Planning and Zoning Board - Regular Meeting

Alright. Good evening and thank you all for being here. I'd like to call to order the 04/09/2025 Planning and Zoning Board Meeting. Can will the madam clerk please call the roll?

Miss Nancy Fry. Here. Mister Jeffrey Leight.

Here.

Mister Alex Escoriazza.

Here.

Mister Solomon Brooks.

Here.

Miss Colleen LePlante. Present. And deputy city attorney Mahaffy. Here. And just for the record, vice chair Barker did contact the city clerk department to advise that he'd be unable to attend this evening.

Thank you.

This meeting is being conducted live with a quorum physically present. The material for today's meeting is available online at www.coking@creek.net. Anyone wishing to appeal any decision made will need a record of the proceedings and for such purpose may need to ensure that a verbatim recording of the proceedings is made including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. The archive of this meeting may be requested from the city clerk or may be heard online at www.coconutcreek.net. If you haven't already, please silence your cell phones. If you must take a phone call, please excuse yourself and step outside.

Okay, thank you. So, we're going to be moving on to item number three, approval of the 02/12/2025 minutes. Are there any corrections or revisions to the minutes from the February 1225 meeting? If none, is there a motion and a second to approve the minutes as presented?

So moved. Second.

Okay. Motion moved by Jeff, seconded by Alex. If we could have the Madam Clerk call the roll please.

Ms. Fry? Yes. Mr. Light?

Yes.

Mr. Scorriaza?

Yes.

Mr. Briggs?

Yes.

And Chair LePlante?

Yes. Thank you. And now we're moving on to item number four, utilities and engineering standards manual. We will now hear item four, amendments to the land development code to amend the utilities and engineering standard manual. And staff, if you could please present.

Evening board members, staff, Liz Aguirre, assistant director for the sustainable development department. As you can see, we do have a light agenda for you this evening, but an important item in any case. So agenda item number four, the land development code amendment, which the city of Coconut Creek is requesting an amendment to the city's land development code to amend the utilities and engineering standards section, specifically section 13 dash two thirty six purpose adoption of utilities and engineering standards. The current version of the manual that we have today was updated in, 1999, so clearly an update is due. This manual serves as a guideline not just for developers, but for the city as well establishing best practices.

Engineering staff did work with the entire development review committee to ensure that questions citywide were asked and answered and corrections were made to the manual where they could be. We are supportive of the amendment and in your staff memo you will find near the bottom summary bullet points where some of the major changes have been highlighted for you to kind of give you a little bit simpler explanation of the major changes that were done to the manual. We are asking that the board favorably recommend the amendment to the city commission. Eileen Cabrera is the senior engineer for the engineering department. She is here to answer any questions, make a brief presentation, but I'm happy to take any questions as well.

Thank you.

Is this on? Okay. Good evening, everyone. My name is Eileen Eileen Caprera. I'm the senior engineer in the utilities and engineering department and it's my pleasure to present to you my team.

I have Steve Segovan who's our construction supervisor, Tamar Joseph who's our engineer one and Robert McDonald who's our project manager. We all worked very hard in this revision. So what is the utilities and engineering standards manual? The standard manual is a set of specifications and requirements for the design and construction of all projects within the city of Coconut Creek. These specifications include our water, wastewater, reclaim water and drainage utilities and infrastructure and as well as other private utility insulation, roadway construction, clearing, grubbing, excavation and so forth.

Why do we have a standards manual? And this is to provide guidelines to the engineers, the consultants, contractors, developers that wish to construct new infrastructure within the city. It helps us with the planning, to being cost effective, and specifies standards for public health and safety. These standards are used during site plan approvals, permitting, and site inspections. The city also referenced the standards manual for city projects as it helps with the bidding process.

We are revising the UNE standards manual. As Liz said, it's been more than twenty five years and there has been some changes in the industry standards. There's also some outdated information, outdated procedures that we needed to revise. We also needed to revise our approved product list of materials that we use in the city. So the revision was mainly cleaning up, updating information.

There was really no major technical changes to the design. Some of the changes, as you can see in your memo that we highlighted, was we made reference to other agencies in the standards and Florida statutes that needed to be updated. As an example, the Broward County Environmental Department has changed its name like three times within the last twenty five years, so that's what we mean by reference to other agencies. At the time, everything else was hard copies for our permitting process and now we've since moved to electronic, so our permit reviews, plan reviews, everything is electronic now, so all of those processes needed to be updated. Also, any permit requirements and administrative processes that needed to be updated.

