Architectural Review Board - Regular Meeting

Everybody seen the minutes? Any comments on the minutes?

Trustee? Yes. Okay, so we don't see any objections to the meeting minutes, so they are approved as presented from the motion to approve. On motion to approve the minutes. Okay. Second. And all those in favor of moving it forward? Aye. Okay. We got three members and three votes to move the meeting minutes forward. And we start the ARB hearing. Susan, please.

Very well. The first item, I've been advised that we need to take the projects as per agenda. We have seven items on the agenda. So forget about the idea that summers are boring around here. We've got seven projects. So we're trying to go quickly through the projects as we can. The first project will be the Tiffany at Bell Harbor. You guys ready to present? Yes. Stand up to the podium, introduce yourself, and the presentation will be on the screen.

Just to be clear, the main thing that changes is that you're changing the vertical picket rails to glass rails.

Cesar, could I ask you to hold right there for a second? I forgot to state that the building official has to read his report before we go into your presentation. This will be short. He's ready. Building official.

So basically the brownish tone is being updated to this very crisp tone. That is correct. All right. I think we have clarity. Let's open it for board discussion, questions.

Won't be able to tell the difference pretty much.

Okay. No further comments or questions? Okay. Any? Okay. Let's move it forward. Oh, public comments. Yes, indeed. Do we have public comments? You've got the written ones from our neighbor. Yes. Yes. Let's read it into the, you know, she has, you know, the patience to participate in the process, so let's read her statement. So I hope they like the bright white paint. Personally, I think they need to deepen the color and the ceiling of the balconies to tone down the glare that is going to be experienced. Again, this is from one of our neighbors here in the community, and we appreciate the... The

Okay, is there a second? Second. All right, all those in favor say aye.

Got a good project. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, guys. Thank you. Next item is the 276 Ball Bay Trust. I guess that's the ownership, 276 Ball Bay. I believe it's a single family home. Just state your name for the record.

You're a true minimalist, okay? All right. So just for the record, Hariri Pontarini is a design architect? Yes. And you're the local architect of record? Yes. Thank you.

Yes. Yes. Keep on forgetting about that. I'm sorry, Mr. Building Official.

Thank you. Let's open it for board comments and questions. Mr. Gomez?

I'm a little confused. You came here just for a small wall to cover this equipment, that's it?

And it's a previously approved project? Correct. Yeah. Okay.

Okay, so give us the whole thing because I'm saying a lot more than what you explained.

There is a before and after on page A200 that kind of shows the extensive modification. The more sculptural stair as well, right?

That's the proposed, yeah. Those panels, how are they fabricated? Is that like a metal panel that's cladded? The panels that are kind of floating on the facade.

That bulkhead that you're showing on the facade on the roof, that's the AC?

Okay. Okay. Any more questions or comments? I know that it's not prescribed. It seems we're pretty easygoing. But is there like a rendering, a three-dimensional image that shows kind of like original design and new design? Is that what you have on LCVR page?

Is a new proposed. I mean, so that stair element and all these elements, that's the way the architecture, even though this is more of a kind of like a sketch overlay.

Okay. It's a beautiful project. Any more comments from the board? No. I think with the modification, which I suppose was managed by the design architect, right? Correct. Everything seems to be consistent with the originally approved project, very elegant, very architecturally rich, and a great contribution to the neighborhood, in my opinion. So is there a motion here? Wait, we got a public comment. Yes, we have public comment over here. Two seconds.

276 Ball Bay Drive, this home, okay. This is the neighbor, okay. This home is enormous with a beautiful large spacious view of the bay. The landscape architects are doing a great job at toning down the impact of the structure in a creative fashion. When you have a pie-shaped lot, you need to embrace the shape. I really don't understand why it's so hard to stay within the setbacks. I mean, right now, the project that's approved meets all of the zoning setback criteria as reported by the building official. Just for the record, when deciding the front setbacks are encroached and so on and so fort

Okay. Amanda, any comments on this project? No, I agree. It's beautiful. Okay. All right. So is there a motion?

Aye. So we have five board members and five votes for the project. Thank you. Thank you for being here.

Is this the newly proposed? Yes. Make sure your drawings say that. It should say newly proposed because then the next image is... It says approved. I know, but it's not that obvious because then you flip to the next image, basically everything looks the same. Hard to say. But this is...

So basically you removed all that landscaping and cladding that it used to have?

