actually, I think that this chart shows that the
figures in blue are levels of rentals that are not provided in the current
market.
MS. KRUMBINE: Right.
MS. F ABACHER: Because they don't make sense. So that's what
we're saying is if you looked at the -- if you studied completely the
market survey on apartment rentals in the market now, there's nothing
provided as rentals at this level. And I think the argument was is
there's a reason for that. If you're going to spend that much money,
particularly in this market now, buy a house, get some equity.
I think the next slide you were talking about, Marcy, was --
MS. KRUMBINE: Was the cap.
And so this is the annual subsidy per unit.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: By subsidy, you mean -- how is that
subsidized?
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January 9,2008
MS. KRUMBINE: Well, it's subsidized by the density bonuses
that you're giving.
MS. F ABACHER: The cap.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MS. KRUMBINE: Yeah. So what we're saying is that the way
this program works is that, you know, Marcy Krumbine, developer, is
going to develop 16 units and then she could have rented the units for
1,700 or 2,100 a year -- a month. But based on this proposal, she's
going to cap it at $852.
And then, you know, one of the things that I said to the
Affordable Housing Commission when I brought up the idea that --
the concern of the monitoring with this level of income. See, in our
department we deal with 80 percent below all the time. And there's all
sorts of subsidies that are attached to rental and home ownership and
from a state level, federal level. And so they're used to be monitored.
They're used to showing income. They're used to falling within very
specific guidelines.
When you go over 81 percent and you go to your firefighters and
your police officers and the people that are making the higher levels,
they're not -- they're not used to, nor are the management companies
nor are the developers used to following that buyer beware. So that's
not to say that it's right or wrong, or that's not to say that it can't be
changed, but you're dealing with a totally different population. And I
know when I'm working with the Affordable Housing Commission
and the people that are looking at other ordinances and they're sitting
there saying well, they'll just have to do it, or they say to me, well,
that's not fair to do it for those people, or that's not fair, and we don't
really want to put all those constraints on them.
Well, you can't have it both ways. If you're going to create a
program with density bonuses and subsidies, then there's going to be
all sorts of constraints. And I'm here to tell you that it's a difficult mix
to put it over 81 percent.
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January 9,2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Marcy, can you take your
developer hat off for a minute, put your county hat on?
MS. KRUMBINE: Sure.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: What suggestions would you
make? What input do you have regarding this process?
MS. KRUMBINE: I don't -- my input is that at this point in time
I don't think that creating density bonuses for rental units up to the gap
level is a feasible process.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Marcy, what is the relationship
-- in our table we have a percent of household median income. Is that
the same percentage that would be in the HUD chart? So when we say
60, does that mean 60 in the HUD chart too?
MS. KRUMBINE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So when we put this clause in
there that the maximum rental amount to be charged will be capped at
the 60 percent, aren't we locking it in that the renters have to be at 60
percent or --
MS. KRUMBINE: No. No, that's the whole point of the proposal
is that we're saying that we want to open it up to people over 81
percent of the median income, but only charge them at the 60 percent
level.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah, something's --
MR. GIBLIN: May I address a couple things?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Sure, go ahead.
MR. GIBLIN: Marcy, can you put the apartment inventory back
on the screen, please?
MS. KRUMBINE: I'll try.
MR. GIBLIN: When that slide was on the screen, the question
that was asked was where's the market for the 61 to 150. And I would
tell you that I think maybe 90,95 percent of the units or complexes on
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January 9, 2008
this list are restricted to their units' need to be occupied and rented to
folks at 60 percent or less of median income.
So I think the question is where is the apartment complex
inventory market for those people who make too much to live in one
of these units?
And that is the issue that my client and that the essential service
personnel employers are grappling with right now is that yes, there are
affordable units in the community, but they're restricted by the very
density bonuses that they received in the past, or there are state and
federal funding requirements that limit them to 60 percent or less of
median income. And that's the very reason that we're here today is to
create rentals at a higher income level. And not all of them on the
sheet are, but the majority are.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So what you're trying to do is be able to
get density bonuses to create more rental units to service people in the
81 percent and above bracket, but only charge them up to 60 percent
or less bracket.
MR. GIBLIN: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, why are we providing those people
with a windfall that we're not providing other people who may need
that more?
MR. GIBLIN: I don't necessarily agree with it that it's a windfall.
It is an affordable housing option in this market that right now does
not exist for people in that income level.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But ifpeople in that income level can get
the government to force or obligate developers to provide them with
less of a monthly payment that their income would rightfully dictate,
that's a good thing. I'm not saying that's wrong. But then why aren't
we providing it for the poorer people who could use it more?
MR. GIBLIN: Oh, no, we already do.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: We are.
MR. GIBLIN: The county already does provide the same benefit.
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January 9, 2008
In fact, a greater benefit at the rentals at the low end of the spectrum.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But we're not saying if you're at the, say,
a 50 percent income level --
MR. GIBLIN: Then your rent would be capped at the 40 percent
level or the 30 percent level.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. You're saying okay, if you're at
the 50 percent income level, you'll pay whatever level rent or home
ownership mortgage you can afford at 50 percent. But yet if you're at
the 82 percent level, you've only got to pay a 60 percent mortgage.
Why is that fair?
MR. GIBLIN: Again, that was to combat the concern that the
maximum rent allowed by the formula would have been 1,700 or
$2,100 a month. And that's not feasible. That's the reason for capping
it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I understand why it ended that
way. But something is inherently wrong with this program that we
have to subsidize the ability of some people to be able to generate
savings through government programs that regulate the amount of
money they've got to pay each month and those people are in a higher
bracket than the poorer people who may need it more. I'm -- now I'm
getting concerned about that.
I think we need the rental issue. I don't disagree with you, but I
think you're weighing it to provide a benefit to a class of people,
rightfully so, they should derive the benefit, but then everybody
should be able to derive that equal benefit, and that's not the way the
rest of the program is set up. That's a concern.
And Marcy, thank you for -- I guess you kind of brought that out,
maybe indirectly, but that's the way I'm looking at it now, and it
certainly is a concern.
Anybody else? Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Marcy, question on your
opening statement. If a project was given this density bonus, the
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January 9, 2008
developer -- you're back in the developer hat -- and you decided to sell
that condo, the requirement to rent at that rate would be locked into
the condo. So the fact that I as a developer, you as a developer could
build these units, you could sell them to companies, but they're still
required to stay within the requirement. So your initial statement, I
think it's available. I mean, once the density is given in the PUD, the
requirements that they have to fulfill to get that density will last until it
expires I guess so many years down the road. So no matter who owns
the condo, they all have to live with that same requirement.
So what the developer would do at that point is he would sell to
these different companies who wanted to be able to control who lived
in that unit.
MS. KRUMBINE: So what you're telling me is that the
developer is going to sell all 16 units to the hospital and then the
hospital is going to rent it? So then in the PUD and -- and I would
need to defer to the planning people here. So in the PUD then it is
going to say right from the beginning the intent. Because I still -- see,
we had this issue with impact fee deferrals. And I still see that you've
got this third party in there. Because when they identify, they're either
going to identify that these are going to be rental units or ownership
units. And when I sell a unit, to me it's like an investor. So you're
selling it -- you're building it to sell it to somebody to rent it.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Right. I mean, I guess could you
have partial ownership of a rental community? I don't know. I mean,
it's not exactly a condo at that point. Because otherwise we would
have to sell at the chart above it. And then the person could --
MS. KRUMBINE: When we deal with the difference between
owner occupied and rental, owner occupied is a homestead that, you
know, I'm buying it, I'm homesteading it, it's my primary resident.
A rental is owned by a developer or a company and then they're
all rented out. See, there's this -- again, this third-party thing where
we're building, we're selling, and then renting.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Right. So you don't think -- and
Cormac --
MS. KRUMBINE: I'm not sure that this can be covered in this
way. And I'll defer to other people. But that's not -- that confuses me.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: As a developer, could I build
100 units, sell half to one company, half to another company?
MR. GIBLIN: I don't see anything in the code that prohibits that.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And they would rent it locked in
at those rates.
MR. GIBLIN: Correct. And then --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: If it's --
MR. GIBLIN: -- 10 years from then they could sell it to another
company and they would comply with the same restrictions.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Klatzkow, did you have a comment
on that?
MR. KLATZKOW: Yeah, if that's what they want to do, and I'm
not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I think we need to be
explicit in the LDC as to that's allowable and that's what the intention
is. Because right now it's not clear to me that that's really where this
change is getting at. And I think the code should have some clarity on
that issue.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: A couple of things that are
nagging at me. One is I don't have the recollection, and maybe I'm out
of the loop, but I don't have a recollection that the hospitals ever
intended to buy units to sell. They were part of a consortium that was
going to work out arrangements to have the people who work for them
occupy, whether through rental or whatever. So I don't -- you know,
tagging it on to the hospital I don't think is -- and I know government
itself is not going to be able to buy them.
MS. KRUMBINE: Right.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And I do recall when Cormac
came to us, his original thesis was for others in -- other industries, so
to speak, to come and be able to develop and buy those homes.
So I think that's going in the wrong direction, citing the hospitals
as such.
Now, as far as what Mark brought up about the current financial
circumstances and being on the wrong side of a mortgage, we're going
to have a bunch of abandonments if that were to manifest. And where
does that leave the county, where does that leave this whole issue? It
makes no financial sense, it's a lousy business plan to build something
that you're going to spend less on.
I'm having a hard time seeing any reasoning in this to make sense
going forward. But that's my comment.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Marcy, this page you have in front of us
now, the subsidy per unit, now just so I understand, that subsidy is
really a developer paid subsidy acquired through the addition of
density bonuses; is that right?
MS. KRUMBINE: That would be the way to explain it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: There's no government subsidy being
provided.
MS. KRUMBINE: No, this is just the difference between what
we're capping it at and what they could get for that unit annualized.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So an employer could really say to the
employee, you're getting an additional benefit from working for us if
you go to our housing, "X" amount of dollars annually.
MS. KRUMBINE: Sure. They could issue a 1099 for that extra
mmImum.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, this is getting more
convoluted as we go forward.
Cormac, I think your goal has been worthy, but I don't -- I
personally don't think we're there yet. You know, when government
gets involved in social engineering, they better be doing it in an
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January 9, 2008
unbiased and equitable manner, or they shouldn't be involved in it at
all.
And my concern here is I don't see the equitableness between
what you're trying to do for your range and the same opportunity for
the range below you. And I think that now is where my concern lies in
this whole program.
And I don't have -- I can't offer you a solution here today for that.
But that's why I'm at. I don't know where the rest of the planning
commission is at. But --
MR. GIBLIN: Yeah, again, just to kind of wrap it up. Our goal
here was to allow affordable housing density bonuses to rental income
levels that right now are not allowed per the code. Because we have a
sector of the market who's clamouring that they need rental housing at
those income levels. And we have a client who's willing to build it for
them at those income levels. The details may still need to be fleshed
out. But Jeff, should we hold this over?
MR. KLATZKOW: I think I could work with Cormac to come
back with something that has the clarity anyway that he's looking for.
Whether or not you think it's good policy could be discussed. But I
think it's going to have to be put over to the next cycle.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I was going to suggest that. I don't think
anything needs to be reworked for this cycle, considering we only
have two weeks to get it done in. I don't think that in that amount of
time you could actually come up with something that may be as viable
as it needs to be. I'd much rather see this get more thoroughly thought
out and go into a cycle in 2008.
And if that's the consensus of this board --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: If it never came back, it would be
okay, too.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: At this point we ought to look for a
recommendation to deny changes to LDC Section 1.08.02 and
2.06.03.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'll make that motion.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is that appropriate, Mr. Kolflat? (Sic.)
MR. KLATZKOW: I don't know if you want to deny it or just--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Klatzkow.
MR. KLATZKOW: It's a voluntary. Cormac could just pull it at
this point in time and just bring it back to the next cycle.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, that would have to be something
then up to the applicant, because this is a private submittal.
MR. GIBLIN: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay what?
MR. GIBLIN: Do you need to know that answer now, or can we
MR. KLA TZKOW: They're voting now.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I think where you're facing is a
recommendation of denial or a voluntarily pulling it for another cycle.
MR. GIBLIN: Yeah, we'll go back and tweak it and pull it and
come back at a future date.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. So Mr. Murray, would you
withdraw your motion?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Oh, sure.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: At this point then there is no motion on
the table, this whole issue's been withdrawn from this cycle, and we'll
expect to see it in a future cycle.
Thank you, Mr. Cormac (sic), we appreciate it. Mr. Cormac. Mr.
Giblin. Mr. Klatzkow and Mr. Kolflat. Too many names here today.
You guys, it's better off with your first names.
We're going to take a break at 10:00, if that's okay with Cherie',
so we'll still go on with something in the meantime.
So next up I think what ought to be the eagle issue.
MS. FABACHER: Exactly, Commissioners. We're on summary
sheet B, Page 7 in your book. This is amendment to Section 3.05.05,
criteria for removal of protected vegetation, or as more lovingly
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January 9, 2008
referred to, the eagle nest amendment.
And Barbara Burgeson with engineering and environmental
services is here today to make a presentation and answer your
comments.
MS. BURGESON: For the record, Barbara Burgeson, with
engineering and environmental service's.
A couple things I want to bring to your attention. One, I know
that Steve had presented this to you last time and taken your
recommendations and made the changes to the amendment as you see
in your package. What you've got in your package is a result of your
recommendations to this LDC amendment.
Staff has discussed this in light of a number of different issues,
but also maybe most critical, that as recently as December 21 st, what
I've got here is draft number four from the state. Draft bald eagle
management plan, December 21 st didn't even get out for my viewing
until after the holidays. Wasn't made public until after the 21st.
And there's significant changes to this. Just the first one that may
even affect this amendment is that where we're looking at a fine --
initially we looked at 35,000. There were questions about what
maximum could be set up as a fine, and Catherine did the research on
that, and a $15,000 fine would be the maximum the county could
assess as a fine. However, the county could identify after-the-fact fees
at any amount.
But the state's direction is going from 35,000 and up now. With
draft four they're looking at requiring $35,000 for the fee, plus a
$50,000 financial assurance bond and additional costs in just doing the
permitting the proper way.
So they're looking at going substantially higher on a species that
they're de-listing, and we're looking at something going lower.
My other concern about this is that we are selectively choosing to
protect a species that the state is de-listing and not doing any
protection on the endangered and threatened species that the county
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January 9, 2008
recognizes and the Endangered and Threatened Species Act
recogmzes.
So I would recommend that one of two things: I think that the
language that's written right now, even though the EAC and the
planning commission -- this is the direction from both of those two
boards to move forward with this. The written -- the language that
you've got in your packet right now would not, for instance, have
prevented or stopped the eagle nest tree that was removed in Pine
Ridge. It would not protect that from occurring again.
I'm concerned that the direction -- the purpose of this amendment
is not being fulfilled with the language that's in there right now. And I
would like to either attempt to put back in the endangered and listed
species language that was in the first draft and potentially defer -- we
could put in the maximum fine that we can have -- you had talked
about a $5,000 fine because you weren't sure that the 35,000 was
allowable. If you're looking at a fine, the $15,000 would be.
So just putting all that out. I know it's a lot, especially since what
you got in your package was what you directed staff to make as
changes.
But as a result of something that happened even as recently as
just a couple of weeks ago with the state and the significant changes in
here, and the fact that the federal comments in here don't even support
state's proposed draft management plan, I'm concerned that we're
gearing this specifically towards eagle protection when the state and
feds don't know exactly where they're going with it right now.
And if we want to have listed species protection of a broader
nature, we're not saying they can't get permits to remove, but for
instance, if you go back to protecting fox squirrel nests and you go
back to protecting RCW nests, it just says you have to get agency
permits first and we'll issue a permit. So it's -- I don't know if you
want to go through a broader discussion, or --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Wait a minute.
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January 9, 2008
Ms. Caron, did you have something you wanted to say first?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah. So bottom line, Barbara, are
you recommending that this be withdrawn to another cycle?
MS. BURGESON: I would suggest one of two things: I would
suggest that we either go back to the language that you saw in your
first hearing, which provides that we are not selectively protecting a
de-listed species over threatened and endangered.