The drawings in the back of the book, some of them were also updated just to show current industry practices. There were some new drawings that were added for details that are frequently used. It's a lot easier to have them all together in one place. The product approval list was updated to reflect the preferred materials for city infrastructure. This also helps with our inventory of keeping all the materials within our city so when for maintenance or emergency situations it's good to already have that inventory there.

So we specify specific products but we also accept any approved or equal product. A new section of the reclaimed water was added now that we are gonna have our first residential and commercial project which is Main Street who's gonna be connecting to reclaimed water. There was other sections that were also added that includes erosion and sedimentation control. Other specific site designs that were not previously on there, these include driveways, sidewalks, and other utilities such as Comcast, AT and T when they come and they directional drill in our city. There was also section on HDPE pipe which we didn't have on there.

A lot of the data tables were updated just based on outdated information. And like Liz said, during the process we worked with all the departments within DRC and we made sure to coordinate to ensure consistency. And I just wanna mention that this RUNE standards does not conflict with anything in the code of ordinances. It's more of a supplement and it has more detail of what's already included on there. And at this time, there's no retroactive enforcement of the standards. This would be applicable to any new projects. Okay, so we're all here to answer any questions.

Okay, we'll start with Nancy.

Please. I think a very quick one, this is just the type of thing that I ask because I'm me. When I was trying to look up the list of materials and approved manufacturers and I saw 17 dash one, I'm seeing a bunch of 17 dash ones. Is Is that the way the numbering just goes in in section 17? Like appendix a is 17 dash one, then and appendix b is a new 17 dash one. Let

me see.

Like it just kind of, it seems to start over, And it does that in a few spots like

that in You're

saying the the page the page numbering?

Yeah. Sorry. This is how my brain operates and I apologize. What

is that? In the manual?

Yeah. In the manual itself. In the manual. Yeah. On the if you look at the table of contents and they do have the pages.

Oh. Yeah.

That might have just been a typo. A good catch. So we'll definitely go back and and fix that.

And otherwise Yeah. Y'all are very detailed and I'm very impressed. Good job.

Thank you.

For clarification, actually, if you look at 17 dash one, those are actually separate sections that are all on page 17 dash one. The ASTM specifications are there as are the AWWA specifications.

But then appendix b starts again at 17 dash one was And what the issue appendix C also then restarts.

I apologize.

Oh, everything restarts at seventeen one.

And I was still looking and I apologize.

It's because only my brain works this way.

Yeah. But it was exactly right.

Thank you. Good catch. Yes. Thank

I'm sure Jeff would have saw that one too.

Is

this manual unique to Coconut Creek?

No, every city has their own UNE standards manual and it's just based on industry standards. There's nothing really unique about what we're specifying, it's industry practices.

Is it modeled on some national organization or?

No, well this one is specific to our city, but it does reference other agencies and like I said Florida statutes and anything that would reference similar standards, we have them on here. So, it has references.

My question really, I think, probably goes to Liz more than to the engineer. It provides that the manual can be updated from time to time by the engineer.

I'm sorry, could you say that again?

The section 13,236 says the manual shall be maintained and amended as needed by the city engineer to make consistency with current industry standards. So it gives the engineer the ability on his or her own to amend this manual from time to time as they see fit. So I'm wondering, since this is part of the code now, how does the engineer do that? Is there a process other than it going to the commission to approve?

We actually talked about that earlier.

Yeah,

the city engineer, even in the code you will find some sections that it says that it's at the discretion of the city engineer. So, and these, even though it is codified as reference, it's guidelines. So, some things could change and what has happened is that in the last twenty five years, there's always little things that change and that's why it took us so long because we've been compiling everything together. So, our intent is if there's any small changes that we need to make that we have the ability to do so, but if we go through a whole revision of the UNE standards manual again, then we will amend the code again.

Yeah, I understand why you'd wanna do that, it makes sense. I guess my question is does the city process allow the engineer to do that? Is that permissible within the legal framework of how the city operates?

Yes. That's what this does is it provides that legal authority to do that and it was felt that because of the technical nature of the materials that that was an appropriate mechanism.

Okay. So the the commission will adopt the manual which itself does it delegates to the engineer the authority to do that?

Yes.

Okay. Thank

you. Thank you. You.

Alex?

