Urban Development Review Board - Regular Meeting

I'd like to get started and call the meeting to order. Welcome to the January 21st, 2026 UDRB meeting, first of the year. We could please have our lobbyist note.

Do we have any requests for absence? Waivers? Oh, roll call.

Thank you. We have a motion to approve December 17th, 2025 meeting minutes.

I'll make a motion to close our public comments.

Get started with our. Item on the agenda.

Interested in doing, or would you like to push this to the next meeting to have other members?

Nominate yourself, yeah, absolutely, okay. Okay, so. We're all ready to, we can vote.

So we'll make a motion to nominate Ms. Zapatini for Vice Chair.

Thank you. Can you walk us, before we start with the comments, can you walk us through your elevations, please? Because I only see, it's noted south elevation with retail administration, but I can't, I don't see where your corner retail, is that part of that elevation or?

We'll start on our right, Mr. Perez Azul.

Ms. Zapatini? Yeah, I think my first, without really looking into detail, my first comment would have been, why is this so long? Because I know that you try to break it, but when I see the elevation and the massing, to me, it still feels very long. And you almost have to find that pocket that you created to break it. I just don't see that, even in the renderings that you're showing us, it still feels like a 400 feet long facade. it kind of blends into the rest of the facade. It's not very distinctive. I wish there would be like a more separated two buildings. And I don't know if this is someth

Yeah, to me, it still reads like one long facade.

Okay, that's really my one comment. I think there's a lot of successful things. You conceal the parking, you put a liner, the service entrance is separated. I think all those points are great.

This is a huge improvement from the previous one. So congratulations. I'm glad you reconsidered it. I think the project is so much better for it. The way you've articulated the balconies, I think you've received a lot of good feedback today. One of my comments would be the eyebrow that you've raised for the corner retail, either Yes. I think it's a nice way how you've kind of distinguished the base from the rest of the building. It gives it a great scale to break up your massing. I don't know if it's color or maybe the thickness of that eyebrow that kind of wraps around and then you also artic

Yeah. How you step it up for the lobby, you know, kind of delineating and making an entrance for the lobby, whether making it maybe a little bit deeper and or protruding a little bit further out, I think would be something to consider. And then how do you load the retail from the loading dock? I don't see any circulation for a back of house.

OK. I guess that would be done after hours. Yeah.

I like the access, the direct access to your units on the south or the north elevation, I guess, north and south. You're starting to activate the street on that end. Even on the West Flagler side, I mean, it's high traffic, but you guys are kind of setting a precedent, so it would be nice to see the urban pedestrian activity in that area.

I can make a motion with some conditions or conditions. For me, it would be important that you separate the top of the buildings and do as much as you can to try to break the length from amassing at the top or perhaps exploring a change in material in the center. I think the condition that my colleague mentioned about looking into solid railing at the pedestrian level will be really helpful for the residents. They'll make sure that they can actually use their front yard, I guess.

Okay, and the unit courtyard, same treatment, solid at the ground level. So basically two conditions so far, working on a material change and separating the top of the building, so to make sure that you can, as much as you can separate the two volumes, and then changing the material of the railing at the pedestrian level facing major streets and internal circulation. Anything?

Okay, can you make a summary of the conditions?

Could we add a condition that you study that, and if it makes sense for your project, you could increase the retail space, and if it doesn't make sense for your use?

I think the density is there, personally speaking.

I mean, we're talking grocer, but this can also just be a pharmacy. I mean, it's not. You don't have a tenant yet, or do you?

Before you step away, can you walk us through your floor plan?

Just show us the phase one and two so we know what's already been delivered.

Could you walk us through? Someone parks their car. How do you get to your units? Where's your lobby? Because I didn't see anything labeled.

I have a hard time reading in your elevation. Where is your entrance? I'm just trying to go back and forth here. Your main entrance through the lobby. Main entrance.

Your main lobby is adjacent to the bike room. Am I reading this correctly? With a single door?

And then on your west elevation, which is another entrance, another main entrance.