COMMISSIONER CARON: But if they are threatened and
endangered, are they not already protected? And are we not doing this
for bald eagles because they have supposedly stepped down in
protection?
MS. BURGESON: No, initially our concern about bald eagle was
that they were also protected by requirement for these permits. And
they were not getting them. So we wanted to know that we would be
obligated to issue permits so that we could check to make sure that the
necessary state and federal permits were also obtained prior to the
removal of the trees or vegetation.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah, absolutely.
MS. BURGESON: So the de-listing of the species really doesn't
change in terms of -- actually, the de-listing and the higher protection
that they're providing in this new language in the most recent provides
greater protection to the nest than they're providing for the -- for
instance, the fox squirrel nest or the RCW nest. That if they take down
-- right now if somebody comes in and takes down a dead pine tree
that happens to have a fox squirrel nest in it, there's nothing in our
code that protects -- provides any protection for that, or any negative
impact to the property owner for having done that.
So I don't know whether or not it makes sense to put this off to
the 2008. I mean, our major concern is to -- from this group it came up
as a major concern initially, and from the EAC as a response to some
recent problems that we were seeing with bald eagle nests.
But I think because of so much flux in that draft language, that
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January 9,2008
it's not -- this draft number four is not even due for final comments till
the end of April. And so we're looking at potentially not even knowing
what that's going to be until after this gets amended.
So it may be to everyone's benefit to continue this to follow
through with what their final recommendation are going to be here,
unless you want to put some, you know, bare minimum protection in
here.
The only thing that I would suggest that you don't remove is the
definition that's in the beginning, and that definition was deleted from
the LDC when it was recodified. And we need to put back the
protected vegetation definition. And there I would say that we need to
expand that to protect any endangered and threatened species as well,
so --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: Two things: One, based on the
way you started out would seem to me you're not prepared to go
forward, so perhaps withdrawal is the best.
But in addition to that, in the definitions on Page 10, vegetation,
protected: Any living, woody plant and then parenthetically, tree,
shrub or groundcover. And one of the things we asked was we couldn't
understand groundcover. And the gentleman said yeah, I guess we
should remove that. And here it is.
And I wondered, on that basis have you got a good reason why
that was put back in, or left in, rather?
MS. BURGESON: We replaced the language that was in the
original Land Development Code that was removed inadvertently.
And the reason that the groundcover is in there, because you can have
native groundcover that provides protection and habitat for -- for
instance, gopher tortoise burrows for juveniles that are less than a few
years old use that -- just native grasses and groundcover for protection
for their burrows. And so by not protecting and allowing that that be
removed, you're stripping the protection for some species that are
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January 9, 2008
using that groundcover.
So we are not adding it new, we're just keeping the language
that's always been in the Land Development Code since 1991.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, there may be good reason
for it, but my recommendation would be to withdraw it and wait till
you've got all your good detail, and then we could put that at the end.
MS. BURGESON: Okay. I would recommend that we move
forward with at least that definition, because we're lacking the
protective vegetation definition that's referenced in the LDC.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other comments from the planning
commission?
Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah, can someone read to us what
exactly was in the old code? Because I don't know that what is here
and underlined is exactly the language that was in the old code that got
left out.
MS. F ABACHER: Actually, I think it was Mr. Murray or Mr.
Adelstein that had the earlier yellow book. Because unfortunately I
didn't bring mine.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: I have one.
MS. FABACHER: There you go. You want that on the
visualizer, maybe?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, sure.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It would be under definitions--
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Page 10.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- Section 3.05.05. So that may be a
different page in that book.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: In the old book it's 10.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It's Page 10 in the old book as well.
MS. BURGESON: Even in the code here, what you've got is
everything is underlined, because it was completely deleted from the
code and the recodification.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah, understood.
MS. BURGESON: But from my recollection, the definition that
was in the code since 1991 would be vegetation, protected: Any
living, woody plant, tree or shrub or groundcover. And then period.
The nuisance invasive vines and nuisance invasive groundcover are
not protected vegetation is new language. Because we didn't want to
have vegetation that might be native that's a nuisance and negative.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Barbara, whose book is that, first of all?
Bob, would you mind if she wrote on that book?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: No, go right ahead.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Would you scratch that definition out
and put in only for us to see what was in the old code? I can't figure
out what you're trying to say again, and we seem to have this problem
repeatedly with different items.
COMMISSIONER CARON: That's exactly where I'm going. I
want to know exactly what was in the old code.
MS. BURGESON: I cannot guarantee you that that's exactly as it
is in the old code without having it with me, but that's as I recall.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well--
MS. BURGESON: I'd be happy to go get a Land Development
Code for you and bring that back to you before --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I have one in my -- I think I have one in
my truck. During break I can run down and get it and come back.
MS. FABACHER: The old one?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yes.
MS. F ABACHER: I could go ask.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, I think there's one in my truck. I'll
run out and get it on break and come back with it.
Because when we're told that this is the old language, we
shouldn't be told it is when it isn't. And it apparently is not. And now
we're finding it out, thanks to Ms. Caron's questioning.
With the permission of the board, why don't we take a break and
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January 9, 2008
we'll come back at 10:15, that will give me time to get back. I had to
go way out in the boondocks to park. So let's take a break right now
and come back at 10:15.
MS. BURGESON: You don't need to do that. I will call staff and
have them read that to me over the phone.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, reading it to you and having it on a
visual is a different story.
(Recess.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, welcome back from the break.
We left off talking about the definition that appears on Page 10 of
our text. And Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Okay, now we have it up here, so
we know that protected vegetation is any living, woody plant (tree,
shrub or groundcover), period.
I'm assuming that whatever 3.7 through 3.14 will also -- are
either incorporated already or will be incorporated. Whatever
references those reference, you need to make that reference again with
new numbers and whatever. Okay.
I don't know how much more anybody wants to bother to discuss
this. I think I'm ready to make a motion. And I would make the motion
that we add in the definition of protected vegetation and that we
withdraw the rest of this for a future cycle. Because I don't think that it
does what we intended for it to do, which is to protect bald eagle nests,
whether they are in living or dead trees. And I think that the language
needs to be worked on. I think a lot of language got taken out of this
that I'm not sure was the intent of the CCPC. But I think a reworking
of this would be a good thing.
And if you can bring it back in the next cycle clearer and more
concise, I think that would be the wise course of action.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You started out -- Ms. Caron started out
her comment by saying that she would -- if she were to make a
motion, this would be it. Which I'm assuming right now there's not a
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January 9, 2008
motion on the table, which would allow for some discussion.
And before we go too much further, based on this definition,
vegetation protected, any living, woody plant, tree, shrub or
groundcover, that is so broad that everything in Collier County is
protected, period. It doesn't say subject to divisions or anything else.
And I think possibly this was intended to be left out because of its lack
of clarity in the transfer of the code.
And I'd rather do this a lot cleaner, bring the whole thing back
during Cycle 2, including any definition that needs to be added where
we can be more refined and clear on what exactly is protected and
what isn't protected. Because certainly not any living or woody plant
is protected in Collier County.
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yeah, adding to that, when we
instructed the last time, we talked about the groundcover, and now
Barbara has indicated that the groundcover relationship was associated
with some young turtles. But this was intended to reference bald
eagles. So I know that this is too broad for the intent that we had, so I
could not support that at all. You basically could do nothing on this
property .
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti, did you have a--
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: No.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I have one.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah, and from my notes on the
original meeting, I thought the intent in P was to -- we were going to
take those lower paragraphs, make them parenthesis one and
renumber. I'm not sure why you took the whole thing out. I don't
recall, and I usually do "X" out stuff that was removed, why you didn't
just, you know, renumber P. Maybe there was some comments within
that.
But I think the focus was is if we're protecting bald eagles, then
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January 9, 2008
say it and get rid of the other stuff. And then to reclassify.
But why we took out the stuff about single-family lots and
everything else, which is the intent, I'm not sure.
MS. BURGESON: Okay. I can only say that I was not at that
meeting and staff that did attend that meeting felt that was your
direction.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I think the motion to continue is a
good idea. I would ask that if we make a motion, let's get -- before we
waste time on a motion that isn't seconded, is it the intent of the board
to continue the whole thing in terms of synopsis?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: The whole thing.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I think staff can -- now, Mr.
Klatzkow, staff can withdraw this voluntarily?
MR. KLATZKOW: Absolutely.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Barbara, do you wish to withdraw it
voluntarily, or do you wish us to have to render an opinion on it?
MS. BURGESON: I would say that since the direction -- this was
not staffs amendment, that since it was both the EAC and the planning
commission's direction, that I would prefer to have your direction to
withdraw it. Although I fully support that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. How is the consensus of this
board? Is there a motion to that effect, that we recommend staff to
withdraw this particular item?
COMMISSIONER CARON: I'll --
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: So moved.
COMMISSIONER CARON: -- make that motion.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion made by Ms. Caron, seconded
by Mr. Adelstein. Any discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLAT: Aye.
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January 9,2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries.
Thank you very much. We will see you in 2008.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: We are.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, yeah. Well, sometime in 2008.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: That's all right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, I think the next one up will be the
watershed management plans on Page 15; is that correct, Catherine?
MS. F ABACHER: Correct, Commissioner. And C on your
summary sheet. And we have Robert Wiley here to answer any
questions you might have and discuss the changes that you requested
that were made.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Wiley, good morning.
MR. WILEY: Good morning, sir. For the record, Robert Wiley
with the engineering and environmental services department.
We presented this to you once before. You had a few comments.
We have also since our last meeting presented this also to DSAC.
They provided some direction, some comments, some of which we
could agree and some of which we could not agree. So we have
brought the revised document back to you and hopefully we can
quickly go through the issues that you asked us to address.
Let me start offby going to one point which we didn't catch until
yesterday. And that was part of your direction -- it would actually be
on Page 18 of your package. But we are looking at that last point F:
Prior to the issuance of a final development order, that being obtain all
the necessary state and federal permits.
You had asked us to go back and check on that, and so we did
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that. It was like yesterday when I finally caught that one, that we
didn't scratch it out. But you are correct, it is covered under section 10
through each of the different issues. So we can strike this thing out,
because we don't need to repeat that.
I did not know it was even in section 10. I was trying to make
sure it was covered. But since it's there, we don't need to repeat it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, let's start with Page 15. And this
section goes on. We'll just ask general questions on the whole section.
Any comments, questions from the planning commission?
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Bob, do we have a good
definition of impervious? For example, some concrete now is
impervious. Would that be allowed or --
MR. WILEY: Well, concrete is impervious. I think you're saying
. .
some IS now pervIOUS.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I'm sorry, pervious, yeah.
MR. WILEY: A particular part is called pervious concrete. And
by its own definition, it has removed itself from being impervious.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So you would accept that?
MR. WILEY: Sure, yeah. We encourage people to use that for
sidewalks. But we don't encourage it for parking lots.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Then my only concern is that in
the reconfigura -- or the -- when you do the renovation, what you're
saying is that if you do a renovation to your project greater than 50
percent of the assessed value -- and I assume it's the assessed value of
the building, not the building and the land.
MR. WILEY : You would remove the land. But in addition to the
building, if there are other improvements that are listed there through
the property appraiser's, they would be included. But you would delete
the land value.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So that theoretically, if
somebody went in and did a really nice remodeling and did not
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January 9, 2008
increase the footprint of their property, you would hold their feet to
this fire; is that right? Greater than 50 percent.
MR. WILEY: That's the intention. Unless there's something that
they propose to bring in that shows that they are addressing a known
concern, if one exists, and they are not increasing the amount of runoff
that's going to be leaving the site.
So by your statements, I think you're addressing if they propose
to put in a pervious type of pavement or something, would that offset.
We would look at all that issue.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But actually, my concern is that
the 50 percent assessed value, the way this is written, if I went through
and decided to gold plate, gold guild my walls, you would make me
go outside and do storm drainage.
MR. WILEY: Very likely, yes, sir.
And we had that discussion at our last meeting from the
standpoint of picking up the redevelopment issues so they do come
into compliance with our water quantity and quality criteria we are
trying to achieve.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I mean, I understand that if
you're affecting the footprint of the building, adding more, you know,
impervious -- and I guess maybe can we run through the comments
from the DSAC committee? Because I think they're kind of -- some of
them are on that same point.
MR. WILEY: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I think it's one of --
MS. FABACHER: Excuse me, I think if you look on the back at
summary sheet G, we have listed --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: That's what I have.
MS. FABACHER: Are you looking at that? Okay, thank you.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: That's exactly what I'm looking
at.
MS. FABACHER: I just wanted to let you know that was there.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. I guess number one, give
us your -- go through and give us your comment on it. Because some
of it seemed to make sense.
MR. WILEY: Well, the issue that came up with comment
number one says from 3.07.02.A, remove. And then the quotation
was, reconfiguration of or addition to the building footprint. And then
they were going to change it to make it say a, quote, reconfiguration
of or addition to on-site impervious area.
And that's really what we were driving at was the amount of
impervious area, the overall footprint. But the question had come up
that if you're simply changing a building which has a large patio, I
think was discussed in here, the DSAC discussed it, you're just
enclosing a patio. And that becomes part of your building footprint.
You know, that's in -- you weren't changing impervious area is what
we were trying to get at.
So we agreed with them to change the overall impervious area,
not just changing a portion of the building, but you're really not
creating a runoff.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. So you--
MR. WILEY: But we agreed with the impervious area
reconfiguration.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So we can include that in the --
MR. WILEY: That has already been included in the revised
document.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Oh, it has? I'm sorry.
Okay, the second one.
MR. WILEY: The second one was --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Brad, before you leave that first one, I'm
sorry, I'm not following this. 3.07.02.A says remove reconfiguration
of or addition to the building footprint. Yet in the yellow highlighted
under number two it's in as, or reconfiguration of the building
footprint.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: How does that -- if you concurred that--
and it says and make it reconfiguration of or addition to on-site
impervious areas. Basically taking out the addition of the building
footprint as a factor and leaving it strictly as an impervious area,
because the building footprint change would obviously be an
impervious area. So that the only factor used to calculate is the 50
percent threshold of what it cost to the changes to the impervious area.
So what that means is under Brad's application, if you gold-lined
all the walls on the inside of the building and it was 50 percent more
than the value of the building, it wouldn't trigger a rework of the site
because it's not 50 percent of the cost of an increase in the impervious
area.
Is that -- I'm trying to under -- I don't know if what DSAC said
and you concurred to is what came out in the yellow highlighted
section on Page 16. Because it looks like it's still in. But yet staff says
they concur with DSAC.
MS. F ABACHER: Excuse me. Commissioner, I can kind of
explain.
The first half of it, it is removed for the calculations based on the
increase of the impervious area. When you began the sentence in the
middle there, redevelopment shall also be considered, that has to do
with assessed value. And I think Robert's going to cover that. Because
DSAC wanted the assessed value removed altogether and staff did not
agree with that. So there's a distinction between these two valuations.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: How do you --
MS. F ABACHER: I'm going to let Robert finish, because now I
got in trouble.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, but here's what I'm reading it
says. In the DSAC recommendation it says, reconfiguration of or
addition to on-site impervious area, the only factor used to calculate
50 percent threshold. And staff concurs.
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January 9, 2008
MS. F ABACHER: No, staff concurred with removing it from the
calculation of the area, not to distinguish between footprint and total
. .
ImpervIOus area.
But when you get to the basis of calculating it based on assessed
value or replacement value, I forget which value we use, under
redevelopment, that's another method of estimation, and staff did not
remove it from there for the reasons that Commissioner Schiffer
brought up, that if he wants to guild his walls, then that would also
trip. See, that's the --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But he wasn't bringing it up as a reason
why we should include it. I think he was bringing it up as a reason
why, why would you want to include it--
MS. F ABACHER: I understand, I understand.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You're interrupting me.
MS. F ABACHER: I'm sorry.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Why would you want to include it,
because interior improvements don't affect impervious area, and
watershed is affected by impervious area.
Now, if DSAC had meant that to be left in, or out, I think -- I
mean, I know DSAC is a business type board. And I don't necessarily
always favor what business wants. But in this particular case, gilding
gold walls on the inside of a building and say it impacts the watershed
is -- might be something they would question. So I'm wondering
where they're really trying to go with it.
Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: But when we're talking about
redevelopment, we're trying to bring these people up to code. So if for
example you've got the money to guild your walls in gold but you're
not going to correct a watershed management issue, I think that's the
wrong way to go with redevelopment.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, I wasn't even arguing that point. I
was just trying to understand what DSAC was trying to say and what
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January 9,2008
staff was concurring to, because I can't imagine DSAC wouldn't have
addressed the issue Mr. Schiffer just brought up.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But the second question in the
DSAC list which we're getting to is exactly that.
But Donna, one thing is that the problem with that is if that I'm
doing an expensive renovation on the inside of my house, why do I
have to go to the expense of proving my site drainage? In other words,
I mayor may not even have a problem. I mean, if I have a problem,
maybe this is good. If I don't have a problem, I just spent money to
prove to the county that I don't.
But anyway, the DSAC, the second one kind of goes into that
comment on the --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Catherine, are you finished with any
comments --
MS. F ABACHER: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- on the first one?
MS. F ABACHER: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, everybody else on the first one?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let's go to the second one then, Brad.
Go right ahead.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Robert, and it's exactly the point
Mark was -- the clause Mark was discussing. What they're saying is
get rid of that.
What is the advantage of anything that has to do with non site
impervious surfaces? I mean --
MR. WILEY: Well, the advantage comes into the situation where
you have in particular a commercial site built years ago and it is
property line to property line, pavement or roof and they want to come
in and redevelopment. There is no change possible to increase your
impervious area by 50 percent because it's 100 percent already. They
have no stormwater system. They're coming in, they will tear down
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January 9, 2008
the building, reconfigure their parking lot, what they want it do with it,
yet they do not increase their impervious area. You can't. It is solid
. .
ImpervIOUS.
We want to pick that redevelopment up and have them come in
and put a stormwater management system in. That's what we're trying
to get to. If we can improve the text to clarify that, I would greatly
appreciate your help in this matter.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, then maybe -- I mean, the
commercial is a good example, that if they're going to renovate
something extensive, they shouldn't count their existing. And if they
do go above that magic 50 percent, as in other parts of the code, they
should totally review the whole thing.
But this covers single-family also, or am I wrong in that
discussion? When I said gilding my house, am I exempted from this?
MR. WILEY: Well, this would cover everybody who is required
to have a water management system. In the case of a platted
subdivision where single-family is not required to have a separate
water management system, it would not apply.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So maybe it's not as -- it's not
what I thought. Okay.
Let's go on three. What was -- and I think you're right, I mean,
the example you gave on commercial that just because they built an
old shopping center, they're totally renovating it past 50 percent of its
value, they should not be grandfathered in on the stormwater
regulations.
MR. WILEY: I'm very willing to rewrite this if it brings clarity,
because I appreciate the thought that you guys put into this.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Sometimes we just bring
confusion, so I think that's what happened there.
Number three, the 150 percent. And I mean, what's your thoughts
on that?
MR. WILEY: Well, in this particular situation the thought came
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January 9, 2008
up, if there is an exiting development and they say that they cannot
provide 150 percent, but they could come up with 95, 100 percent for
water quality, shouldn't we be able to allow them to do that?
And really, the question would come down to a situation to
where the applicant would come to the county engineer and begin to
try and negotiate with the county engineer just how possible is it to do
this 150 percent.
And the general rule of thumb is that you only do what you have
to do, and if you have an opportunity to produce less than that, we
know we'll be inundated with requests to do less than that. So the
county engineer did not want to get in that position to be facing
constant requests to be below the minimum.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What is south Florida's minimum right
now?
MR. WILEY: The same as ours. You have to do the one inch or
two and a half times percent impervious. And then what they are in
the process of doing through not the rule-making process, but through
some direction or recommendation, is when you know you're going to
be discharging into a system that drains into OFW, outstanding
Florida waters, then they request that you produce 150 percent of
water quality. We're just simply making a requirement because we
know that just about everywhere we have eventually gets into either a
water body that is potentially impaired or is already at OFW, by the
way the canals discharge.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I did run this by at least three separate
engineers, some with major companies in the county, because I saw
this as a potential problem if it required expansive new water
management lakes and destruction of vegetation to get there. None of
them had any problem with them. Most of them said they were
already abiding by it anyway, so --
MR. WILEY: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm not sure why we need to change
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anything that staffhas recommended here in that regard.
Mr. Kolflat? Mr. Klatzkow, I'm sorry.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: I have a problem with this
negotiation of 150 percent. You said you could negotiate down 80
percent or 90 percent or 110 percent. And we see petitions come
before us and they talk about roadway variations and deviations every
time they present it, they say well, we ought to cut it down a little bit
and the response is well, we did it the last time so we'll have to do it
agam.
Well, what is the sense in having something limited to 150
percent if we're just going to open it up and negotiate and let that
establish what the base is?
MR. WILEY: That's the same direction we came from, which is
why we did not agree with it. So we do not propose to allow it to be
less than 150.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: I misunderstood. I thought you
were supporting that.
MR. WILEY: No, sir, we were not supporting that.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLAT: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And then the last one you agree
with, it's in the -- it's already incorporated.
My only last question is that in the 50 percent, do you have a
time frame or -- in other words, in building codes we discuss 50
percent. We kind of, you know, do that within a certain time frame to,
you know, prevent the -- you know, the 40 percent, 40 percent, 20
percent remodeling.
MR. WILEY: The time frame is not specified within here. If you
would like us to quickly make that addition, I would support it.
I will tell you that what we're doing with our flood ordinance is
coming up with what's called cumulative improvements. And that is
not approved by the Board of County Commissioners yet, but we're
going to be bringing it to them, where you add up the sum of the
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improvements over a five-year window. Now, that's where we're
going with the floodplain issue for flood insurance purposes. That's
not official yet, but we're heading that way with ordinance revision.
If you want something similar to that, we could incorporate it,
but it is not here, so here every year someone could come with 49
percent and they could do the same thing.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: They way you have it, every
month somebody could come in with this.
MR. WILEY: Technically that's correct, too.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So I think that the cumulative
language, which I've seen, is good language. So I think that would be
smart to insert that.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Would that be --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Would that be retroactive, or is
that intended to go forward?
MR. WILEY: That would be from the point of adoption forward.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. All right.
MR. WILEY: We really have no way of making --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I was going to say.
MR. WILEY: -- keeping records on --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That would be a nightmare, I
think.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So the suggestion is to add cumulative
language to defining the assessed value of improvements; is that --
MR. WILEY: We could go right to 3.07.02.A.2, the one that's
highlighted there for you, and just at the end of that statement simply
indicate in there that the 50 percent value is a cumulative value over a
period of, and you tell me how many years you want.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any ideas? Five years sound
reasonable?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, let's match the floodplain,
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January 9, 2008
because that's --
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What's floodplain? Five?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Five years.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let's just do it five years.
MR. WILEY: It will be. It is not yet, but that's the direction we
are heading in.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, well, let's recommend this as five.
MR. WILEY: So we'll say the 50 percent increase over the
assessed value is cumulative over a five-year window?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
Any other questions or comments from the planning
commission?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Robert, I've got a couple more. Page 16,
Item C, and it occurs on item -- on the top of Page 17 as well on the
same subsection. It says floodplain storage compensation calculation
shall be provided on a case-by-case basis, as determined by staff.
Now, I know staffs always put under the gun if they have to
determine something. Because sometimes they could determine it and
sometimes they may determine it's not. And that puts you guys in a
awkward position.
Is there any criteria for you all to make that determination?
MR. WILEY: That's where we had come up with this draft map
to show you, just -- we can put it back on the visualizer, but it's the
same one I showed you last month.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay -- no, no, I'm not -- if you have a
way to make the determination, then I think we ought to reference that
as the way you make your determination, so you guys are not being
looked at as doing something arbitrary.
MR. WILEY: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's all I'm suggesting.
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January 9, 2008
Does that seem to be a reasonable suggestion to everybody?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So that's an exhibit currently, right?
MR. WILEY: That is a draft map to show you the intention
behind it. It really was not proposed as a specific exhibit. We could do
that, if you so chose.
The one thing that I want to bring up is the way the map was
prepared, it's using what's in our GIS. And it is for hydro periods of
two months or greater, plus all the AE, VE and A flood zones, plus
little bubble areas off of our areas of known flooding problems.
But I could go point out some spots right now that I know go
under water every time we have a really heavy rain event that would
not be colored there. So that's why we really didn't want to make this
the only boundary. But this is to show the intention that we're not
trying to get every inch of property but the areas that we just happen
to know flood.
And basically it's -- we wanted to leave it to the standpoint of
staffs decision based upon our best knowledge that we have and
experience out there. It's not intended to be arbitrary. And I really
appreciate, if we want to go with this one, it may remove some areas
that I would like to have it. But the percentage of that would be very
low compared to what it would cover.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: How about if we were to word
something to the effect that as determined by staff based on historic
water level documentation or something like that. And that way it
would cover this map or any other ability that you have to pull
something up that says this area has been inundated and we need to
look at it more closely.
MR. WILEY: We could do that.
Let me also remind you, though, one of the issues we wanted to
have a little bit of freedom to not require the compensation is along
the coastline where it is through the coastal flooding, we really did not
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January 9, 2008
-- if we know that there's no rainfall induced flooding, we did not want
to have to mandate that a property try to hold up the Gulf of Mexico.
So that was another reason for the case-by-case situation here.
Because some places flood only from coastal surge. Others flood
because it's the freshwater trying to get out to the Gulf, even in
situations where the VE zone or AE zone may be higher.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, if we were to kind of leave the
general concept with you that there ought to be some determination by
staff based on historic water data information.
MR. WILEY: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And then if you need to refine that a bit
before it goes to the BCC, I'd be comfortable with at least leaving the
concept in your hands so that there's some determinate in there so
staffs not making arbitrary -- put into an arbitrary position.
MR. WILEY: If we look at that concept right at the very last line
on Page 16 where it says on a case-by-case basis, then should we put
in there based upon historical flooding information, or --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's fine.
MR. WILEY: -- however you want to word it. That way it gives
us the case-by-case situation, but that's something to base it upon.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, if you say historical flooding
information, that provides the latitude you would need to cull it in or
cull it out. And I think that at least gives you some determination
factor to go with.
MR. WILEY: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: I was just going to say, I think you
can pretty much use the headline, though, on your draft map there and
say based on historical flood and drainage problem areas, and that will
allow you to incorporate or not, and obviously exclude areas in the
coastal area that are just --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And provides good reason for you to ask
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for it, too.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Right.
MR. WILEY: Okay, so if I say based upon historical flooding
and drainage problem area information? Does that seem to -- that way
it covers everything.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's fine.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yes.
MR. WILEY: And then we would repeat that same statement up
on the top of Page 17, that second similar statement up there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
On Page 18, Item D, if you go to the sixth line down it starts with
the word portion. And it says, portion of the natural wetland, flowway
or slough, at least one foot lower than the ground at the edge of the
natural wetland.
Would you want to say at least on average one foot lower?
Because I'm worried that you're going to see some undulations like
you typically do, and if you've got an area that isn't consistently one
foot lower for a certain -- someone might argue that you don't have
that right. So why don't you say at least on average one foot lower,
and that covers you.
MR. WILEY: Very good. I'll add that in there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And then further down at the last line, it
talks about compensation for providing the same conveyance capacity
lost by the direct impact.
Now, I'm picturing this as being a structure or something that's
built in a flowway. They have a right, let's say, to build it -- somehow
they get through the permit process and they come in with their dirt
and they mound it up. Now, they've actually reduced the conveyance
capacity possibly of that flowway then.
Well, how would they be compensated for that loss capacity?
What was the method of compensation they would be able to look at?
MR. WILEY: Similar situation has occurred in the past to where
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January 9, 2008
you -- depending upon the slough to flow or the sheetflow condition
or the flowway, it's pure natural ground sheet flow. But if you fill in
and then you are also within your property boundaries able to
excavate down from the ground surface to essentially the water table
elevation, or even probably below it, so you create a channelized
portion to replace what you displaced, you still have the same
conveyance capacity.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I thought that's what you were going to
say, and that's how I though that could be increased.
So what that means, though, is you're encouraging then, almost
requiring more destruction of natural habitat to create the loss of the
conveyance which is trying to restore the natural habitat.
MR. WILEY: You could potentially do that, it's correct. So you
would evaluate at that point, is the original loss worth requiring the
additional. And that would all be part of the evaluation we put
through.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, but you can't evaluate it under this
language. It's shall require. So you don't have a choice of evaluating it,
you're got to require it, no matter how negative the outcome, isn't it?
MR. WILEY: I guess what I was saying was you'd evaluate the
original encroachment in that required you to provide the alternative
conveyance replacement.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And if the original encroachment were to
destroy too much of the natural habitat, then they would be disallowed
MR. WILEY: If the original encroachment, which would require
the replacement conveyance -- it's all considered as impact from that
original encroachment. So if that's too great then you would say no,
that's not acceptable, and you would have to work out the reduction or
the mitigation, whatever it would take.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MR. WILEY: So you wouldn't just evaluate the footprint of the
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January 9, 2008
encroachment alone, but the encroachment plus whatever else it took
to replace the conveyance. So it expands the impact from that original
encroachment.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Which is -- that's where I'm trying to go.
So let's take a home on a two and a half acre tract in Golden Gate
Estates. They come in and build a 5,000 square foot home with a
driveway, which takes up more elevated surface, so they're actually
impeding the conveyance in a number of ways. The driveway leads
out to a street, the street's already impeded the conveyance, so you've
got swales along the street to redirect the water. They would have to
make sure their property still channels the water, say it's in the south
direction out to that street, but the displacement that their home and
their driveway and their backyard and their septic tank and their
garage make on that property would require them to go in and cut the
property down to maintain the volume that may have been there for
the original conveyance. Is that a reasonable suggestion?
MR. WILEY: That is correct. Or the alternative is to go to a
nearby property that they would acquire to construct that same
conveyance, capacity, storage capacity at the same elevation within
the same drainage area so that the net impact -- generally we don't see
that kind of a situation be limited just to one point but it's a broad
flow.
And so we looked at that very seriously with the Estates
situation, the 75-foot wide lots. What we've observed is fill pads create
a dike.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MR. WILEY: They touch each other. And we're trying to avoid
that. So we're trying to make sure that there is the ability for water to
pass through post-construction.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But see, that's kind of -- I was being nice
by using a two and a half acre lot.
MR. WILEY: Right.
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January 9, 2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I know there's way too many acre and a
quarters out there. But since you brought it up --
MR. WILEY: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: You get a lot of these acre and a
quarters, now you're saying basically to restore the conveyance, the
flow-through conveyance, a person on an acre and a quarter would
have to build a long, skinny house and cut out the property on both
sides of it to maintain the volume that was originally there before the
house was placed within that narrow acre and a quarter lot. Or they'd
have to buy the lots on either side and create the additional volume on
those lots. Is that what you're indicating?
MR. WILEY: You could also consider underneath your fill pad
on the side of your house, running a culverted system. It still allows
the conveyance to pass through.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Underneath your fill pad?
MR. WILEY: But, you know -- side slopes. Not under your
house itself, side slopes. So you've got from your --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, you'd still allow the conveyance to
flow through, but how do you handle the volume? Because this is --
MR. WILEY: The volume is the tough issue with the smaller
lots. But they are 660 feet deep and there's quite a bit of long, linear
space there.
And yes, it would potentially require someone to go in and clear
a lot more of the lot, just remove that fill volume. That is correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We have a restriction on the amount of
clearing you can do on lots in the Estates, so boy, this really backs up.
Has anybody looks at how this all backs up?
MR. WILEY: Yes, we have. That's not looking good for some
people, that's correct.
There are some situations where the property is already at the
water table elevation because it's a cypress head, or even below. In
those situations the use of a fill pad would essentially be eliminated
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January 9,2008
for all except the septic tank and the driveway.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So they'd have to do a raised structure
system on stilts and the ground floor would have to be natural grade.
MR. WILEY: Well--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Because they couldn't even park
underneath to meet the criteria you're talking about.
