Historic and Environmental Preservation Board - Regular Meeting

July 7th meeting of the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board. I ask everyone to please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing to be sworn in by staff.

Thank you. Is there a motion to approve? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Thank you. Any discussion? All in favor say aye. All opposed? Motion carries. Is there a motion to, are there any additions or corrections to the minutes of June 2nd, 2026? If not, is there a motion to approve? Thank you. Is there a second? Thank you. There's a motion and a second to approve. Any discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. And we're on to have discussion items.

Okay, thank you. We'll move into the public hearing part of the agenda. Staff will announce each item and then the applicant or appellant will come forward, give your name and address for the record. We'll start then with the staff report after which the applicant or appellant may respond when they have completed their presentation. I will open up to the public for questions or for comments.

I beg your pardon. Hold that for a second. Yes, Mr. Attorney, I beg your pardon.

Thank you Thank you so after the staff report and the response by the applicant or appellant members of the public will have a OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON THE ITEM. I WOULD ASK YOU TO KEEP YOUR COMMENTS BRIEF TO TWO MINUTES OR LESS. AFTER EVERYONE HAS HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK, WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND OPEN UP TO THE BOARD FOR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, AND WE'LL HAVE A VOTE AND PROCEED TO THE NEXT ITEM. I BELIEVE WE'RE ON TO ITEM NUMBER ONE.

I believe the applicant is present. Please give your name and address for the record.

Thank you, and we'll start with the staff report.

Do you want to read those conditions or you just want to leave them in case?

Okay, be sure and give one to the lady over on the right.

Is there anyone from the public who wishes to speak on this item? Seeing no one, I'll close the public hearing and open it up for the board for questions or comments.

Just a minute. I will get to you. Thank you. Ms. O'Dell.

Thank you. There is some public comment on this item. which I will read, which says, quote, I need to request something from the board, end quote. I'm sorry, but that's all that it said. But there was that public comment, so I just want to put that on the record. Does anyone else have any other questions or comments?

Are you willing to put that in the form of a motion? Oh, I'm sorry, go ahead.

So the principle that the board has always gone through is if what exists in the time of designation is not required to be changed until it, back to the original, until such time as it has to be repaired or replaced, then it does go back and follow the original guidelines, whether it's windows or roofs. Mr. Perez.

Is there a second? Second. The motion is second. Any discussion on the motion?

Gentlemen, we need to ask the applicant if he would agree to a continuance of this item until September 1st.

In order to get an engineering report on which we can make a valid decision.

Do you agree to continue this item until September to get an engineering report that we can use to make a valid decision? That's the motion we have. Because you have a right to an up or down vote today.

All right. Having once waived the 60-day requirement, do we have to do that again? They have already.

No, we would make a decision based on your engineering report and your application for economic hardship. You would have a decision that day. I'll give you a 95%.

Ma'am, ma'am, ma'am, ma'am. We just need an answer. Do you want to go with the deferral or do you want an up or down vote today?

Mr. Campbell, do you want to withdraw your motion? Do you want to up or down vote today?

I have to ask Mr. Perez if he agrees. I agree. Okay, now Mr. Campbell.

Is there a second? Mr. Powers? Mr. Powers is the first to second. Any discussion on that motion? Can we have a roll call, please?

I wanted to provide the... Do you want to make an announcement about the appealing?

Is the applicant present? Please give your name and address for the record.

But tell us anyway, for the record. Tell you anyway?

Thank you, and we'll start with the staff report.

You'll need to step out of the- Ms. O'Dell, I believe you have to step out of the... Hello. Get out of here, Judy O'Dell. Okay, we're ready for the staff report.

Am I supposed to respond? Only if you want to.

Please speak directly into the microphone so we can all hear you.

We'll just, we got it from the staff report. We got it from the staff report. Yes. So I need to ask, is there anyone in the public who wishes to speak on this item? Seeing no one, we'll open it up to the board for questions or comments. Starting with Mr. Powers.

