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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDocumentation_Regular_Tab 10_05/12/2005 VILLAGE 6F REGULAR MEETING MINUTES PLANNING AND ZONING ADVISORY BOARD MARCH 16, 2005 I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The Village of Tequesta Planning and Zoning Advisory Board held a regularly scheduled meeting at the Tequesta Recreation Center, 399 Seabrook Road, Tequesta, Florida, on Wednesday, March 16, 2005. The meeting was called to order at 6:50 P.M. by Chair Elizabeth Schauer. A roll call was taken by Village Clerk, Gwen Carlisle. Board members present were: Chair Elizabeth Schauer, Vice Chair Steve Okun, Leslie Cook, Jeff Robbins, and William Wilder. Also present were: Clerk of the Board and Directar of Community Development Jeff Newell, Village Clerk Gwen Cazlisle, and Department Heads. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Boazd Member Wilder requested addition under Any Other Matters of the vote of Council at their last Council meeting authorizing improvements at the intersection of Old Dixie and Tequesta Drive. Chair Scha.uer requested addition under Any Other Matters of discussion of the joint meeting with Village Council and a report to the board regarding Arbor Day, which she had told the Village Council she would check into during the joint meeting. MOTION: �ce Chair Oku� moved to approve the agenda as amended; seconded by Board Member Robbins; motion passed S-D. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Vice Chair Okun moved to approve the minutes of the January 26, ZOOS and February 16, 2005 meetings as submitted; seconded by Board Member Wilder; motion passed S-0. IV. NEW BUSINESS A. Site Plan Review for Village Hall Mr. Jeff Newell, Department of Community Development and Clerk of the Board, introduced Vice Mayor Pat Watkins, Council Member Ed Resnik, Council Member Geraldine Genco, and Depariment Heads: Fire Chief Weinand, Police Chief Allison, and Russell White, representing Stormwater. Mr. Newell presented the staff report and explained the Viliage Green Park, zoned ROP, had been checked against the comprehensive plan and it ha.d been deternvned the only intrusion was a permitted intrusion which was the stage area, which did not create a problem. Minutes — Planning and Zoning Advisory Board Meeting March 16, 2005 Page 2 Mr. Newell noted the two parcels of the site would be united under Unity of Title and the resulting parcel was in compliance. He commented this was a special exception use in the C-1 Neighborhood Commercial Zoning District, and that Government facilities were a sgecial exception use. He noted the application would be presented for approval to the Village Council at their April 14, 2005 meeting. He mentioned the parking variance was granted when the Public Safety Facility was built two years ago, and was reduced from 39 spaces to 14 spaces, and 43 spaces were provided for the Village Ha1L He indicated technical requirements had been met and the variance that was in place remained with the property. Project Manager Mike Flattery, and Lead Architect Brian Travares from CH2MHi11 were introduced by Mr. Newell. The rendering and elevations of the site were presented. Mr. Newell commented this project had been ongoing since the Public Safety Facility was built. Chair Schauer referred to Department Head comments by Mr. White. Mr. Flattery advised he had met with staff at the DRC and their comments had been addressed, and advised that the water main would be maved east as far as possible. In regard to Mr. White's request to reduce the size of the retention pond and Council Member Genco's questions regarding green space and elevations, Mr. Flattery advised that the retention pond must be kept at the size depicted in order not to have flooding of the Public Safety Building, a.nd that the standards were set by South Florida. Water Management. Chair Scha.uer asked if the residential area directly behind the retention pond was in danger of flooding, to which Mr. Flattery responded no, that all stormwater requirements must be maintained. Chair Schauer referred to Lt. Ricchardi's memo of August 17, 2004, stating the � reception area was nvt secure and should have a physical separation between employee and visitor. Chair Schauer expressed her opinion some type of separation was needed between the public and emplo�ees, for sa.fety purposes. Mr. Flattery indicated that issue had been discussed, and office spaces had been restricted. The reception area would be open to the public to present a friendly atmosphere, but a camera would be installed and an emergency button and back access to get out of harrn's way would be provided. A security access system had been included, and access to offices by the public without authorization would be prohibited. Lt. Ricchardi's memo had indicated file storage adjacent to the HR office was not secure. Mr. Flattery advised there was also central file storage, which was secure, and the HR cabinets would be weatherproof and fireproof. Lt. Ricchardi's concern that the copy machine was haused with central records, permitting access by an unlimited number of employees which would present a problem with State and accredita.tion standazds pertaining to the privacy and security of records, was addressed by limiting access by employees to those with card access. The secure files would be lockable, so an employee could have access to make copies but not to the secure files. Minutes — Planning and Zoning Advisory Board Meeting March 16, 2005 Page 3 Security cameras were provided in various locations, with one in the file room. The security element would be under a separate contract, but the architects had met with that provider to be sure they had the locations of the devices in the spots where they were needed. Vice Chair Okun commented one of the issues discussed when the park expansion had been considered was to have cameras in the park as well as other locations in the Village that were tied into the Police Department, so the police could have a central monitor of all the Village properties to maintain security. � Mr. Flattery advised the Village Hall cameras would be directly linked to the Public Safety building, and CH2MHili wauld be glad to help the Village with ather camera locations, but that was a separate task. Vice Chair Okun asked if there would be a system to meet future security needs and internet access, to which Mr. Flattery