MR. WILEY: That's their driveway I'm talking about, right,
yeah. You're correct. It gets real dicey for some of those lots which are
already floodplain storage capacity. And we're trying to prevent
people from producing it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: So at some point people with
acre and a quarter, 1.14 lots either have to buy a piece of property next
door or we're telling them in another way that they can't build on an
acre and a quarter anymore. Even though it's okay to build on an acre
and a quarter, we're saying in another part that they can't do it, they
have to have a wider lot.
MR. WILEY: No, we're telling them that they would not be able
to build it under the current practice of just plain going in and filling.
You have to create an elevated structure so you do not fill on the
property .
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Or build a house 12 by 150.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But, see, the problem is, the alternative
is not acceptable either. What's happening out in Golden Gate Estates,
as Bob indicated, a lot of these little lots, especially when they got --
they weren't ever supposed to be acre and a quarter. Two and a half
was supposed -- we stopped that -- after the mistake was realized, it
was stopped back in '74. Unfortunately there are a lot of unscrupulous
people who sold those little chunks off and now they're being built on
because they were legal at one time. And they're blocking the flow
and that's causing floods to -- that's why Golden Gate was inundated a
couple times with high water, high standing water. I mean, it's a
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January 9,2008
problem either way you look at it.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: But is this the answer?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I mean--
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: I'm not convinced it is.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- this may accomplish the removal of
those acre and a quarter lots that were attempted to remove since 1974
anyway.
MR. WILEY: Well, we're not attempting to--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I know you're not.
MR. WILEY: -- remove those lots through an underhanded
approach, we're trying to address the continuing increase in flooding
potential. Because things are being filled up out there without
consideration being given for the overall floodplain and the sheet flow
that used to occur.
So that's why we're saying, if you're going to do this, there's
some other considerations you're going to have to take in mind so that
you don't have a negative impact to everybody else that lives out
there.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Mark, and --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you.
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah, Bob, isn't this a
subdivision? So by your prior description, it doesn't apply.
MR. WILEY: Well, but what you're talking about is the issue of
the 50 percent rule and the stormwater system. This particular
situation here does apply as far as affecting storage. It's not --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, how do I know that in
this? I mean, where in the document does it show that one applies to
subdivisions and one doesn't?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Wait a minute, Bob, earlier when you
responded to Brad's question, I understood what you said. I thought
you indicated it wouldn't apply to a single-family lot, but that's on a
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January 9, 2008
system that was master plan drainage system.
MR. WILEY: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Golden Gate doesn't have a master plan
drainage system.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Where is that clear then, that --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I mean, for example, your big projects,
when they come in like, well, Olde Cypress being one, it's a huge DRI
PUD. It's got a master plan drainage system that's put into effect to
show everything flows. So the individual single-family lots in there
don't fall under this criteria.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But my concern is that it's not
clear in this -- who does or who doesn't. The applicability section of it
isn't that clear.
And so essentially we're back to my gilded house that that only --
I mean, Golden Gate is obviously a subdivision, obviously was done
without water management or crude water management.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's a polite way of putting it.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah. But Bob, where in this
does it show that the house in Golden Gate is different than a house in
a perfectly planned subdivision?
MR. WILEY: Well, if you look, we're again we're in that
subsection D, correct? That's the --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes.
MR. WILEY: -- one we're talking about. Look how it -- all
development located within areas identified on figures -- this is
subsection D, all development located within areas identified on
figures 3.07.02-1. That's the figure that you see on Page 17.
Now, that does not incorporate huge amounts of Collier County,
but it does incorporate some areas of Collier County that would
include portions of Golden Gate Estates. But it generally is not the
Golden Gate Estates issue you have here, but some parts of it do clip
m, so --
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January 9, 2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And that's your flowways. Isn't this
where you --
MR. WILEY: These are our flowways that we do not want
blocked.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti? Oh, I'm sorry, go ahead,
Mr. Schiffer.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So that's clear in that, but how
about up in the -- you know, 07.02.A. How do we know -- it says all
new development and redevelopment projects. So essentially you're
not referring to individual -- well, that's still confusing, Bob. I mean,
I'm --
MR. WILEY: Okay, let's try to remove some of the confusion
here. Under 3.07.02.A, this deals with the provision for water quality
volume, okay? So if you are required to have a stormwater
management system in your subdivision, it's already been designed. If
you're in a large old platted subdivision such as Golden Gate Estates
and there is no design water management system, we're not going to
tell you you have to provide 150 percent water quality, because there
is none required at that point.
Now, we then were talking over in subsection D where we have a
specified map with areas identified on it, and those are your primary
flowways and sloughs of concern through Collier County that we do
not want to see development come in and plug up.
So that's where you have this conveyance system that's required
for you to provide for.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But I think what's missing --
MR. WILEY: Now, when you look at E is the issue. I think the
one you look at here, the next one down, all new development and
redevelopment projects shall be designed so that surrounding
properties will not be adversely impacted by the project's influence on
stormwater sheet flow up to the 25-year, three-day design storm.
That would be everywhere. So there's that little bit tighter
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January 9, 2008
restriction placed upon those properties that are on the map 3.07.02-1,
compared to just everybody else.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But E means it's everywhere
because of the words all new development and redevelopment
projects.
MR. WILEY: And it does not start off with the condition that it's
strictly identified as properties on that figure.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Right. A starts off, all new
development and redevelopment projects --
MR. WILEY: That's correct.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: -- same as E.
MR. WILEY: Um-hum.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So why did A have that caveat
that's hidden in there somewhere that if it's a project that didn't have a
stormwater system, it doesn't have to be revised?
MR. WILEY: Because under the rules that the county has for
single-family homes, there is no requirement that single-family homes
provide for a separate water management system. Now, if we
subsequently do come up with a rule that requires it, this would bring
them into compliance with that also. But there is no rule that if you
have a single-family home that you submit with your building plans, a
stormwater management system.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So what you're saying is --
MR. WILEY: Though the City of Naples is heading that way
with some portions, but we're not at that point with the county yet.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. What you're saying is that
the single-family residential has no volume storage requirements, thus
this is a volume storage requirement, so it would not apply to begin
with.
MR. WILEY: Right. Now, keep in mind that there is a provision
that's coming as an LDC amendment to begin to bring into impact
certain percentages of the lot you can build up to. And once you
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January 9, 2008
increase beyond that percentage of a lot, you would have to have some
stormwater system. But when that goes into effect, then this would
begin to apply to that simultaneously. But that would be for that
unique situation where someone proposes to build a greatly built upon
lot.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And that is in this cycle. We've
reviewed that already.
MR. WILEY: That really was in the last year's Cycle --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Was it last year?
MR. WILEY: -- One.
MS. FABACHER: It's cycle 2007, Cycle 1, it was approved.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Fine. Now, let's talk about A
with that in mind. What you're saying is that there is volumetric
storage for single-family houses. So what we discussed earlier back to
the 50 percent of assessed value, we are back to where I can gold plate
my house and have to upgrade the -- are we not?
MS. FABACHER: Excuse me, Commissioner, the applicability
of the impervious cover only applies to those older subdivisions that
do not have a central system or a South Florida Water Management
District permit. So that's limited in its applicability, the impervious
cover ordinance that we passed.
MR. WILEY: The previous ordinance specified what it took to
fall under that particular condition. All I'm saying is this would be
utilized injunction (sic) with that previous revision, where that
previous provision applied.
So you can understand there might be a situation that a
single-family home, because it's proposed to build wall-to-wall
impervious area, they have to provide now some stormwater retention,
this would come into play with that simultaneous. But that's not the
common case.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: This is for Mr. Klatzkow.
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January 9, 2008
Mr. Wiley had said that it could be perceived that we're
back-dooring to stopping building lots on acre and a quarter, taking
away property rights. How would that put the county legally by taking
people's rights to build a house that they have a right to build on now
under the guise of water management?
MR. KLATZKOW: I think they still have the right to build on
the house, they just can't build it in the cheapest way possible.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Or overbuild I think is what the issue is.
If you buy a small lot, you better build a small house. The mega
houses are going to have a problem. That's what it boils down to.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Or have a big expensive --
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Is there a formula that people
would know what they can build before they buy a lot, or --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Um-hum. That's what this does. You
can't build a bigger house than you can fit the conveyance on the
property for. So when you start getting your threshold of your home
so large that you can't compensate for it on your own property, what
that's really telling you is hey, I'm building -- in want this big of a
mega home, I ought to buy a bigger piece of property instead of trying
to fit 10 pounds in a five-pound sack, as a lot of people are doing right
now. So, I mean, that's how I see it.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: But it won't stop it, it will just
change the formula they need to --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It may make the people that want to put
too much on a little lot look to a bigger lot to buy instead of cramming
something in a neighborhood where it doesn't belong.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: I'm concerned about the people
there now. People in the future buying, I understand.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: People in the future.
Any other comments on this item?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Otherwise, I'll read what I think we've
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January 9,2008
come to to date.
First all, we're going to scratch Item F on Page 18.
Number two, we'd accept the changes as presented by staff.
Some of them incorporated DSAC, some did not.
Item three, we would add a cumulative language to the assessed
value of improvements over a five-year period.
Number four, we would add a determinate language for staff in
section 3.07.02.C.
And number five, under 3.07.02.D, we would add the words on
average, where indicated during this discussion.
Anything else?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Based on that, is there a
recommendation for approval?
COMMISSIONER CARON: So moved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Made by Ms. Caron. Seconded by--
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: (Indicating.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- Commissioner Adelstein.
Any further discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And by the way, that recommendation
for approval was for LDC Sections 3.07, 6.05.01, 10.02.02.A.4.F,
10.02.03.A.3.B, Roman numeral six.
Does the motion maker agree?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Absolutely.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Second agree?
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: (Nods head affirmatively.)
MS. F ABACHER: And 10.02.04.
COMMISSIONER CARON: 04, yeah.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: 10.02.04. I'm sorry, that wasn't in the
front part. You're right, 10.02.04.B.3 and A.3.
Are there any other comments or questions?
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January 9, 2008
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Hearing none, I'll call for the vote.
All those in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All those opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries.
I'd like to move on to the historic issue.
MS. F ABACHER: Yes, sir. And that would be on Page 59 in
your new book and summary sheet E.
And Melissa Zone, principal planner with zoning and land
development review, and she's also the staff--
MS. ZONE: Liaison.
MS. FABACHER: --liaison to this board, will answer any
questions you might have.
And I might also say that per your direction we have returned the
original strike-through and underscore of the original text from
09-102.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If I remember, that was the issue last
time --
MS. F ABACHER: Right, correct.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- was that we didn't have a true
strike-through and it was hard for us to tell --
MS. FABACHER: Exactly.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- what was changed or not changed.
MS. ZONE: Melissa Zone, principal planner with the department
of zoning and land development.
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---_.~ ,--~--_.,
January 9, 2008
You're quite correct, Commissioner, the strike-through and
underlined submittal that was sent to Ms. Fabacher did not make it in
your packet. We have found it and it is here today. And we have here
changes from when the LDC was codified in 2004, some of our
regulations were omitted inadvertently. Staff is putting these
regulations back in so that nobody challenges the historic and
archeological process. As well as when I addressed it to the historic
board, what we were doing, they wanted some minor changes to clean
up language that was redundant.
And one of the things, and you'll see it in your strike-through,
underlined, we combined some of the same review processes for like
final subdivision plan, on Page 63, as well as site development plan
review, because those were the exact same process. So to keep it
concise, we combined those to one paragraph instead of having each
process for each chapter, each section.
We also had changed -- it was the board's direction to make that
everything go through the county manager or designee. And those
changes were not made in the ordinance for the historical and
archeological review. So we've changed where it said division
manager, planning manager or community services director, and we've
made it all concise and made it consistent with the LDC.
If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any questions from the planning
commission?
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And it's on Page 62. Preliminary
subdivision plat. If I understand it, that's not required now. You can go
right into --
MS. ZONE: It really isn't, but we kept it in. We ended up, we
kept it in just in case someone wanted to have it. Because the process
is there, it's just not one that we require anymore. When I say we, I
mean the county. But it is an option.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I know that, that's why I thought
that was the statement.
So the concern I have, is there anything in there that's not
covered in the final plat? For example, the preliminary plat, which I
think is erroneous, refers to making recommendations of the planning
commISSIOn.
MS. ZONE: Well, that happens if once we bring a petition in
front of the board, if we found a historical or an archeological site
where there might be some artifacts on the site and that petition is
going to be going in front of you, the planning commission, for
review, we wanted to make sure that those are incorporated into the --
if it's a PUD document, a rezone conditional use, variance, that you
are also aware.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. I mean, that's only
required in the preliminary then. I mean --
MS. ZONE: If you look at -- with rezonings, they have it.
Because site development plans do not typically go in front of this
board.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I don't think preliminary plats do
either, so --
MS. ZONE: I wasn't sure, since I was not here or working here at
the time. And I did not want to omit something, so I'm happy and
willing to omit it, because that was something that I had questioned as
well.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. Well, my real question is
there's nothing in the preliminary subdivision that by going directly to
final you would not have to do. Everything in the final would be equal
to what's in the preliminary.
MS. ZONE: Right.
The reason why we didn't, Commissioner, combine them is
because at some point if we do away completely with the preliminary
subdivision plat, it would just be easier to omit it and then have to
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January 9, 2008
revise that other chapter. We could just bring it back up.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, is there any other questions on
this section?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Is there a motion to approve? And it
would be for Section 2.03.07.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: So moved.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So moved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Made by Commissioner Adelstein,
seconded by Commissioner Schiffer.
Any further discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries.
Mr. Kolflat was just coming in the door. Mr. Kolflat, do you like
this historical --
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: I think it's wonderful.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, so it's unanimous. Thank you.
MS. ZONE: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Thank you, Melissa.
There are two remaining, and it's the noise portion of the outdoor
seating and then the SDP application for outdoor seating. I would
estimate that will probably take us about an hour or less to get
through. It's getting close to lunchtime. I know we don't need to take a
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January 9, 2008
lunch break and then come back to do that one, I would hope. But I
think we ought to take a break now and come back and finish that one
up. So let's take a 15-minute break to 11 :25 and resume at 11 :25.
Thank you.
(Recess.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, welcome back again from our
break. We have two items to move into and one to finish up before
we're done here today. But the next two items are kind of together. It's
the outdoor serving area permit, which starts on Page 41 of our packet.
And the submittal requirements for site development plans, which are
on Page 53. Now, these are in reaction to some of the issues that have
recurred lately regarding entertainment areas and outside noise in
relationship to residential neighborhoods.
So I guess the best way to approach it, and I'll -- I had met with
staff to try to find ways to maybe help today move a little bit forward
on this, instead of where we've been sending it back so many times.
And we did come up with some criteria that would make it a little
more comfortable for staff to apply their discretion in regards to the
second factor today, and that is when they would look at an
incompatibility on a site development plan.
But why don't we start on Page 42, which is the outdoor seating
issue, and work our way through that before we get to the review of
the SDP's.
Are there any comments or questions? And we'll take it page by
page. Let's just do Page 42 first.
Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah, start out with the
definition of amplified sound. The problem I have with the definition
is that it appears that it needs a source of sound and then amplified
sound electronically amplifies it. For example, some of our concerns
are radios, televisions and stuff. While they're definitely amplified, but
they're not amplifying a source. So would that be a problem, or --
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January 9,2008
MS. FABACHER: Well, Commissioner, the reason we put this in
is because it's exactly the same definition as is carried in the noise
ordinance, which is in the code of laws and ordinances. So we wanted
to have both -- the same definition in both sources.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. But --
MS. F ABACHER: I don't believe it's a problem.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, my concern is that, for
example, is a television amplified sound? And the reason I don't think
it fits this description is it's not as the description describes, amplifying
a volume of -- increasing the volume --
MS. FABACHER: Well, it has speakers -- it has a speaker. But I
see what you're saying. I see your point.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: It says the use of a public
address system, loud speaker, amplifier or any other device which
electronically augments the volume of sound.