I see a lot of issues with this. There's another 376 feet long building, and I have a hard time seeing the separation. I know you changed the material, but I see a giant... 400 feet long concrete block. I'm sorry, but it's just up front. But pedestrian experience is not great. It's very relentless, repetitive, and there's not a clear break. Same thing happens internally. If you have very long hallways of almost 300 feet long with no daylight, There's two elevators for all these people walking in a very long hallway. I understand it's work for housing and there's a limited budget, but just thin

I'm struggling with those elevations. It is just a monolithic wall with just openings. In addition, I'm not even talking about adding a double door, articulating the main entrance. You have two main lobbies. We know what you're capable of because we just saw you present. And I also think you have language already included within your site that works. It's just a matter of kind of carrying maybe some of those details within your, to break up maybe the ground floor, to show and accentuate your amenities and your lobbies. so that you're not walking past and have to depend solely on signage. I mea

And the floors above at the ends of your hallway, also by the parking garage, I'd say bring in some natural light there as well.

Yes. Well, no, because you have a unit at the end on the northwest at the very top of your corridor.

I think that would bring a little bit of light. I mean, that is a long corridor. How many feet are we talking?

And in your elevator lobby on the south, this one south side also, I mean, that would also help your elevation.

Yeah, I think you have the elements, and I know you're perfectly capable, but I would definitely study those elevations. Any other comments? Ready to make a motion?

I can make a motion with conditions that you break the facades in the two exterior facades into two buildings as you were describing it there. Yes. At the end of the other one on on 8th Street Elevator Lobby and then you add glazing at the end of the hallway By the parking garage. Yes, so you basically will be incorporating natural light and breaking the facade to reduce the overall length. I Also think it's very important that you activate the courtyards with program more trees more Benches, playground. I'm very concerned that it's just a sidewalk and grass. So those would be my two main comm

Mr. Paracelsua, would you like to get started?

Ms. Zapatini? I think it's really a spectacular project. I think it's very elegant and very sophisticated. I love the party and the way that you distribute the two buildings in the site. The massing is beautiful, how you're juxtaposing a taller tower with a smaller component. The structure expression and the facade is really beautiful, especially the articulation of the columns. I think the materiality and the material palette is truly exquisite. David Chipperfield did a fantastic job. it's raising the bar really for the neighborhood and i love it um i have just a couple feedbacks the uh the r

I don't have much to add. I was going to make that comment about the canopy on the north side so that you do look over something that's thoughtful. I think it'll tie the project together. The party, I think, is very simple, but really has some classic proportions, which is really nice. to see after, you know, I think we have a lot of modern buildings and you're bringing this element of classical dimension and architecture in a very light and modern take. So the way you've broken out the site and having those cross pedestrian and drive-through areas is great. The plaza is a gift to the neighbor

All right. Thank you. We have a vote. Would someone like to make a motion?

I'm gonna make a motion to approve with three conditions. To remove the picket fence balcony railing of one of the apartments so you can have a higher end look. Study the balcony edge condition, the slab edge condition, and then study a green roof or some other material over the low one story unit. Three comments.

What if you discuss a past, something that we've already reviewed? Does it matter or no? Does that, like...

If you run into someone that will eventually present and they're just bringing it up like, oh, we're going to come before you, even if we don't discuss anything about the project, we don't ask any questions, but if they ask us questions of what does the board like to see as far as renderings, models,

Can you opine on, say the perfect example is a project that came before us today, the first item that was withdrawn a couple of meetings ago. If we know they're coming back with a new proposal, and what if there's a discussion of what we just saw, even if they didn't present? Is that part of the Sunshine Law, or because they've I mean, they're going to come back, like they did today. But if there's some kind of discussion of, like, you know, this... Whatever it was that we saw, even if we didn't hear the presentation, that we have a discussion of whatever was withdrawn.

I'm just talking about the board members. Another example would be the two that were withdrawn today because by right, by live local. What if we would discuss, because it was withdrawn, what we saw, even if we didn't give our comments today because they didn't present. What if later staff decides they need to come back and present to us and we've had a discussion on something that we thought was withdrawn?

Will we be notified? So in the next meeting, will we be notified if these two were approved by staff, or how is that communicated to us?

For the conflict of interest, if a project is coming before us, and this has happened in the past, I've recused myself, but if a project is coming before us and I potentially have a client that might end up participating in the project, but it's not clear, I recuse myself, no? Or if it's not,

It's perfect. Thank you. It's a good refresher. Every how often do we need to do this? Is it every year?

I know that. I like the ending. All right. So that concludes our meeting today.

Sorry, I have to leave at 4.30. How long? I'm sorry.