I see. The built-in planters are only in the front facade?

All right, here so you can see this is the proof.

Doesn't seem to show well on the floor plan. Let me go back here.

They will generate some sound there for sure, but I guess that's what it is. Those are noisy machines. Very well. We have public comments. This is 42 Camden, right? Correct. We all know the sight of the facing the garage is a joke, and although they generously place two cars in the garage, it is impossible to achieve with any large vehicle, I guess, the movement into the garage. The additional landscaping is helping to offset the height of the building in comparison to the adjoining neighbors, like the balcony planters. That will be a wonderful addition to the homeowner, so it will soften the

You mainly came back for the cladding change and the planter integration? Correct. Pretty much. Okay. All right.

Is there a motion? Yeah, a motion to approve with the comments from the board, from staff.

And I think, you know, the material palette is soft, it's tropical, it's more durable, it's less maintenance intensive, so it kind of makes sense. And then, of course, the increase of landscape never hurts, right? So that's wonderful. So is there a second to the motion? I second it. You second it? Okay. So all those in favor say aye. Aye. Okay. So you have five votes out of five board members. Thank you.

All right. Introduce yourself, and you're ready to make your presentation.

Thank you. Building official, have you read your report yet?

You already read it into the record. Okay. Okay, so comments from the board? Thank you.

How are you setting the pavers? Are those on pedestals?

Mud set on concrete. Okay. We've had experience with this artificial turf in resorts where, you know, in certain conditions a lot of mold grows under this layer and you don't discover it until you, you know, I don't know, that's a consideration. Right now we're trying to separate, elevate it with a system that allows there to be, you know, a breathing area under the turf. I don't know if you considered that in your detail.

Yes. Okay. Okay. Very attractive project. Great enhancement to the existing conditions. Any other comments? No? Okay. All right. So any motions? Public comments? Oh, public comments. Keep on forgetting. You're right. Let me see. It's 9801, 9801. Long overdue.

The improvements to the amenity deck are long overdue. We can see the amenity deck from the beach. I know this project has been approved. The majority of the condo owners of the buildings, if there are enhancements that are helpful to choose one plant versus another for longevity, That's good advice. If you don't like the paint color on a sports court, the people that live there look down and ultimately make the selection. The ARB can often offer expertise on why one is best than the other. but don't expect a condo association to fall in line and accept your ideas without questioning the reaso

You have five votes out of five board members. Very professionally presented. Thank you for that. And hopefully the execution is amazing.

9700 Collins Avenue. Ball Harbor Shops. Item 5.

Susan, is that the memorandum that's on the attachment to the application?

Yes. Would members of the board like for Susan to read those or for me to read them? I have them in front of me. We don't have printed copies of those items, no? No, okay. Okay. Exterior building components and external architectural features shall have attractive and cohesive architectural character. The orientation and appearance and design of the external architectural features of the new existing building and structures in addition to the modifications of the existing building and structures shall indicate sensitivity and shall be compatible with the streetscape and adjacent buildings and

No, I didn't flip the page. Mechanical equipment and utility hardware on the roofs. Ground and buildings shall be screened from public view. Materials harmonious with the buildings. Okay, that's kind of repetitive. Choice of materials and their use shall be conducive to regular maintenance and durability in accordance with Section 21-324. The ARB's comments and recommendations, if any, will be provided to the village manager or designee who shall review an application with any comments, recommendations from ARB. So basically, whatever we state here today is just a friendly recommendation. We'r

Thank you. You may initiate your presentation. Introduce yourself for the record.

Another silly question. Are you including Jacob's ladders or anything like that to support them?

Do you have to worry about structure integrity then? No, not at all.

Okay. So what's the anticipated timeline to accomplish this transition landscape job?

Yeah, you're a landscape architect. Okay, so you're moving these beautiful palm trees from the east side to this side. Is there a strategy then on that front area that we're not seeing yet, right?

56, okay. 56. Yeah, so the palms are shown at 52 and 40 feet, so you get some movement that's sort of based on the inventory of these palms that are being relocated.

Okay, so I have other questions that are not related to landscape. Just understand the scheduling of this. When would this be initiated and completed as a landscape project?

Just curious, when is the anticipated celebration of opening Building H, F, G, and so on?

Yes. Yes. Okay. Amazing. Any other questions, comments? Yes.