So my concern is there are devices that don't have a source that
it's augmenting, it is the source and amplification.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, no, isn't the TV source the waves
and the cable that bring the entertainment to it and then when you turn
the volume up there's your amplified sound?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, if legally does that sound
good, or --
MR. KLATZKOW: For clarity sake, and I understand Brad's
concern, if you want to include T.V.'s in it, include T.V.'s in it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, then we'd have to put in radios,
CD players, VCR's, cassette players, boom boxes. Where are we going
to end?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, we could use
electronically generated sound and that would cover all of those
devices.
The concern is the way it's described, it's increasing something
that has to exist before it's increased.
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January 9, 2008
MS. FABACHER: Well, I don't think that code has any problem
knowing what these devices are. But we'll look at it. And I want to
talk to them, because I want to parallel it in the noise ordinance.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But say we -- after the word
electronically, could we say which electronically generates or
augments electronic sound? No, electronically generates or augments
the volume of sound. So if we put in generates or, wouldn't that cover
it then?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah.
MS. FABACHER: Okay.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: That would be better than what
it is.
MS. F ABACHER: All right, no problem.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I've got more, Mark.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, let's stay on Page 42. If you're got
more on 42, let's get past -- let's get --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Right. I can't read my note,
though. If anybody else has a question, let them go. I can't -- I have to
research my note.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, anybody else on Page 42?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Catherine, I do. You talk about
applicability, and it's for establishments -- eating or drinking
establishments serving food within the unincorporated area -- food or
beverages within the unincorporated area of Collier County.
What about outdoor entertainment areas that don't serve food?
Say they serve only drinks.
MS. FABACHER: Well, it says food and/or beverages.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, what if they don't serve -- I
mean, if it's not -- can you have outdoor entertainment or would you
have a waiting area, say, outside of a bar and have amplified music to
it and just not serve food or drinks until they come inside and be
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January 9,2008
seated?
MS. FABACHER: Well, one thing is I think that that would be
covered by the noise ordinance. Remember, I think we agreed that
when we discussed it the other day, we thought that perhaps we would
just permit for outdoor serving areas in general. It didn't matter about
the sound. The sound would be left for them to get an annual permit
from code for live entertainment music/amplified sound permit,
temporary use permit.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay.
MS. F ABACHER: In fact, I think we talked about removing with
outdoor entertainment on private property from that also. We're not
going to do -- our -- I think we had discussed that the zoning
department would be issuing a one-time permit --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MS. FABACHER: -- for an outdoor serving area.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. That was part of the discussion.
MS. F ABACHER: Right, so the music part would be left to the
code people under the changes they're making to the ordinance. Right
now they currently have a live performance music and/or amplified
sound permit, but they haven't been really implementing it. And I
believe it's now under the new changes coming up, the board directed
and I think maybe you guys directed it too, that they're going to look
at now actually doing that for everybody. And it's not just outdoor
sound, it's any sound in any establishment.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Brad, did you have your--
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I do have some more, yeah.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, sir.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I-A, or A-I-A, we have PUD's
and stuff that -- mixed use. Would that be covered in that? It says
requirements shall not apply if the -- and we have residential use or
zoning district is a mixed use. I mean, would that be covered, all of
our -- any kind of a situation where we have commercial and
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January 9, 2008
residential together?
MS. FABACHER: You know, staff hasn't really had a chance to
discuss it, but I want to put you towards -- on Page 45.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Right.
MS. F ABACHER: Where they get much more specific about
defining on the bottom under A, these time restrictions shall not apply
if the residential use or zoning district -- and they get real specific --
about part of a mixed use project.
As far as your question goes, I wonder if we want to --I'm sorry.
MS. ISTENES: The answer is yes. Susan Istenes, zoning
department.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And here's my thought, actually.
And it is connected to 45, that's why it confused me. Wouldn't it be
best just to move what it says in 45 up here? And we don't need it in
45 because it doesn't apply to this ordinance. So --
MS. F ABACHER: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: In other words, in 45 it's saying
that these restrictions don't apply. Well, if we move it up to the -- you
know, where it shows the applicability, then it obviously wouldn't
apply because it's not applicable to that kind of development.
MS. F ABACHER: That was my thought, too, but then I wonder,
wouldn't we, even if it's mixed use, want to give that level of scrutiny
for the one-time permit for an outdoor seating area?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But you're not.
MS. ISTENES: No.
MS. FABACHER: We wouldn't want to?
MS. ISTENES: That's not the intent of this ordinance.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: The ordinance doesn't do that.
So I think what it is, is my suggestion is take 1 -- A-I-A and take the
verbiage --
MS. FABACHER: I understand.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: -- on E-2-A, put it in there. It
won't be needed on E-2-A because obviously it's not applicable.
Second one is on B. One of the biggest problems we had is not
the sound of the amplified sound but actually the people reacting to
something. So my thought is can we add to the list of entertainment to
be video with or without sound? And essentially if we get rid of the
stimulus, we could get rid of the crowd cheering.
MS. F ABACHER: It was my impression that that would be
covered under the noise ordinance again. And I was thinking we
would strike this altogether, because we're removing that sound
element from this. And what we're really talking about is having
zoning issue a permit just for the outdoor serving area, irregardless or
irrespective of entertainment music.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Klatzkow, we're already beyond a
point that I can understand what we're doing. We'll muddle through
this for the rest of today, but when we get done I think the exchanges,
based on the way we're heading, are going to be more -- a little more
in-depth than we could probably resolve by stipulating them at this
meeting.
Would we still have time, if we heard this on Friday after the
Cocohatchee?
MR. KLATZKOW: I think we'll make the time. This is an
important issue.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I agree. I think you could make the
changes rapidly with a computer by striking and moving the sections,
but we're only into the third paragraph on the first page and we're
already moving sections from one end to the other, and I really don't
know what that's going to do to the questions I had now. So -- and I
know you don't have much time to get this out to us, but if you were
able to send this to us by tomorrow afternoon and we could look at it
tomorrow evening in preparation for Friday afternoon finalizing it,
then we -- as we go through this, that might be the best way to
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January 9, 2008
approach it.
And I'm telling you that early so that that's what we're looking to
do, maybe, and staff can just start taking notes.
Is that something you can do tomorrow, Catherine?
MS. FABACHER: I can try.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. I mean, if you can send me a
template, I'll do it tonight. I mean, it's not going to -- it's just a matter
of having it -- you guys got the templates on this stuff and you got the
Word programs that allow it to be changed. And we're suggesting
cutting and pasting and making changes. But I think based on what I'm
hearing, we're going to be going through a lot of this before this day's
over, more than you can finish in today's meeting, and probably
accurately reflect what we're trying to do.
So that's the suggestion. We'll just keep going like we are.
MS. ISTENES: Could I just clarify? The intent is really outdoor
seating with or without entertainment. And I don't -- I read A and it
says with outdoor entertainment, and I think that's what Mr. Schiffer
was referring to. It really is outdoor seating, with or without
entertainment.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But it doesn't say that. Even the
title --
MS. ISTENES: I know that.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: -- in the section.
MS. ISTENES: I know that. I was pointing that out. But the
conversation was going a different way and I just wanted to say that
for clarity purposes, so --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: We're just --
MS. ISTENES: -- with that in mind, unless the board has a
different opinion about what they want to see, maybe we could just
kind of keep that in mind as we're going through.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. But so we clear it up under
applicability, you're saying owners, managers of outdoor serving areas
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January 9, 2008
MS. ISTENES: With or without.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- with or without outdoor entertainment
on private property.
MS. ISTENES: Correct. Correct.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, that's a -- I mean, look at
the title of the whole section. It's outdoor serving areas with outdoor
entertainment on private property. That's -- I mean, the drift of the
whole thing is that.
But anyway, I have one more thing on 42 is -- and there's a lot of
situations where we use this. It says can be administrated unless one or
more findings of violations. Wouldn't it be better to just say unless A,
finding a violation? I mean, first of all, they should never get to two to
begin with.
I understand why you wouldn't want to say one, because the guy
could say hey, I've got five, you know, what are you picking on me
for?
MS. ISTENES: Right.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: It says on -- but I think unless A,
finding of violation would be a better way to go and then not give the
illusion that you could have more than one.
And the sad thing about this whole -- number two is that if the
sound ordinance would stop people from disturbing the neighbors, we
wouldn't be here. Since this clause states that it's the sound ordinance
that triggers what happens in this thing, so connecting the logic, this
won't be here either. So isn't -- the problem child the sound ordinance.
And in reading the sound ordinance, I don't see where the
problem is. It does look like there's some handles in there, but we've
never had testimony as to why the sound ordinance doesn't work. But
I'm done with 42.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, we're still on 42.
Mr. Vigliotti?
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Susan, I have a question. We
started a while ago to try to protect the small mom and pops outdoor
seating restaurants with just a few seats, four, five, six seats. Do you
want to bring them back in again? Is that--
MS. ISTENES: Oh, boy. No.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: But you're suggesting
somehow.
MS. ISTENES: I know. And I'm looking for my notes on that. I
apologize, because we did talk about that some more. And do you
recall --
MS. FABACHER: We said that it was going to be serving but
not seating. If people are just sitting out there and smoking a cigarette.
But if you're talking about an ice cream parlor and there's some
outside, they would fall under this current language under a one-time
MS. ISTENES: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: But in the beginning we tried to
keep them out of them altogether, the smaller restaurants, without
extra charges of permits and --
MS. FABACHER: Understood--
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: -- this, that and the other thing.
MS. F ABACHER: -- understood. But that discussion was when it
was a much more onerous permitting situation. Now it's pretty much
going to be administratively with some tiny fee.
MS. ISTENES: Correct, unless there is a finding of violation, and
then it falls into a different category.
But yes, to answer your question, the way that -- Catherine is
accurate in her reflection of our latest conversation. We couldn't find a
way to discern between the two, we really couldn't, and so we just
tried to make it as less onerous as possible by just making them
administrative permits, rather than having them all go before the board
was never intended --
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: But the way it's written now
here, it excludes them. And you want us to change it. So --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN : Well, maybe --
MS. ISTENES: Yeah, as you get further along you may--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, I guess I'll just read. The same -- I
realize that the issue you're talking about may come up during today's
discussion. And in anticipating that -- and there were some other
issues, too -- I met with staff to try to figure out answers to that kind
of a question, how it could be reworded to possibly mitigate those
issues. And I'll read to you the bullets that may -- that if the committee
agrees could apply to section 4.04.07, although they all may not
pertain to Page 42. Let me just read them.
First one, all outdoor serving areas shall be issued a one-time
temporary use permit for outdoor serving areas. And this would not
apply to outdoor seating areas where there is no food or beverage
involved.
So you get a one-time permit. If you don't have food and
beverage, you don't even need it. But if you have an outdoor serving
area, you need a one-time permit.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But Mark, I'm really kind of -- I
must be confused here. We were handed this booklet. It has permits
for outdoor serving areas with entertainment. Susan's saying but that's
not really what this is, this is really all outdoor seating. You're going --
I mean, why would somebody write this ordinance and have it not be
what it means?
MS. FABACHER: Actually, our discussion is based on having
had discussions with the Chair, and we just haven't had the time, since
we had the discussion yesterday, to change this text for you. That's the
problem. This is an older version.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, again, you couldn't change the text
based on discussions with me.
MS. F ABACHER: Right.
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January 9,2008
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I was trying to come up with solutions to
what I would anticipate, based on having sat with this board through
what, three, four, five other meetings on this issue trying to get to --
MS. F ABACHER: From last cycle.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Huh?
MS. FABACHER: It came from last cycle too.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
-- trying to get to a resolution on it. So I thought okay, I'll sit down
with staff, anticipate the questions, try to come up with some answers
and suggestions, and if they meet the criteria and we can move this
thing forward, then we've accomplished something. But we've been at
this thing for nearly a year and it's getting pretty stale.
MS. ISTENES: And basically what we did was review all of kind
of the year's worth of conversations. Your concern over the mom and
pop guys, the difference between outdoor seating versus outdoor
entertainment. So yeah, I mean, that's kind of where we are,
unfortunately.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: At one point the mom and pops
came up, and we resolved it by excluding them --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It was a different ordinance then.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: -- and we weren't supposed to
build on that. Now they're coming back in.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It was a different ordinance. The
ordinance, when it first came up, was much more onerous than it is
today. The cost, the impacts, what it applied to, the process that you
would have to fall under, all that was a whole different program.
This is a different ordinance than it really started out to be. I
understand the BCC is going to get the whole trail of them, and they'll
have a lot of fun with that. But in trying to get an ordinance that could
be applied to everyone fairly, there were certain things that had to get
on the table, and that was the issuance of the permit and the
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January 9, 2008
applicability. A one-time permit for a fee on think it was $250 or
whatever the cost was to submit and apply -- maybe even less than
that, $300 (sic) or something--
MS. F ABACHER: It was less.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It was a one-time permit. And unless that
facility modified its operation or didn't manage its operation carefully
and its patrons got wild and crazy and they successfully were
prosecuted for a noise violation, they never need to come back in for
another permit.
That's not too unreasonable, at least I didn't think so, but--
MS. ISTENES: And it's approved administratively, whereas the
old ordinance --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MS. ISTENES: -- had everything going before the board. And
advertising and all that.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: So the permit will be issued, no
questions asked, as is, they just apply for it, they get the permit and
they're good until there's a problem?
MS. ISTENES: Correct. I wouldn't say no questions asked, but,
you know, obviously we're going to say what -- if you're the ice cream
parlor, I think it's going to be obvious, but we're probably going to
ask, oh, you're putting small bistro tables out so your patrons can eat
their ice cream outside. I mean, that will be like the extent of the
questionings. Just confirmation of what the use is and how they're
going to use this --
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: But there will be no
decision-making you can, you can't.
MS. ISTENES: No.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I think I was the guy that brought
up the mom and pops issue, and I was concerned -- still could be
concerned about it. However, I will tell you, after hearing the Stevie
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January 9,2008
Tomatoes issues and becoming more aware of it, I looked at this
document that we've now evolved into and thought it covers what it
needs to cover in order to protect everybody. And so I'm not as
concerned.
I think we've got -- I think because of the conversations we've
had, we've evolved into a better document. Is it perfect? No. But I
think it does the job that it needs to do. So if that helps you in any
way.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Susan, whatever happened to
enforcing the thing? Because the -- the sound ordinance. It states that
there's an annual permit, which obviously you wouldn't renew if
somebody was disturbing somebody. For live performance and/or
amplified sound. Throughout the thing it says live performance or
amplified sound. It has penalties, it has hours.
How come that's never -- I mean, it's essentially what we're
trying to do here. I mean, it's discussing, you know, residential
neighbors and stuff. I mean -- and unfortunately it is the trigger of
whatever we do here anyway. So if the trigger doesn't work then why
make a bigger shell? I mean, you're never going to fire it. So why
aren't we just discussing the trigger?
And the second point is if today we're going to rewrite this to be
a different kind of ordinance for just outdoor seating with or without
entertainment, that's a big task.
MS. F ABACHER: Excuse me, outdoor serving.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah, outdoor --
MS. F ABACHER: Seating, serving.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: With or without entertainment?
MS. FABACHER: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So that's the new title of this.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, like I said, we can change the title.
It's wordsmithing and then the application.
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This is a use. This becomes a permit for a use. It's different than a
regulatory permit for noise violations. That's why we have to -- that's
why a section in the LDC is justified. It becomes a regulated use.
The impact of that use then falls under the code of laws in the
noise ordinance. That's why you need them both. You first got to have
the use acceptable through a permit process that can be lost if they
violate the code of laws. Once they violate that, then we pull their
permit, then they can't be there anymore.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I mean, I'm reading, annual
permit, annual permit.
MS. F ABACHER: Excuse me, you're reading from the code of
laws?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I'm reading from the code of
laws.
MS. F ABACHER: The noise ordinance.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right, that's--
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: For live performance and/or
amplified sound at commercial or tourist commercial sites.
So why don't people who have outdoor seating, which is what
this describes, non-enclosed area, why don't these people have annual
permits and why aren't you using that as the regulatory -- just like
you're saying, Mark, it exists, it's in the code of laws. It's not in the
LDC, but the code of laws govern.