So you wouldn't have to go through this process again, basically, as the discretion caveat, right? Sorry. Can you hear me now? Yeah. Okay. So you wouldn't have to go through this process with that clause of the city engineer's discretion. Because right now you're bundling all these through to the zoning board, to the commission, now you'd be able to make your changes a lot more expeditiously, right?

Yes. If it's minor changes, yeah.

Right, if it's a major overhaul, I mean I think that the engineering staff has been working on rewriting this for many, many months and so if it were a major overhaul, the city commission and the planning and zoning board would be part of that approval process, but it does give the city engineer the ability, the latitude to be able to make those minor changes without having to go through such a lengthy process.

Okay. And just, I guess, to educate myself, so any permits for construction have to follow this manual? Is that a layman's way of saying it?

Mhmm.

Okay.

Yes.

Good. Yeah. Have no other questions.

Thank you.

No questions whatsoever.

Thanks.

I just wanted a little bit of clarification. So, you had mentioned that all projects will be abiding by these new additions, deletions, but including the downtown. Correct? But all these were included already, weren't they? These have been included in projects, but now you're actually incorporating them into the manual, is that correct?

Right, yeah. So throughout the years, as we are reviewing the plans, we were revising things and making comments for the design engineer to align with the changes. Okay. So what this does is just it compiles everything and it makes it a lot easier. With the drawings in the back, these are actually incorporated into the design plans, so all they have to do is just copy and paste it there and it just makes it more easy. Great.

I thank you very much. I'm glad that this is being done and as the meetings that we've had, you know, the last couple months, I commend you all and the staff for other updates that we've been doing because it's a lot of work besides the regular jobs that you already have and we thank you.

We appreciate that. Thank you.

Alright. Is there any more comments or questions for the city? No? Motion to approve. If there's so let me where where? City staff. Okay. Do you have any more agenda? Alright. So I'll open the public hearing. It's the public hearing is now open. If there's any members of the public that would like to speak on agenda four, Item number four, there's none. Alright. So, then, if there's no further comments, the public hearing is now closed. Are there any additional comments or questions from the board?

Alright. If none, I will take a motion on agenda item four, amendments to the land development code related to the utilities and engineering standards manual.

So moved.

Second.

Okay. Moved by Nancy, seconded by Alex. And so if I could have the Madam Clerk call the roll please.

Ms. Fry? Yes. Mr. Light? Yes. Mr. Escoriasa?

Yes.

Mr. Briggs?

Yes.

And Chair LePlante?

Yes. Thank you very much. Okay.

Thank you, you

will move. Thank you very much. Good job. Thank you. Alright. We're gonna move on to item number five, communications and reports. Do the board members or staff any have any correspondence or reports to share for the good of the board?

I just wanted to remind everyone that the city commission has invited you all for recognition tomorrow evening. Our commission meeting starts at 7PM and you'll be right on the top of the agenda. So we look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening and we thank you for your service during this past year. And also just want to remind everyone that board appointments for the coming year will be made at the April 24 commission meeting which also begins at 7PM.

I just wanted to jump on that bandwagon and say thank you all very much for your service. You put a lot of time and effort into your responsibilities and that was evident when you came to the meetings and I personally and the city really appreciate all of that time and and thought. Thank you.

That's nice. Thank you.

I have a couple of updates. Okay. Okay. At tomorrow night's commission meeting, the commission will also be looking at Block 8 for the Main Street project as well as the parks and open space master plan that both applications came before this board and now the city commission will be taking a vote on those. Also another Main Street update, staff is working with the developer on an additional site plan for Block 10, that's a site plan that we've been waiting for forever, they've changed it many times and we expect to bring that before this board again here in the next coming months.

And also to last but not least, to invite you all to our twenty fifth annual free tree giveaway this Saturday not this Saturday, but Saturday, April 26 from eight to twelve. It's our twenty fifth anniversary. It's going to be a bigger event than we usually have. We're gonna have steel drums and a coffee bar and a lot of things going on, some surprises. You're all invited and welcome to come.

Fun. And Lot a free tree and two plants.

And a free tree and two plants.

Justin, will you carry my tree to my car again? And

I was remiss in not introducing our director, Justin Proffitt. He's behind me. He's so quiet.

I barely Yeah. New employee. Congratulations.

Thank you. Thank you.

Alright. Are we good? Alright. Item number six, adjournment. So if there's no further business, I'll take a motion to adjourn the meeting. So moved. Meeting is

adjourned.