And I will add my congratulations as well. Any other comments or are we ready for a motion?

There's a motion and a second to approve the preliminary report. Any discussion on the motion? Roll call, please.

Thank you very much. Thank you. And we're on to item number three.

Thank you. Is the applicant present? Please give your name and address for the record.

Thank you, and we'll start with the staff report.

Thank you. Anything you'd like to add to the staff report?

Thank you. Is there anyone from the public who wishes to speak on this item? Seeing no one, I'll close the public hearing and open it up to the board for questions or comments, starting with Mr. Cawley.

Would you like to speak to that? Would you like to speak to those suggestions?

Did you want to address the window issue? Thank you very much. Did you want to address the window issue?

I think it was a very good addition to this house. My only question would be, this would be a great opportunity to remove the wall that's in front of the house and keep the one on the side, but that's not part of your application.

While you're studying, you might study taking the wall away from right in front of the house so you can see it from the street, because it's a beautiful house that you would want to see. Now, the side yard could be all the way to the sidewalk, like the front, but the guidelines for the neighborhood include no walls in front of the house. except ones that are already there. So that's grandfathered, but that'd be something to study.

Approve. Do you want to include the conditions? Yes.

How about the stone on the first floor of the west elevation?

Was there a second? Mr. Powers has seconded.

No need to modify your motion. Now can we have a roll call, please?

I should mention for the record that there was no public comment.

Please give your name and address for the record.

Thank you, and we'll start with the staff report.

Thank you. Anything you would like to add to the staff report?

Could you come and give your name and address for the record, please?

Okay. Okay, is there anyone from the public who wishes to speak on this item? Seeing no one, I'll close the public hearing and open it up to the board for questions, comments. Starting with Ms. O'Dell. Ms.

And could you go back to the historic picture? I don't see a light fixture there. Yeah. Oh, in the porch.

And it does look like the, wait, come back. Expand again, please. It does look like there are patterned tiles there on the steps. You see what I'm talking about? So that might be something for you to explore.

Mr. Perez, I second it. Any discussion on the motion? Can we have a roll call, please?

The applicant is present. Please give your name and address for the record.

Oh, so the existing site plan has three lots and the proposed site plan has four. So we're to disregard the furthest one to the left because that's not where the house is.

Let me finish. Just for clarification, the existing house is on the...

You would like to respond to the staff report? Yes, please. Yes, sir.

Okay, thank you. Is there anyone from the public wishing to speak on this item? If there is, come forward and give your name and address.

Thank you. And Mr. Richmond also has provided a lengthy letter in the public comments section published online. Is there anyone else who wishes to speak on this item before I give you a chance to speak?

Mr. Richmond. There's another letter from the public comment, rather lengthy. I will read you the beginning of it. And that is from John Bennett. Concerning the Buena Vista East Design something committee.

Oh, that is it. Design Advisory Committee. There we go. He writes that we write in agreement with HEPP staff's recommendation that the special certificate of appropriateness for 4505 North Miami Avenue be denied as presented for the July 7th, 2026 HEPP meeting. The property owner and architect previously asked the Buena Vista East Design Advisory Committee to review the proposed design in February 26th. At that time, we submitted comments identifying concerns with tree mitigation, treatment of existing contributing structures, demolition and rehabilitation analysis, increased massing, and the

Okay. I forgot to ask if there was anyone else from the public who wishes to speak on this item. Oh, I will close the public hearing and I'll award for questions or comments and I'll start this time. So now you're proposing something different than what is before us today?

Okay. Which goes to my original point that this proposal is not in any of our materials.

Let Ms. O'Dell have her questions first.

No. You have to speak to the microphone. Use the microphone. Because there are people on television.

So there was a motion to continue this item until September 1st?

And there was a second. Who was the seconder? Mr. Campbell. Mr. Campbell. Can you have conditions on the continuation? Yes. Okay. And would you agree to a continuation until September with those conditions? I couldn't understand. Can you repeat? Would you agree to a continuation until September with the conditions that have been proposed? No.