MS. ISTENES: I would agree with Commissioner Strain. I mean,
he explained it. I can't explain it any better. It's -- I suppose you could
call it a different layer, but it's a land use issue, not a --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If anything, Brad, this makes the ability
for county staff to enforce that law better. It doesn't hurt, it offers
another level of protection, and it certainly makes it easier to enact
that level of protection than trying to go through the noise ordinance
to do it. That's where I was -- that's where I think this whole thing is
coming from.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But the irony of the whole thing
is that down on 2 it's requiring this noise ordinance, isn't that right,
Jeff, to trigger the violation. So the point is that if you can't get a
violation, then you can write anything you want in here. If you can't
get to the trigger, based on the violation that exists already, the code
that exists already, then what do you do? You haven't done anything.
MS. ISTENES: They definitely work in concert together.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. And they're rewriting the noise
ordinance as we speak.
Ms. Fabacher, did --
MS. FABACHER: That was my comment, Mr. Strain.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The noise ordinance is being rewritten in
reaction to the same purpose that we're here today. We're going to
give them a double whammy if they -- we're going to have two
avenues in which to approach this to make sure it don't happen, and if
it does happen, we're going to do the best we can to stop it. But this is
better than not doing anything at all.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. So we're going to be
concerned with noise, that's what the virtue of this is? Then why are
we picking on just the outdoor seating guys? Because if you do
change it to be outdoor seating with or without entertainment, you've
picked up two seats in front of the ice cream parlor.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If the outdoor seating guys have to come
in and get a permit for their outdoor seating, under the condition that if
they do anything in regards to outdoor seating that disturbs the
neighborhood and they end up elevating it to a noise problem, they
may not get that outdoor seating again to retain their business with.
And they can have their indoor seating, but they don't have their
outdoor seating anymore. That's a huge incentive for people to not --
to manage their property better and not to get out of line.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So that's the basis under which I had
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thought this was going forward.
Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Did you say a violation or
complaint? In other words --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: A confirmed violation. Complaints don't
carry any weight. You have to go through the process and be done
with it.
I started to read -- Mr. Kolflat?
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Yes, does this mean we're going
to regulate things like Wynn's Grocery Store, which has outdoor
seating, or Cold Stone Ice Cream parlor, which has outdoor seating--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN : Yes.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: -- and all that?
COMMISSIONER CARON: They need to get a permit.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: There will be a one-time permit to get it.
As long as they never did anything that triggered a successful court
action against them -- or code enforcement action against them for
noise, they'd be left alone forever. But if they ever did have a noise
problem to where their neighbors complained -- and in that location, I
can't imagine anybody would, because it's in a huge commercial PUD.
But ifthere's a complaint and a problem, we have to have some way
of reigning them back in, and that's what this is being put into play for.
So yes, it would apply to everything and everyone. At least from
my reading of it, so --
MS. ISTENES: May I? Quite frankly, you know, with newer
projects or site plans that are being amended, we can collect the --
they can do the permit through that process. It's not like it's that
onerous. I mean, they can just through their SDP approval also obtain
the permit administratively through the same process. In fact, we
would likely tie them together.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: The other couple of bullets that involve
this section, I think we might have just touched on, but I'll reread them
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just so you know. The permit would be issued -- the one-year
temporary use permit. It would be a one-year temporary use
indefinitely until a noise violation came into play. That permit would
be issued administratively through zoning unless there had been one
or more findings of violation of the noise ordinance within the
previous 12 months.
The third item, if the establishment has a violation history, then
the application for temporary use permit or outdoor serving areas will
go to the BCC at a regular meeting. The board may decide to approve,
deny or approve with conditions.
And the last: Eating and drinking establishments where there is
live music, entertainment, amplified sound will be required to obtain
that annual permit through code enforcement. And that's the permit
that Brad, you were reading this in the noise ordinance.
So those are the additional bullets to this Section 5.04.07 that
need to be incorporated into it as we go through these pages.
And ifthere's no objections from the panel, they can come back
in draft form to us on Friday to finally discuss. But that's the
suggestion that I came forward with with staff and everybody working
together over the last couple of days in some meetings trying to figure
out how to resolve the concerns expressed here before.
If you disagree with it, please say so. Otherwise, we want to get
something going.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, we're still on Page 42. Does
anybody else have questions on Page 42?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I have one more. And this may have
been answered in the issue that Brad brought up about moving E-2-A
up to this point, but just in case.
A-I-A refers to the requirement shall not apply if the residential
use or zoning district is mixed use and allows for the mixing of
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January 9,2008
residential and nonresidential uses within the same development.
Does that mean if that language stays in this requirement does
not apply to the condition of Pebblebrook? Because then we're losing
the intent of the whole thing to begin with.
MS. F ABACHER: Catherine Fabacher.
I believe that they are not a mixed use PUD. I believe that they
have a commercial component in a residential PUD or vice versa. No,
they're a --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Catherine, it doesn't -- no, no, no, you're
jumping the gun. It doesn't say a mixed use PUD. It says if the zoning
district is mixed use and allows the mixing of residential and
nonresidential uses within the same development. Pebblebrook is one
development. So are most of the other PUD's that contain commercial
uses. Whether you call them mixed use or not, they weren't back then
when Pebblebrook was here. We only had PUD's, we didn't have an
MPUD.
So if it's not defined as a mixed use but it has mixed uses in it, it
looks like it's exempt, which I don't think was the intent of this whole
thing.
MS. ISTENES: No, that's not the intent. The intent was only to
exclude those -- and I'll just describe them for purposes of discussing.
The mixed use where you've got, for example, a residential component
above a commercial component. Those type.
So yes, I think that needs to be cleaned up.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So A's got to be rewritten.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And Mark, the point you're
making is that while within the development it doesn't apply, but it
certainly applies to the surrounding neighbors. I mean, that's the
concern I had when I read this thing over.
And the other thing is that the way it's worded, you know, you're
exempting something. But essentially that something could disturb a
neighbor. So I think we have to exempt it only from within the
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development itself.
MS. F ABACHER: I think that Mr. Schiffer's suggestion to go to
Page 45-A and look at that, that's much better language. You might
look and see if that's close enough to what we're talking about.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: What I do want to do, though, is I don't
want to leave the language I just read in. Because --
MS. FABACHER: No, I understand.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: No.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- it's obviously not going to work.
MS. F ABACHER: Right. I had made a note to, as he had
suggested, to look at putting that there. And I guess Susan can look at
that language and see if that does cover all possibilities.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, on -- go ahead, Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Recently Stock at its boutique
mixed use not far from residential, quite close to residential, actually,
and they were granted amplified sound till 10:00 p.m. I think we need
to take into consideration that the BCC concluded that was acceptable
to 10:00 p.m. I don't know whether or not they should strike out
boldly or what we should do in that matter, but I thought I'd offer that
information.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, that's the issue on 45 that's brought
up. Yeah, when we get to Page 45, I agree with you, I had circled that.
But we ought to -- when we get to that page, we ought to talk about
times --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- of operation.
Is there anything else on Page 42?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I have one more. Item two, the last full
sentence, it says -- refers to the facility. And my question there, it talks
about a finding of violation, the Collier County ordinance, noise
ordinance, have been issued to the owner/manager of the facility by
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the Collier County Code Enforcement officer.
What's the facility?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Good point.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I mean, do you mean the business?
MS. FABACHER: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, why don't we say that?
MS. FABACHER: We should say the parent--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, the parent business could have 15
subsidiaries all over the county, like Stevie Tomatoes has more than
just one, so you don't want the parent, do you?
MS. F ABACHER: No, whatever you --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Don't you want the business at that
location?
MS. F ABACHER: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, well, I think you need to
somehow say that.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Or the location of the permitted
-- the permitted location.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Something to that effect. But I think if
there's an issue there, Catherine -- I mean, there is an issue there. I
think it needs to be resolved. And if you can come up with language
and go forward.
Page 43. Are there any questions on Page 43?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, the--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I do have one, if! may.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray, go right ahead.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: It's just for my edification,
perhaps, only. But, you know -- and I understand the reason for it to
go to the Board of Zoning Appeals as a conditional use. I just wanted
to qualify. In that matter we would not hear that, we would not see it,
because it is more a punitive action, I would presume.
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CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We hear --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Can you construe -- or could you
see a future where the Board of County Commissioners might remand
such an issue back to us?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But Bob, in Section 10.08.00, doesn't
that require conditional uses to come to us?
MS. F ABACHER: Right. But didn't we discuss changing that?
One of the options would be to change that just to go to the Board of
County Commissioners?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I don't remember that dis -- I
remember an awful lot of discussions and I can't --
MS. FABACHER: I'm sorry.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: -- say with clarity that --
MS. FABACHER: Mr. Murray, I'm referring to the discussion
that staff had with Mr. Strain.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, that may be, but I'm not
aware of that.
So I'm raising an issue that may not have meaning, but I am
raising it, because if it does have meaning, we ought to talk about it.
I don't know if the ordinance that we are under requires
conditional uses to come to us.
MS. F ABACHER: It does.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And I thought so.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: And I wondered then -- and I
thought, okay, I could make a case for it going directly to the BZA,
because on Page 43 it references that.
But it seemed to me we'd be violating our own ordinance.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, but the way this is written, it
would be heard by the Board of Zoning Appeals as a conditional use
subject to the standards and procedures established in 10.08.00 which
provides us to hear it first. Ultimately the BZA hears everything. So
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the fact that they're going to be hearing the conditional uses is fine. I
mean, they're going to hear it anyway. But I think it's subject to our
going through the process.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I don't think the intent that this
was written was to have it go through us, because I do have some
recollection of a conversation where I think that you folks thought that
-- not you folks, but I think Catherine thought that it shouldn't come
through this for that purpose. I don't mean to put words in your mouth,
but that's my recollection.
MS. F ABACHER: No, that's fine.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And so if that's true what you just
said, Mark, fine, I agree with that. But if that's not the intent, then we
ought to know that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Susan?
MS. ISTENES: May I --let me see if! can say what I want to
say. My recollection is we -- in the past we discussed a conditional
use, and I believe Catherine pointed out probably way back when that
technically or legally speaking the conditional use was not the
appropriate process to use for this type of what I would call basically a
permit. I mean, it is a permit.
Yes, conditional use is reviewed by you all. You forward a
recommendation to the BZA, BZA makes the final decision.
My question would be -- our recommendation would be not to do
a conditional use. That would mean that any permit that had one or
more violations or a violation that was found to be legitimate would
then have to for future issuance go to the BZA for approval. So in a
sense they would be approving what is a temporary use permit under
certain conditions. That would not go to you.
Do you wish that it go to you? And if so, then we would entertain
that recommendation, because this is technically a new process, and
we could write that in if that is your recommendation. Otherwise --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I would suggest, out of respect for the
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Board of County Commissioners, they're the political body that's
going to get the heat should the citizens be upset, that the first
language in here remain that it goes to them, but as a temporary use
permit approval instead of a conditional use. So you would strike the
last part of that sentence.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Good.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And then if you point that out to the
board and they decide they want it to go to us in lieu of them or in
addition to them, let them make that decision. I think they're the ones
that are going to get the political heat. It's their constituents.
And that can be something you can point out to them and
politically they can then decide what is the best tact to take.
MS. ISTENES: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Page 44. Are there any questions
on Page 44?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I do.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Up at the top, B. What you're
saying is that they have to submit this document, you know, which in
essence would flag any violations within 30 days. Is that something
that you will be reviewing, though, when you review the thing to see
if anything's occurred since then?
MS. FABACHER: (Nods head affirmatively.)
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay. And then I was thinking
MS. FABACHER: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: -- of adding to the application
that there be a layout of the outdoor use, essentially a plan showing
what the people intend to do out there.
Now, you may have that covered under a completed application
as prescribed by the county manager. You may in there require a
layout. But the concern I have is that there should be a layout showing
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-- and holding people to what it is they intend to do out there.
Otherwise, you know, five chairs could turn to 50. And also, there's,
you know, exiting, life safety issues that should be reviewed.
But anyway, my thought was to add E, a layout, and then in 3,
which are reasons to deny the application or refuse or revoke a permit,
I think you should add in there that the layout doesn't comply with the
governing life safety codes. That would be a good reason to not allow
the use.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr.--
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Question, Brad. A layout,
handwritten layout? Or now we're going to go to an architect, or how
do we want to -- if we're going to write something in?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I mean, I think -- you know,
much like people go to the health department, there's some pretty
crude layouts, but it's a layout nonetheless.
MS. F ABACHER: Site plan.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah. I mean, it doesn't require
an architect or an engineer.
MS. ISTENES: May I?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Kolflat after Ms. Istenes.
MS. ISTENES: Thank you.
If it's approved through a site plan, you're going to get a layout as
part of the site plan. But -- number one.
Number two, the LDC allows us the administrative authority to
determine what goes in our application packages, and I can tell you it's
standard just to have a layout. And no, it is not required to be
engineered for temporary use permits. I would accept -- as long as it's
accurate and it has to accurately reflect what's going to go out there,
you know, the number of seats and all that.
Again, you're going to have this information on your site plan
anyway, because outdoor seating requires that it's shown on your site
development plan. So unless you're going to be like in a shopping
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center, for example, then it's going to get a little bit -- it's a little bit
different for shopping centers because you've got an overall parking
calculation for shopping center. And I'm thinking of like a Starbuck's
or an ice cream place that throws a few tables out there. You're
generally not going to trip that --
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Well, a little strip center with
three or four restaurants and each restaurant has four or five or six
tables, you're not going to have a site plan, if the shopping center's old.
MS. ISTENES: We would, yes. We would have something.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: But the seating won't be on
there.
MS. ISTENES: Might not be, yeah.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But you're -- what you're saying
is there's no need to add it to this because you're going to include it in
I-A, which is the application --
MS. ISTENES: Correct, yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: -- it's a requirement. Which is
fine with me.
MS. ISTENES: That's our standard requirement.
MS. F ABACHER: I might suggest, too, that we do what we've
been doing in other areas where we sayan approved application --
county manner (sic) approved application form, not stated in here.
MS. ISTENES: Exactly. That was my intent.
MS. F ABACHER: And just put it -- because we can easily
change the application. You know, we don't have to come --
MS. ISTENES: Exactly.
MS. FABACHER: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Mr. Kolflat, then Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLAT: Yeah, we all agreed, apparently,
or talked about the fact that the Board of County Commissioners is
going to make the determination and decision that does directly not
involve planning commission. If that's the case, why are we starting to
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outline what the details are that they should use as criteria, such as
drawings and so forth? Shouldn't the County Commissioners decide
what they want, to make their own judgment?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, they would -- actually, the
commission would much prefer, I think -- I can't speak for them, but I
think they like to see us work out the nuts and the bolts of this stuff,
get our recommendation, and then they can focus on their
recommendation instead of having to reinvent the wheel. We save a
lot of time by doing what we're doing here today. So I think this is a
preferred method to get there. That's my opinion, at least.
Forty-four.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I had --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray, you're next, I'm sorry.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Not a problem.
Under 3, there's a series A through F, and they all seem
legitimate, but I was just wondering, in the case of E, inasmuch as that
-- unless I'm missing a nuisance there that's already in the code, is it
necessary to have that, or is that just the intent there, being to -- in a
recitation of reasons? Okay.
MS. F ABACHER: Yes, I believe so. That's just to spell out some
of the considerations that they -- criteria that they could use.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I know. And I understand that.
But what was going through my mind is our very frequent statement
about redundancies. Now, I have no objection to it remaining in there,
but I pose that question in case anybody else has any issue.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Let me say something on that,
Bob.
Bob, that's going to be -- you really -- that is going to be a major
problem. For example, there are a lot oflittle shopping centers, the
small strip stores, they're designed for square footage to meet exactly
their parking. That never intended when these things were built or
even current that the guy who threw, you know, two, four tables out in
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front of a store, there's parking provided for it.
So I think one of the consequences of this ordinance, if it leaves
what it states in the title, is that you're going to find a lot of people in
violation, especially the mom and pops, with their tables out front.
Because there's no design that people have extra parking to handle
those tables.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: But they're not -- but when you go in
and you do an SDP for a restaurant or something, you're basing your
concurrency impacts on the amount of seating you have and this
meeting space. But now you're telling me that that's okay but we don't
count the stuff outside? We have to count the stuff outside.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Oh, Mark, at what you
described, we do. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the guys
who's recently their coffee shop, their ice cream shop, their little
luncheonette have thrown tables outside. Especially since the smoking
ordinance kind of caused them to do that. Those tables were never
anticipated when the building was built.