responded the technology needs would be met, anticipating fiber optics, wireless, etc. Fiber optics was not presently being considered for lighting, but ra.ceways and spare conduit to the property line would be installed for future use. In compliance with SFWMD requirements, retenfiion would meet the standards for a 25-year storm. If storms occurred back-to-back, there would be controlled discharge of stormwater. Vice Chair Okun asked what steps were to be taken to have good quality water in the retention area, so the neighbors were not plagued by mosquitoes. Mr. Flattery advised there was very good percolation on this site, although if there were several back-to-back storms it would become marshy, but it would dry up quickly. Russell White advised that the Public Works Department could use special tablets to kill mosquitoes. Vice Chair Okun indicated he had noticed a large generator that he assumed would keep the facilities going during a hurricane, and he also assumed that the building also if needed could be used as an emergency facility. It was clarified that the building was not a shelter, but business operations could be condueted there during a storm, and disaster recovery after the storm, and the Public Safety building had 100°10 emergency power. � Vice Chair Okun expressed his opinion that the new building should have a generator that could be switched over to the Public Safety building if their generator failed. Assistant Manager Garlo reported the Village Council had approved and the Village had purchased a diesel portable generator that was on a trailer at public works and could be put into action immediately when needed. It was pointed out that there was not room on- site to have fuel storage for a generator beeause of the wellfield and the da.nger of contamination of the water. Vice Chair Okun stated he hoped someone investigated the possibility of using propane, since propane and natural gas was the way the industry was going. Mr. Travares explained the capacity was not sufficient to use propane; therefore, diesel was being used. . Minutes – Planning and Zoning Advisory Board Meeting March 16, 2005 Page 4 � Mr. Newell advised that the Village did not have any natural gas lines, and that extreme care must be taken not to contaminate the wellfield. Council member Genco reported she had spoken with the gas company and for $3,000 could have a natural gas line to her house. Vice Chair Okun suggested someone look into propane, and just to take another look at this � situation, since it was learned during the last hurricanes that portable genera.tars caused noise pollution. Council member Resnik commented � that the Public Safety building was constructed with the idea that they , would be able to operate 24 hours a day during a major hurricane, which had been tested, and they had been able to do that. It was not expected that all the Village Ha11 employees would be operating there during a hurricane, but immediately following the storm when there was no power, which was why the generator had been purchased. The portable genera.tor had been purchased to provide flexibility so that if there were an outage at any time in another location it could be placed into immediate service. Vice Chair Okun indicated he felt that was an excellent use of resaurces, but still believed a generator should be provided at Village Hall, which could be used for backup for the Public Safety building if needed. It was pointed out that although employees might not be in the building, an environment needed to be maintained for computers, etc. Assistant Manager Robert Garlo made comments to provide the board with a comfort level with technology, that there had been engineering reasons why the Public Safety emergency power system was what it was, and when the building was completed and occupied there was not a single thing anyone wanted to change. T'he system had operated 12 days straight without a hiccup, and it had been incredible the way the Village was able to operate during that time. Mr. Garla reported the Village Council was now investigating a wireless video/audio/data surveillance system for the Village, absolute cutting-edge technology, that would allow seamless wireless camera drops anywhere within the Village—all shooting back to an antenna and recorded at the Public Safety Building. Mr. Garlo indicated he j ust wanted to assure the board that staff and Council were on top of technology issues, and expressed appreciation that board members � were also raising these issues. Mr. Garlo explained that an opportunity to purchase a generator at an incredible cost savings had come about, which was why the generator had been purchased when it was, and it could be brought ta the Village Hall site and plugged into the transformer switch and would operate the whole building if necessary, but the board's points would be considered. Vice Chair Okun commented he was not criticizing, and felt what was done was outstanding and he had no complaints; but he just saw an opportunity to make something tha.t was very good a little better. Minutes — Planning and Zoning Advisory Board Meeting March 16, 2005 Page 5 Board member Cook commented it looked like staff had looked into it and there were reasons not to go Vice Chair Okun's way at this time, but perhaps in the future. Council Member Genco commented what she was hearing Mr. Okun say was to look at an alternate power source for future use when the present generators became obsolete, and now was the time to plan for that. Vice Chair Okun commented this building would outlive diesel fuel genera.tors. Council Member Genco commented he could recommend putting in alternatives, pipes, etc. for the future. Mr. Flattery advised that all new infrastructure that needed to go to a new power source would be in place, so that in fifty yeazs if the generator was gotten- rid of, due to new energy sources, it could be aceommodated. Chair Schauer asked about the separation between the green space and the residential property. Mr. Flattery described the building placernent, landscaping, and proposed wall between the property and Blair House. Detail of the wall would be provided to Mr. Newell, who could provide that information to the board. Board member Cook questioned the amount of building square foota.ge. Mr. Flattery indicated it was a little over 10,000 square feet and the Council wished to keep the cost at $200 per , square foot. There was a$2 million