Yeah, I have a question, Nick, and I, you know, I guess I've never seen what's been going on here, so, you know, you might not be able to answer it, but personally, you know, the look of what you're planning, it's not great, but you guys are saying it's temporary. I'm almost, I'm asking the same question, but... When do you anticipate the approved portion to happen? Or is that going to change and something else is going to come in front of the board at some point?

You're saying, let me understand, so Building Z partially is being built?

Clearly they're trying to maintain flexibility on how they develop that site into the future. They're showing us like a five-year plan for the growth of the planter material. We've seen, you know, these planter garages on Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, and depending on the planting material and how well it does, you know, typically it's an aesthetic solution. I'm very intrigued by the photographs or the renderings actually that are prepared that kind of show us the palm trees and the significant scale of the palm trees. You know on page A603.4 there's an image that really shows that because of t

I had one other question. Sorry, Rinaldo. For the garden space. It looks like there's entrances for pedestrians. Is it like an open garden? Are there going to be benches and things like that? Or are you not envisioning people actually using this space?

Okay. Yeah, I think it would be nice if you can get back to the committee.

I agree. It depends on how you activate it, right? You could have a rock concert and make a lot of noise and get the neighbors dancing. So, yeah, maybe it's more passive. More passive use is what is more appropriate, perhaps. But, you know, I think let's start with you, Amanda, in terms of comments, feedback that the city manager could use in his evaluation of our thoughts.

I really think it's just making sure those vines are kept up properly. I've also seen failures of the vines and projects getting not approved because of that, and just making sure that the car's lights are able to be covered. Other than that, I think it is a nice temporary adjustment. I did have a question about whether, what happens, I guess the timeline, what happens beyond temporary if it does become a permanent fixture?

I'm just wondering, I guess, will it come back to discussion if it does happen?

I think also just really quickly, the garage has a fairly large span, so you will have gaps in there. So I do think like a Jacob's ladder or something along those lines would help. It's very thin, unnoticeable usually, and it can help with the vines growth.

Very well. Okay, so I don't have much to add to that. I mean, I think success here is on those vines and how they're executed and how they're maintained. The good news is that you're not coming to us with an artificial vine system, right? You're thinking of something natural. So any further feedback here?

I agree with you guys. If you can put something where the vines will grow, I think that will go a long way. I've worked on two parking garages in Miami Beach. One has been a disaster from day one. They've never been able to make it to put the right planting. near City Hall. A well-known architectural firm designed it and we tried many times to fix that and never been successful. So I can tell you I'm not a landscape architect, but I always feel like these things are hit or miss. The other one is on Collins and Fifth. I think that's the one that you mentioned. Yeah. yeah i mean that one's been

The palm trees and the maturity of the palm trees is fantastic. I mean, I'm a bit traumatized by thinking that they're being taken from one place and what happens in that place, because the front of this beautiful mall is beautiful as you see it now. But that's something in the future, so we have to trust that good decisions are going to be made. And the developers and owners of this are very proud of this beautiful property, so I hope that, you know, Everything is carefully thought through, and this presentation is very carefully presented to us, so I appreciate that. But I think, yeah, succe

Yes, indeed. Thank you for reminding me because I had it targeted here. So the additional trees and planters will be very helpful in toning down the endless project. Little comment about the timeline. Based on the lack of draping plants on the 96th Street side, and I guess that's on the Siskovich Garage, I would not count on them actually executing the full plan, ensuring viability of the plants. And that's a statement by one of our neighbors here in the village. So with that, I suppose we could conclude this presentation, Susan.

All right, nothing online. Very well, so we could bring this to a closure.

Okay. Motion to approve with, could you repeat that again?

Okay. Which are the recommended? Deactivation of the park is one of them?

There's a recommendation page. Should I read it for the record?

Okay. Any comments on that recommendation from the building official?

I know there's a wall there that separates the mall from the community. There are doors that are only usable for residents. Is that the way that works?

Okay. So as a neighbor, how would you suggest and envision this transitional landscape area be used by the community?

Okay. All right. Any other further comments? The building officials' comments? Do we concur with those comments? Want to add? Suggest any editing? No? Okay. So motion then to basically agree with those building official recommendations to the city manager.

Okay. Is there a second to that motion? Second. Okay. All those in favor of moving this forward, say aye. Aye. Everybody said aye? Yes? Yeah. So we have five ayes, and we move this item forward. Thank you so much for being here today.

I think there's a game at 3, so just for the record. I don't know what kind of game, but it seems to be on. Welcome.