Anyway, it's -- if you want to -- again, the only -- I had no
concern over that within the title that we were given. I have a concern
over that if we leave that title. Anyway.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: I agree.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: It's a point, a statement.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Any other questions on 44?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I have one consideration for 3, and it
would be instead of -- and after F, you might want -- maybe we need a
G. You can refuse or revoke a permit for all the following things, but
what if someone was operating without a permit repeatedly, and don't
we want to be able to refuse, if they're operating illegally? Isn't that a
violation of our code and they didn't show good intent, do we want to
include anything for that occurrence?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's interesting.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: What you're assuming is that
they now would pass everything except for the fact that they have a
legacy of operating without a permit.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I mean, I think if they pass, they
pass. Aren't we bringing them into compliance?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, that's fine. I was just throwing it
out on the table. If it's not an issue, then it's not an issue.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Would that send them back to
BZA or something?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I mean, you know, we have in
here that people have to -- people have to register within a certain
amount of time. The assumption is they all are operating without a
permit.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, we'll let it go. I thought I'd throw
it on the table.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: No, it's --
MS. FABACHER: Excuse me. For existing businesses you're
talking about?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I think a while back there was an
issue where the Registry or one of the -- or Ritz or somebody came in
and was having an event and they just didn't get permits for it. They
put tents up and they repeatedly didn't get permits for it, and they
fought the county on it. So they finally came in and got permits.
But I think part of the ability for staff to assess whether or not a
company deserves the permit is their actions in the past that they --
that would historically occur. And that's the only thing I was
suggesting. But if it -- I'm not married to it, so --
MS. F ABACHER: And also, I'd like to say that these criteria
don't mean -- the board still would have the discretion just to weigh
these things. And it doesn't necessarily mean because you didn't have
enough parking that they could deny you, that they would be
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January 9,2008
compelled to deny you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Well, let's move on to Page 45.
Anybody -- Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: I want to address that.
If there's not enough parking and we're going to give them a
permit, no questions asked, and you had just said that well, we don't
have to deny them, or -- you have a choice whether to deny them --
MS. F ABACHER: I'm talking about --
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: -- parking?
MS. F ABACHER: I'm talking about the board.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Okay.
MS. FABACHER: Not us.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Page 45. Anybody have any
questions on Page 45?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I do.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: You knew I did.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Murray, then Mr. Schiffer. We'll
take turns here this time.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: You knew I did, and I raised the
question. You said you were going to address it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN : Well, no, I said we'll get to that page. So
if you want to --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Oh, I thought you were going to
address it as well.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, I just meant get to that page.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. Well, my concern here is
-- this is particular to Lely Resort area as an example. And that was
recently approved and they were given amplified sound till 10:00.
And I just wanted to interpose here to see whether or not that's
meaningful to us relative to this. And then I guess would -- if this
ordinance were passed, would that subordinate that PUD issue?
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MS. ISTENES: Well, my recommendation would be every site
and situation be considered on its own merit. So I'm not sure I would
look back at action taken at a specific place in Lely as being
applicable to something up in North Naples, for example. It's just
every situation is different.
As far as usurping the PUD, I guess I'm not -- my initial answer
would be no, but I'm not sure I quite understand your concern.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, let me amplify, if! may.
Hopefully I can.
They sought and got amplified sound for that PUD. And it's right
by a lake, and that sound is going to resonate right across that lake and
up into -- and it's up till 10:00 at night, and it is amplified sound. So
it's in contradiction to what the intent of this is, if passed.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Maybe I can offer some help, Susan.
The noise ordinance has limitations on hours in which noise can
be produced to a certain level. This is an operating hours ordinance, is
it not? Or is this -- aren't we talking about operating times?
MS. ISTENES: Um-hum.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. So I think what the -- how the two
interact is the noise has to stop at a certain time by the noise
ordinance, but the operations can continue, meaning if they're serving
food or doing whatever, as long as they're not creating the noise until
the times on here. Is that what we're trying to say? Is that what this
ordinance is trying to say?
MS. F ABACHER: Well, it's really confusing, because we're
looking at the copy that was written when this version of the
amendment contained music or entertainment. Now if we're looking at
a permit with or without music, I'm wondering if we shouldn't defer to
the code on this. It's a thought.
That's what makes it so complicated, we've been through so
many iterations of these different -- trying to solve this problem.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I'm not trying to introduce
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additional problems, but I'm trying to anticipate what the future would
be. For instance, if we were to use this little box here where it talks
about the times, they're different than the times that was allowed under
that PUD. And that's one factor.
The other factor is we also had something like 2,500 lineal feet
away someplace, I thought was in here, yep, and that's I think
certainly not -- and that's a mixed use. So it's okay for the mixed use.
But the sound's going to resonate and it's going to get to people's
homes a lot closer than 2,500 feet.
So all I'm trying to do is add something, not muddy it up, but add
something that we should be cognizant of.
MS. ISTENES: My recommendation would be at this point to
leave those time frames in. I mean, we're recognizing that the noise
again doesn't come -- and I hate bringing it up, but Stevie Tomatoes,
the noise is from the people, it's not from the T.V.'s. You can't hear the
T.V.'s over the people. And there's probably 15 of them out there, all
on different channels, so it doesn't even make sense to turn them up.
They don't need an amplified sound permit for that situation.
So that's kind of what -- I mean, we need to focus on that aspect
of it as well. That's why I would recommend keeping that in.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: This is trying to regulate the time in
which the outdoor use could be utilized.
MS. ISTENES: And it ties back to the use, as you -- you know,
as we're trying to regulate it, as you stated before.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: So you could have noise on the outside
going up to the times the noise ordinance allows it, to the extent the
noise ordinance allows it. But the use of that area has to cease at these
hours. So then the stuff moves inside. So if you're within 1,000 feet of
residential area, by 11 :00 at night not only have you already ceased
for over an hour, probably, the noise part of it, but you're now moving
inside at 11 :00 and you can't do any more outside noise, period.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I understand all of that. And my
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-- I guess my -- the other side of that question then is since it was
stipulated in that PUD, it would be 10:00 p.m., and this is more
opportunity, would they be able to come -- I assume they'd have to get
a permit as well. Would they be able then to operate outside of the
PUD's definition? Would they be able to operate until 12:00 a.m.?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Was the PUD for noise or was it for use?
And if it was for use, the applicant agreed to it. So they'd be bound by
what they agreed to at the public meeting.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's what I assumed, but I just
wanted to qualify, I wanted to understand that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I mean, unless --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- staff says differently.
MS. ISTENES: I'm not familiar with the language in the PUD--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm not either.
MS. ISTENES: -- so I really can't give a definitive answer.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I'm going to rest my case
on that. But I brought the issue up for qualification, in case it was
important to anybody.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, let's move to page--
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Wait, you forgot me.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead. Sorry, Brad.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: The only issue I really have -- or
two issues. One is where it states the issuance of one finding of
violation. I think that should be replaced with a finding of violation.
Otherwise I'll be saying, it doesn't apply to me, I have five violations,
you know.
And then down at the bottom, I think we should make sure that
what we're describing there is within the PUD or mixed use thing. For
example, if there's a -- if you have an outdoor seating area and it's
within 1,000 feet, as mentioned above, I think it still applies. It's only
within the PUD or the mixed use area that they're exempted.
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And remember, we're going to move this up to the applicability
section. So I think that the only thing that's missing in this description
is the clarification they're talking about within the residential use. It
does apply to things that are adjacent to the PUD or the mixed use,
correct?
MS. ISTENES: That's my understanding, based on your last
recommendation.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: That wouldn't be fair if it wasn't
MS. ISTENES: Right.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay, that's it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Page 46. Oh, Mr. Kolflat, sorry.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLAT: Yeah, I've got one question on
that violation. Does the violation mean that there's been a violation
granted by the -- or judged by the Board of County Commissioners?
Or does it mean a filing of the complaint, or does it mean a decision
made to staff?
MS. FABACHER: I'll let Jeff handle that.
MR. KLATZKOW: It's generally going to be the Code
Enforcement Board or special master, ifthere's a finding of violation.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLA T: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Page 46.
Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: On the very top, is it planned use
district or planned use -- planned development? I don't know, I'm not
familiar with planned use district as a PUD. Planned use
development?
MS. F ABACHER: You're correct. It's a typo. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions on Page 46?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I do.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, Mr. Schiffer.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I did this a while ago. In 3, the
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county's providing a notice. Are you actually physically providing it
or you're providing the wording that you want on that? The way it's
worded, it says the county -- a notice provided by the county.
MS. FABACHER: Are you talking about posting of that sign?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, I mean, are you going to
hand these guys a sign and say --
MS. FABACHER: Well, that was put in when we were
contemplating the music aspect, to let people know what the law was
and give people who were complaining about the noise a way to reach
us and know that they had a right to complain I believe was the
original intent.
MS. ISTENES: I think that was the recommendation of this
board. But if it says the county will provide the notice, then I'm sure
we'll want to put a standard notice together that would be consistent
with every use that has this type of permit.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I mean, my question is simpler
than that: Are you actually physically going to say here, post this, or
are you going to say here are the words that I want you to put on the
sign?
MS. ISTENES: No, we'll just give them something to post. Just
like you would put like a sticker on your sign when you post on __
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Like an elevator.
MS. ISTENES: -- when you get a permit. It would be kind of the
same concept.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: That's it. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Any other questions on 46?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, Catherine, I think we've gone
through this pretty much in detail. The bullets that I read out from the
e-mail that you had sent to me will be incorporated. Those changes
need to be drafted and to us by tomorrow afternoon so we can finish it
on Friday.
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January 9, 2008
MS. F ABACHER: Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: If you can find a way to get that done.
Now, I previously suggested we meet at 11: 15, I said we needed
about an hour to finish and suggested we take a break then. Well, the
hour's up, we're not finished. We're going into another one that could
take some length of time. I don't think it will take an hour. But Cherie',
are you okay?
THE COURT REPORTER: Yes, thank you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, we'll try to get through it as easy
as we can.
The next part of this is the submittal requirements for site plans,
and it begins on Page 53 with a text actually on Page 54. The changed
text begins on Page 55.
Now, in order to short circuit some of this, I'm going to tell you
all what I had talked to staff about to help move this forward.
In discussing this with staff, the biggest two issues with them has
been -- one of the largest issues has been how they were to be able to
judge this; by what basis can they suggest that somebody be thrown
into a process that is rather cumbersome for someone, and at staffs
discretion.
In order to take the discretionary process out of it, in talking with
Catherine and Susan, some of the ideas that came out of that is the
discretion would apply subject -- or in triggering the following issues:
If there's outdoor seating, if there's outdoor entertainment, if there's
amplified sound, and depending on the hours of operation. Those will
be the discretionary measures that staff -- or suggested to be -- that
staff could then look at this and say based on any of those issues, they
could be incompatible with the surrounding area and therefore we're
going to put you into this next level of scrutiny.
And Catherine, elaborate if I've not gotten everything right.
MS. FABACHER: Well, no, I wasn't quite clear on this point.
My understanding was instead of giving unlimited discretion on every
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January 9, 2008
use, let's address the outdoor seating areas. Because if you look on
Page 55 at F, they discuss water management areas and so forth.
Our thought was to maybe add another item under the G, H, I, J
that would deal without door serving areas specifically and that would
say -- that would give the zoning director discretion if -- to require __
let me finish this before I get to the other thing -- to require additional
buffering, to require some limitation on the hours of -- well, I don't
know about the hours of operation, but to require sound attenuation
devices, or even at the site plan level during the SDP process give the
zoning director discretion to have them move to another part of the
development, say, in the case of Stevie Tomatoes, if we had the
outdoor seating indicated on the site plan and we saw how close it was
to the residential, we could say put this one on the interior side of this
building into the subdivision and away from the residential is where I
thought we were headed. Just to get away from the huge latitude of __
and the impossibility to anticipate any non-compatible use.
Susan, what are your thoughts?
MS. ISTENES: I think it was a two-step process. First was
identifying where we could use our discretion, and I think
Commissioner Strain outlined those situations where we could use our
discretion. And then the second part of the process was what you
reiterated, we then -- we can't just reject the plan if it meets all the
codes and ordinances of the county, but we could use our professional
discretion in requiring additional buffering or noise attenuation
devices or suggesting a relocation, things like that.
So yes, that --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MS. F ABACHER: Do we agree that we're not just going to leave
it wide open to non-compatible uses but we say specifically outdoor
serving areas, Susan?
MS. ISTENES: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, that's what--
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January 9, 2008
MS. ISTENES: That's what --
MS. F ABACHER: Okay, I just wanted clarification.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Let's back up and try to move forward
with this in a little bit of organization.
First of all, we're on Page 55. We have underlined, strike-through
paragraph starting with number five. Now, in reviewing those
paragraphs, when we get to 5-A, that's where the problem comes in
about staffs discretion in refusing to approve a site plan.
The intent of the discussion I had and the suggestions of the
limitations of discussion we had would be to insert those limitations or
any others, or none, if the board felt that way, somewhere after 5-A,
like 5-A-i, and say the discretion will be -- discretion of staff will be
based upon the following, and then you list those four. Boom. Now
staff has a reason why they can pull something in pursuant to this new
language and say there's a problem with it. Then we go on from there.
Now, I know we didn't get that far in our discussions; we
basically threw the concepts out on the table.
MS. F ABACHER: Right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: How did you see these things fitting in?
I mean, you're suggesting adding them up above under A, right?
MS. F ABACHER: I'm suggesting making it -- between I and J
and discuss outdoor serving areas specifically, and losing the idea that
the zoning director would be omniscient and could look at the site
development plan and find any use that was incompatible.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm sorry, I didn't -- see, I didn't catch
that. I thought that we were trying to still work with the underlying
language, but refine it enough to make it something you could utilize
so that you're not left out there with -- making arbitrary -- making
something that you could be accused of making arbitrary decisions on.
And that's by defining it through some kind of -- you know, defining
discretion, more or less.
MS. ISTENES: Well, defining the situation in which you would
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January 9, 2008
exercise discretion. And the situation is if you have outdoor seating or
if you have amplified sound or if you have outdoor entertainment,
which are really all kind of tied together in a way. And then if your
hours of operation --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. Mr. Murray?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: On the process involved in this
discussion here, if a developer doesn't like a decision that's drawn
because they believe it's subjective or whatever, the next course of
action is to have them appeal it to the planning commission, correct?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, they appeal it to the BCC, don't
they?
MS. ISTENES: BZA.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, I thought on this one -- on
this one in particular we were in the loop.
MS. F ABACHER: It's true.
MR. KLA TZKOW: It goes to the planning commission.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, on this one it does, you're right.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: That's what I thought.
MS. F ABACHER: And we -- and I don't think we had any
problem with that process.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: And I didn't have any problem
with that either. That's a little different than the other. And we may
actually get the other one back anyway.
But what I'm driving at is if I'm a developer and I come and I'm
concerned and I think you're being subjective, I have to now consider
well, do I want to go to the planning commission and have nine other
people being subjective. So I wonder if we're not adding a dimension
that we have to by adding a lot of other detail.
I recognize that we want to make standards as clear as possible,
but the thought that came through my mind was every time you add a
list of things, there are bound to be things you didn't include. And that
means another PUD -- I'm sorry, another LDC amendment at some
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"-~""--"""""-'-'._-'-'----",-,---~,--
January 9, 2008
future date. That's all I'm going with. So I don't know what your
thoughts are there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Klatzkow?
MR. KLATZKOW: The intent of this proposed ordinance is to
give the zoning director the ability when something pops up that was
completely unexpected, no matter what it is, that nobody anticipated
during the planning process, she now has the ability to say wait a
second, this wasn't what everybody thought you were going it do, and
it's not compatible with the neighborhood.
I would suspect that it would be a very infrequent time this would
ever be actually utilized, and to temper any zoning director's
exuberance on this one, it's going to go to the planning commission
and the planning commission at that point in time is going to say wait
a second, you're being silly, this is an appropriate use.