budget, and the Village Manager had requested it be brought in under that. That was two years ago, before two hurricanes that escalated price of materials. Board Member Cook asked the type of windows, which Mr. Flattery described as impact glass with optional shutters. Board Member Cook commented some people with impact glass windows had leakage during the storms. She stated she liked the look of the building. Board Member Wilder reported in his condominium they had just installed 750 impact-resista.nt windows and not one drop of water Ieaked in during two hurricanes; so he would much prefer the impact-resista.nt windows instead of shutters. Board Member Robbins noted point three of Lt. Ricchardi's comments regarding building security had not been addressed. Board Member Robbins asked that impact glass be considered for security purposes, as it would greatly increase the exterior security to make entry into the building more difficult. Mr. Flattery noted the building orientation would face Public Safety so that Chief Allison would have a clear view of the building. The roof and color scheme would match the Public Safety building. There were no comments from the public. MOTION �ce Chair Okun made a motion to recommend to �llage Council approval of the site plan for the Vllage Hal� Board Member Wilder seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous S-0 vote. Minutes — Planning and Zoning Advisory Board Meeting March 16, 2005 Page 6 B. Changing.Regular Meeting Date to the first Thursday of Every Month Mr. Newell reported from conversations at the workshop with Village Council, Council Member Resnik was looking for a summation of the meeting. Having one meeting per month would provide a larger window to get information prepared for Council. Mr. Newell requested approval to hold one meeting per month on the first Thursday of each month. Board member Cook asked if it was necessary to hold a meeting if there was no business, to which Mr. Newell responded there would always be business, and the adult entertainment ordinance still had to come back. MOTION Board Member Wilder made a motion to change the Planning and Zoning meetings to hold one meeting per mon�h to take place on the first Thursday of each month. Board Member Robbins seconded the inotion, which carried by unanimous S-0 vote. C. Resignation of Jeff Robbins from Board Mr. Newell reported that Board Member Robbins had requested to go from a regular member of the board to an alternate member. Board Member Robbins had found it di�cult to attend two meetings per month, and also his term was expiring. Since the board had voted to retum to one meeting per month, Board Member Robbins had indicated he could continue to serve as a regulaz member, which would be hi� request. The other board members expressed their appreciation that Board Member Robbins would like to remain on the board, and he indicated he would have a letter of request to Mr. Newell by the next morning. IV. COMMIJNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS There were no communications from citizens. V. ANY OTHER MATTERS Board Member Wilder reported he had attended the Village Council meeting last Thursday when the Village Council had voted on the board's recommendation for the beautification at Tequesta Drive and Old Dixie Highway, and the Council had turned down the board's suggestion about the brick wall. He expressed that new traffic lights, at a cost of $200,000 had been pushed, and that it would take 15-18 months to install them, and it was the opinion that nothing could proceed until the lights were installed. He noted Council had voted not to put in the mast arm traffic signals at tlus time, but to go ahead and start with the beautification of the intersection without the wall. It was clarified the wall had been suggested all along the walking trail. Minutes — Planning and Zoning Advisory Board Meeting Mazch 16, 2005 Page 7 Mr. Garlo explained that Council's direction was to immediately proceed with the landscaping of the intersection. Mr. Garlo clarified it would cost $200,000 for the mast arms, so Council chose not to do that at this time, but to use the money to improve the intersection and a linear park, including a pathway with landscaping north along Old Dixie Highway to County Line Road. He indicated there would be no wall and no identification at this time. Board Member Cook's opinion was the Village was better off without the large lights, which she believed were unaitractive. Vice Chair Okun commented there was also a feeling that Commissioner Marcus might provide more money for the project. Mr. Garlo advised two grants were being pursued: a Beautiful Palm Beaches beautificatian grant application up to $60,000, and the landscape architect was going to start on an application for a grant for the linear park. Board Member Cook commented the only problem she had with the linear park was she hoped they would not take the palmettos down and recommended putting more palmettos to block the railroad tracks which would deter children going close to the tracks. Chair Schauer commented the storm drains needed cleaning at Tequesta Drive and Old Dixie Highway. Board member Cook asked why water was coming out of a pipe there. Mr. White advised that was a sample line for the RO plant, which had passed the Health Departnient test and was no longer there. Chair Schauer commented at the joint meeting with Council she had advised them that in reading the ordinance she had noticed that Planning and Zoning Board was to act as the Tree Board, and coordinate Arbor Day. She indicated she had promised she would follow through. She mentioned she had spoken with Gary Preston, who advised the Village Manager was to set the criteria. She had next spoken with Vice Mayor Watkins, who was working with the Manager on this. Mr. Garlo commented the Vice Mayor had spoken to him ahout this matter and he would follow up. Council member Genco indicated the concept was to have the board identify trees to be preserved. Chair Schauer commented she wauld get with Mr. Newell regarding historic trees. Board Member Cook commented there was a huge banyan tree near Bay Harbor, which she believed was the only historic tree in the Village; also, she felt everyone always wanted to replace Royal palms with like size. Chair Schauer announced that the next P&Z meeting would be held April 7, 2005. IV. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Gwen Carlisle Village Clerk