Thank you. Very well. You can make your presentation.

So just for the record, this is already utilizing the modified ordinance that allows for a frontal garage entry?

Thank you, Butras. Thank you. Going back to that detailed perspective of the entry, I think it's the next slide. That one. So that element that goes up creates a nice protective canopy at the entrance. What's the materiality of that?

Interesting. So are you mechanically fastening that or you're mud setting that?

This is curious, something that I wrestle with, these built-in planters, long-term, have you seen them perform well?

And the vertical louvers are aluminum? Aluminum, yeah, powder-coated aluminum. Powder-coated, yeah, okay.

Are you able to pull that elevation up so that he can see that? Yes, absolutely.

Okay. Any questions? Any feedback for Buccio's?

I had one question. You are calling off turf block. Are you imagining that extra cars will be parking on the lawn or...

Yeah, I mean, graphically, you're not identifying what that is on your site plan, I believe. It would be good, because this kind of becomes a record of what we approve and what we see, so... Yeah, it just says driveway and walkway. It just says driveway, yeah.

Okay. Let me ask you a question. What's the material over the garage door?

Oh, and over the main entrance door and over the windows, the same thing, just stucco? Where you have like the horizontal line? Yeah, the stucco, yeah.

You got travertine and transitions to the smooth stucco painted. Correct. Okay, and then, of course, you're matching the garage door, the same color, and your front door is, is it a wood door?

Very nice. Okay. Okay. So, should I read at this point the neighbor's comments before we get a motion on this? So, the neighbor, remember there's the neighbor, a very sensitive, caring neighbor, and she says, great, another travertine, woodclad sugar cube with sparse landscaping other than hedges. Has all inspiration gone out of the architectural world? Question.

Thank you. Spoken from another neighbor, you see.

So six-bedroom house with two-car garage, nowhere else to park on the property. Where does that put the housekeeper, nanny, and all the kids who drive in the parking? Driveways must get bigger to accommodate a larger family. Families tend to have stuff, bikes, scooters, baby carriages, toys. There is virtually no room in the backyard for any of this stuff. Where is it going? Happy to see trash receptacles in mailbox, acknowledge and planned. However, one of the board members thinks that there's no screening for those, so perhaps you should consider some screening for the trash receptacles. The

Yeah, I mean, I think that what we learned through time in the tropics here is that being under the shade is so important, right, in this hot and humid environment. So maximizing the usable shaded area with good capacity, right, because if you have 15, 20, 30 people there, then, you know, somehow some will be under shade some may not be and so on but yeah transitioning to the garden and Not having to bring more fill or elevate things. I mean it keeps it simple, right? But that's just a minor comment. I mean your your plan is very Very open and I'm sure they love that it's easy to furnish and e

Thank you so much, Boutros. All right. Okay, so the next project.

Okay. Full compliance. No conditions. No conditions. Okay. 18 conditions. There's the 18 conditions. The 18 conditions. Okay. Standard 18. You've read the conditions? No problem. All clear. Okay. All right. Just trying to understand. The challenge that we always have in these homes is where do we put mechanical equipment when you have such an elegant facade?

I see. So they're in the yard, and you were able to raise the pad so it meets the building code. You have a generator also detached in the back, right? Or on the side? On the side. Yeah, the side and the rear. So utility easement. I see. So you're putting the mechanical equipment adjacent to where you have the generator?

So the style, of course, you know, I'm sure we're going to have some comments about the selection of the style. I think it's very nicely executed. The garage door, right? So you've got like a symmetrical garage door configuration, but only one side is active. The other one is a utility room.

Yes. Yes. Very well, so we heard the official's report. Any Board comments? Questions? Nothing? Jose?

No, no, I think you master the style of what you're doing. You know what you're doing. I think if you chose that style, you've done it pretty well. Thank you. Very well, very well. Beautiful project.

Yeah, I would second that for sure. Thank you. Very elegant and very tasteful, very well composed and nice material palette. So landscape seems to be very well done as well. I mean, very important to the project. And I will present the neighbors' comments for you, for your consideration. Finally, something new, amazing, how similar footprint is to the one that was knocked down. One garage does not feel like enough. Maybe the utility room will house the family's bikes and scooters. This home has no place for swing sets, etc. That should be something that is very clearly stated because a future

It's been second. All those in favor say aye.

4-0. Thank you for that. Very well. So, thank you, sir.