If we're just going to say simply say this is only for the outdoor
seating area, I don't think you need this, because you're going to be
permitting that use anyway.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: Right. I thought this has another
intent.
MR. KLATZKOW: This has another intent.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I thought I read it --
MR. KLATZKOW: This is the fail-safe ordinance where when
something comes through we say wait a second, this is not what we
thought was going to be there when we approved this.
MS. ISTENES: It's not fail-safe.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: No.
MS. ISTENES: Not with over 370 PUD's and a Land
Development Code and a GMP that have detailed regulations. It's
unrealistic to expect staff to identify --
MS. F ABACHER: Anticipate.
MS. ISTENES: -- that in every situation.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: See, and I have seen what's happened
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when staff has tried to exercise their administrative review with some
flexibility and the outcome become negative to some people. It gets
elevated to a political cause that becomes negative then to the
newspapers and all kinds of people. And so my thrust was simply
trying to put this into some manner where staffs not so badly exposed
for either not making the right call or for making a call they thought
was right when somebody else thought it was wrong. Because it could
go either way. They could make a call and be too strict and then be
called out on the carpet for that, because somebody with, say, the right
ear could make a lot of noise over saying look what they're doing to
me now. Look how long it took me to get through the system for no
reason.
And the opposite side, a guy could go through with a restaurant
and look as harmless as ever, they don't call him out on it and he puts
out a box to call patrons and he's calling patrons every five minutes
and waking the neighborhood up till 2:00 in the morning. Then they've
got the other side they'll get hit for that action too.
So if we put in the criteria by which they can review more
definitive, and if we have to expand on that criteria in the future, that
may be better than the ramifications if we leave it too open-ended
now. That's why I had tried to find some aim for this thing.
Anyway, if the board isn't in agreement with it, so be it. But that
was the attempt. And we can go forward from there.
And with that in mind, we're on Page 55. So how does everybody
think about the language? Brad?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I have some questions.
And just a statement to start, Jeff. One of the concerns I have is
that if a project gets through this process, you would have a really
difficult time going back to somebody and stating that, you know, you
can't have that use. Because you really have gone through an overly
scrutinized use. If I make it through the gate, you'd have a tough time I
think bringing me back.
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January 9, 2008
Anyway, the first thing is the 30 days from the first designation
of a use. In an SDP, and Susan would know this better, the uses are
essentially laid out. Like for example, let's enjoy Stevie Tomatoes
some more, he would be in there as an accessory use. He's going to
build a restaurant. We have no idea whether that's a restaurant that's
going to attract mimes or the AC/DC crowd. So how would -- if I
discussed that that's going to be a restaurant, how would anybody in
the department know what that restaurant's going to be in terms of
disturbing the neighbors in this case? And if I'm in the SDP, I really
don't know who my tenant is. I could be negotiating with quite a few
tenants, hopefully.
MR. KLA TZKOW: The issue with Stevie Tomatoes isn't the use,
it's the location. Had Stevie Tomatoes been on the other side of the
shopping center where the Park Place Diner is now, we wouldn't be
here discussing this issue right now.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But in the original construction
drawings for Stevie Tomatoes, there's a small patio that they even __
they enlarged that use compared -- I think through SDP. So I mean,
you wouldn't have caught it at this time anyway.
MR. KLATZKOW: When it became apparent -- and I don't even
know if staff would have caught this one, to be quite frank. When it
became apparent that there was an outdoor bar there with televisions,
okay, I think the board would like to have given staff the ability to say
wait a second, you need to take this particular use and put it on the
other side of the shopping center.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And I think that that could
become apparent during the building permit process. In other words,
the SDP's been approved, the uses have been outlined. This is a
restaurant use. It did show some small seating. But when the permit
came in, which is way past this time, is when I think the problem
would have been flagged.
So -- and also -- well, anyway, the other problem, going down in
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January 9,2008
there, it says that if you have a problem with it, you can refuse the site
development plan. Can't you -- wouldn't it be better just to refuse that
use within the site development plan and let the guy continue on and
argue over the use, not argue over his total site development plan?
MR. KLA TZKOW: That would be appropriate.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Okay, so I think in there we
have approval of such use within the site development plan I think
would be good to add.
MS. ISTENES: What if it's a standalone building?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, then, he's got a building
with -- you're not allowing the use in it.
MS. ISTENES: Then we can't approve the site plan.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I think in that case you could.
But if I have a shopping center and you're arguing over one tip of it, I
think I should be allowed to go through and we'll argue that down the
road.
COMMISSIONER CARON: I think that's covered in C.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: You do?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Right?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Not yet, no. Because I want to
go down the road before I go to the planning guys.
And I guess the thing and hopefully when we see, Mark, stuff
laid out, you know, the concept of potential is pretty difficult, I think
to, you know, to really substantiate.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, what I was going to -- what goes
with -- I gave you some of the criteria, but in leading up to that,
number five is titled non-compatible uses. If you recall, when we
talked about the eagle and the first review of that eagle thing, we got
this reaction to the eagle with a whole long laundry list of changes to
the code to react to one eagle nest being cut down on one dead tree.
And the practical sense was let's just get plain and simple and say this
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January 9, 2008
is -- you can't cut down anymore trees with eagle's nests in them.
Period.
Well, this is the same kind of thing. We have an issue with Stevie
Tomatoes. That's the only issue in the county. That's the only time it's
come up in a long period of time. Who knows when it will come up, if
ever agam.
But I was going to suggest that where it says non-compatible
uses, number five, term this thing outdoor serving areas with or
without outdoor entertainment. And then this becomes an additional
level of scrutiny for what 10.02.03 is, submittal requirements for site
development plans.
So now when you submit an SDP that has an outdoor serving
area with or without outdoor entertainment, then this section kicks in
and staff can exercise its discretion limited to the four elements that
pertain to that kind of activity. And then down the road if we -- I
mean, what else is the problem? We don't know any, so we're building
a code around a problem that may never exist in another category
agam.
Why don't we focus on the category that was the problem, fix it,
and if anything else comes along, fix it in the future instead of creating
so much regulation that we don't even know what we're covering.
Ms. Caron?
COMMISSIONER CARON: Yeah, I think your four items just
allows staff to ask questions, key questions. And that should be the
point. Then they'll ferret out what -- you know.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: And they're put in the submittal phase
now so that it gives them the highlight to trigger it in the submittal
phase.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But Mark, a problem we
members of the board have is that you have a list of things. We don't
have that.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Right.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: We have what staff gave us, and
once again, foolishly, we worked on that, you know.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, because of the holiday season
there was no time.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Right, so why don't we -- let's
just back off. I mean, if we're discussing things and then it's but wait a
minute, this revision's better, let's just stop, send us the revision, we'll
come back and visit it again.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, the problem is I still want to go
through everybody's concerns so that as much of this can be laid out in
the next 24 hours so that on Friday afternoon we can finish with this.
Because it's got to go to the BCC on the 16th and we've got to have
some kind of recommendation to give to them.
So I'd like to follow through with any further comments and
questions, including the verbal renditions I've given to you, and let's
just get through this and let staff come back with something by
tomorrow afternoon and we'll do the best we can Friday afternoon to
give the BCC something.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: But if your revision points that--
you know, fixes it, don't point that out, because we'll see it when it
comes. I mean, it's tough to second guess the revision.
MS. F ABACHER: Excuse me, but staff needs the direction from
this board.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I think--
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Well, Mark gave it to you
yesterday.
MS. FABACHER: No, no, we discussed--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, I did not.
MS. F ABACHER: He did not.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- Brad. I did not do that. I was trying to
help expedite today's meeting by coming up with suggestions to
respond to the questions I knew would come up because we've been
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January 9, 2008
doing this for a year. And if I don't anticipate the questions, we'll
never get through these meetings. We have been beating this thing to
death for a year.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: That's right.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We've got nothing to show for it.
So yes, I spent time with staff. I tried to come up with things.
They did not incorporate them into the language because they couldn't
have on my recommendation. I always have criteria in my meetings
with them. Everything I discuss comes back before this board. It's
suggestions to help this board move faster and more efficiently, that's
all.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Mark, in that regard, I know --
not adding to the frustration here, but if you -- is it possible for you to
broadcast those out? It may not be that everybody could get that, but __
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: No, Sunshine Law wouldn't allow it and
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: For you to broadcast out your
recommendations?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I wouldn't even want to take a chance on
telling you what I think about something bye-mail or anywhere else.
That just puts us in a terrible spot.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: Okay. But then that makes it
difficult, because you read and I listen and I'm trying to think and
integrate. You know, you're comfortable with it, I'm not. I'm not aware
of it. And it doesn't -- and it creates a frustration for you and for
anybody else that has the limitations I have.
I respect what you're attempting to do, certainly, but I didn't--
are we -- this is not a year we have been dealing with this.
MS. FABACHER: Yes.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Oh, yeah.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Oh, yeah.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: It certainly is.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: A full year?
MS. F ABACHER: Yes.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I thought this was introduced in
September. Okay.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Mr. Vigliotti?
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Mark, this is an exception. This
whole thing's been an exception. So everybody is trying to do what
they have to do to try and make it work. And I appreciate the fact of
you spending your time doing that.
I think at this point here we should just move forward, get it done
as best we can by Friday and finish it up Friday and go from there.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: That's what we're trying -- I agree, and
that's what we're trying to get to. So I think what we need to do __
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Would you like a motion to
make that happen?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- is keep -- no, we need to keep giving
our comments.
Let's finish the two pages. We get done with these two pages,
we're past it, there's no motion for today. But staff then will have
enough direction to produce a new draft for us to hopefully finish
Friday afternoon.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I have one other thought.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, Mr. Murray.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I'm getting the distinct
impression, and I'd like it to be corrected ifI'm in error, that staff
believes that this is probably -- that they can't handle this, because
there's too many things that they'd have to do. Ifthere's a basic
problem between the two, then it's -- I'm not sure it's resolvable. Is that
somebody that needs to be related?
MS. ISTENES: I don't understand the--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, you said you had 160
PUD's or something of that --
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January 9,2008
MS. ISTENES: Three hundred seventy--
MR. SCHMITT: 376 I believe we're at--
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Okay. Well, that--
MR. SCHMITT: -- somewhere plus or minus two, three.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Well, that was the -- that was the
signal I had that I thought you were indicating that it might be a lot
more workload for you than you thought was reasonable, or possible.
And ifthat's the case, then foisting this on you may be
inappropriate. On the other hand --
MS. ISTENES: My objective is that we're successful in meeting
the board's intent of protecting the citizens. And I don't think we can
do that, because three hundred -- under the current draft, because 376
PUD's is like having 376 mini LDC's. They're all unique. And I've got
a limited number of staff.
And to be quite frank with you, the staff that reviews site plans
are not my highest level of staff, and we spend a lot of time training
and working with them on issues. And an lot of times they learn
through -- I don't want to say --
MR. SCHMITT: School of hard knocks.
MS. ISTENES: Mistakes, but the school of hard knocks.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: On-the-job training.
MS. ISTENES: On-the-job training.
And I just -- I'm not sure that we're going to be as successful as I
think the board wants to be, because it's way too much discretion, and
I don't want to cause difficulty for our customers who come in and
they get five different answers from five different planners. It's just too
broad.
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I want to thank you for your
being candid. I needed to understand that. I don't know where that puts
us exactly, but it certainly gives it some thought for me.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, I think that you've heard some
suggestions, we've talked about moving non-compatible use language
January 9, 2008
to outdoor serving areas with or without outdoor entertainment,
focusing and refining the paragraph to do that, adding criteria for your
discretion so it's not so discretionary. And that's Page 55.
Is there anything on Page 56?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Go ahead, Mr. Schiffer?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: In D, shouldn't that be the board
of appeals, not the Board of County Commissioners?
MR. KLATZKOW: No.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: It should be the Board of County
Commissioners?
MR. SCHMITT: Brad, can I just point out, we do have in the
provision, just to put things in perspective, if there's a decision made
by the environmental staff that there's a -- basically an applicant and
the environmental staff are at a point where they agree to disagree and
it then may come to my level. But the applicant can bring that point to
the EAC. And the EAC is the ruling body. You would be a similar
ruling body in this case. I think it's --
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Right.
MR. SCHMITT: -- if the board approves it, you would be the one
to make a decision, and you could do that.
Don't forget, this is during the SDP review you're making a
ruling as to the applicability of the code. If they can appeal that
decision to the board, I think that's where Jeffwas coming from on
this. It's a similar situation we do with the EAC.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: My question wasn't that. I like
the -- my question was does it actually go to the board of appeals,
which is the commissioners, or does it go to the Board of County
Commissioners? That's my only question.
MR. SCHMITT: Oh, I got it.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: It goes to the BCC, from what Jeff just
said.
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January 9, 2008
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And that's what Jeff--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right. That's the short answer.
On that same page up at the top --
MR. SCHMITT: Yeah, goes to the BCC.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- we referred a couple times to an
amicable solution. Why don't we just say should the parties be unable
to reach a solution?
And then the paragraph for the last sentence or the paragraph
above it, second line, earliest convenience to discuss an attempt to
amicably resolve. Why don't we just say to resolve? Let's just take the
word amicably out and drop it. That just makes that language a little
cleaner.
MR. SCHMITT: You don't like those fluffy adjectives?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: I'm worried that not everything's going
to be --
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: He's not for fluff.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Usually one of them doesn't
walk away amicable anyway.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, then from -- after D we get into
Section E, and I think that's a good suggestion, perhaps more
appropriate noise ordinance. Why don't -- I think we already -- why
doesn't that go there? If it involves decibel levels and distances and __
why don't we just put that -- suggest that --
MR. SCHMITT: That ordinance is currently in rewrite.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
MR. SCHMITT: I think we just got the first draft --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Good timing.
MR. SCHMITT: -- from the consultant. So--
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay, are there any other questions on
this one before we get a draft of it tomorrow afternoon?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Mr. Klatzkow, can we make a
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January 9, 2008
motion to continue to a time uncertain Friday afternoon, or do we have
to pick a specific time? Or Friday, let's say.
MR. KLATZKOW: No, you can move it to Friday.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Okay. Is there a motion to continue this
meeting to --
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: So moved.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- January 11th?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: Yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: After our Cocohatchee discussion?
COMMISSIONER MURRAY: I move to that. After the -- yes.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion made by Commissioner Murray
MS. F ABACHER: Sorry. Mr. Chair, we didn't ever make a
decision on the open house sign amendment. And I think we've
worked that out, we just need a recommendation from you.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Well, we need to see the language--
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: We need to see the language.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: -- that -- why don't you bring it back on
the 11 th scratched up and we can just -- that will be an easy one to
finish up there.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Real easy.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: We're just making sure that the language
that was recommended to be changed got changed. We're not
changing any substance that Mr. Poteet was worried about. We're
simply rearranging it so that it reads better.
COMMISSIONER MURRA Y: Moving paragraphs.
MS. F ABACHER: Deliver that to you with this one?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Tomorrow afternoon.
MS. F ABACHER: Okay.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: And Mark, everything's coming
via e-mail?
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Right.
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January 9, 2008
MS. F ABACHER: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: So everybody knows that.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Do you get e-mail? Everybody can take
e-mail. Everybody nodded their head yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Including Tor.
MS. F ABACHER: Is that okay with you?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Yeah, he's good.
MS. F ABACHER: Because you can always pick up hard copies
at my office. I don't think I can get it couriered to --
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: There was a motion by Mr. Murray to
continue until after the Cocohatchee hearing tomorrow. Is there a
second?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: I'll second.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Second by Brad.
All in favor?
COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOLFLAT: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER CARON: Aye.
COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN: Aye.
COMMISSIONER VIGLIOTTI: Aye.
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Anybody opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN STRAIN: Motion carries.
We will see you all Friday morning at 8:30 to start out with the
Bert Harris claim.
*****
There being no further business for the good of the County, the
meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 12:42 p.m.
Page 133
January 9, 2008
COLLIER COUNTY
PLANNING COMMISSION
Mark Strain, Chairman
These minutes approved by the board on
or as corrected
as presented
Transcript prepared on behalf of Gregory Reporting Service, Inc., by
Cherie' R. Nottingham.
Page 134