So you would rather have an up or down motion today? Those are your two alternatives. You can either have a continuation until September with the conditions, or you can have an up or down motion today.

So the conditions are you have a landscape plan, architectural drawings.

I can wait until... Would you be willing to see the architectural plans before you...

Thank you, Mr. Powers. Thank you. So are you now agreeing for the continuation until September? Okay. Will you waive your 60-day notification? I'm sorry?

Okay. Thank you very much. Okay. So we have a motion with two conditions to continue this item until September 1st.

So the date of September meeting is September the 8th.

So November 3rd would be okay? Yes, sir.

So do I. I'll accept that. Okay. So the modified motion is an indefinite deferral with two conditions for architectural drawings and a landscaping plan. Okay. Can we have a roll call, please?

Thank you and see you at some point in the future.

Would you give us your name and address for the record, please? Would you give us your name and address for the record, please?

We have to wait for Mr... No, just one. But let me ask you a question. Do you have power of attorney?

You can continue. No, you've given your name and address for the record. We're going to start with the staff report.

Thank you. Your response to the staff report?

Is that it? Have you completed your presentation?

Is there anyone from the public who wishes to speak on this item? There was no public comment online. No? We'll close the public hearing and open it up to the Board for questions or comments, starting with Mr. Campbell. Mr. Campbell.

Could I see the next slide, please? So were the windows on the front originally one over one or two over two?

Yeah, it looks like on the first floor, it's a one over one. If you look to the, can you blow it back up again? See the one on the right? Looks like a, no, I'm trying to.

One over one. So a mountain would not help in this case. A muntin would not help in this case. No.

No, no, no. But they wouldn't help either. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. In this case, it would not help. Okay. Any other comments? Does someone have a motion?

So I think we need to restate the motion because I don't think it even got a second. Will you start from the beginning, please?

Any discussion on that motion? That means on the building that sits on Miami Avenue, not the other building, right?

No, no, no, I mean the need to replace the windows on the west side.

And the applicant is present. Please give your name and address for the record.

Thank you. Anything you'd like to add to the staff report?

Okay. Is there anyone from the public wishing to speak on this item? There is one comment from public comment, which says, I am the owner of 484 Northeast 57th Street. My wife and I believe that so long as the addition does not significantly alter the street-facing facade and remains architecturally compatible with the existing home and the historic character of Morningside, it is a benefit to the neighborhood. We respectively support this application. And with that, I will close the public hearing and open to the board for questions or comments. I see you've already started work.

Okay. Mr. Colley, you want to go first? Sure.

With all conditions as stipulated by staff.

Thank you. Would you like to respond to the staff report?

The ability to present tonight. Give us your name and address for the record, please.

Thank you very much. Is there anyone from the public who wishes to speak on this item?

She also has maybe the same one that, well, you can distribute that one, but she had placed something in the public comment, which I will now read. The board members of Bayside Historic HOA are not opposed to this design, asking if the oak tree on the property will be mitigated or has a permit to be removed. At least we know. We'd rather like to see it mitigated and saved, and of course it was. Also, we encourage the HEP City of Miami Department and the HEP Board Hearing Board to always encourage the new homes applying for modifications or new construction in the historic Bayside District to p

I think that was a suggestion to investigate. Are you willing to investigate?

Yes. Right. Any other questions or discussion on the motion? Roll call, please.

Thank you so much. Okay, now we're on to the discussion items.

I would recommend doing the 15th, because the 29th is just a week before the October meetings.

I'll take that as a motion. Is there a second? Thank you. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Great, thank you. There's something that you'd like to say in a short amount of time? Even though we know you, please give your name and address for the record. Even though we know you, please give your name and address for the record.

Nothing on our part? Do we have a motion to adjourn?

Motion to second any discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed? Thank you. See you in September. Thank you.