Planning and Zoning Board - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon. This is the city of Port St. Lucie board of zoning appeals this Monday, 10/13/2025 at 12:37PM. Madam clerk, please call the roll.

Councilwoman Morgan? Yes, ma'am. Councilman Pickett?

Yes, ma'am.

Mayor Martin? Here, ma'am. Councilman Bana?

Yes, ma'am.

Vice mayor Caraballo? Here, ma'am.

Item three is a public hearing. Madam clerk, do you wanna read it?

An appeal of the planning and zoning board denial of a request for the following variances. A variance of 745 square feet to allow the construction of a 945 square foot carport, a variance of a four foot I'm sorry, a four feet to allow for a six foot wide side I'm sorry, side yard setback on the west side of the property, and three, a variance to allow a proposed carport to extend beyond the front corners of the house.

Is there a presentation? Good afternoon.

Known as Jared Greenberg is an application for a variance. The variance being requested has three components to allow a carport to be constructed in the area extending from the front corners of the home, a variance of seven forty five square feet to allow the construction of a nine forty five square foot carport, a variance of four feet to allow for a six foot side yard setback for a carport. The property is located at 702 Southwest Abode Avenue. Jared Greenberg is the applicant and the owner. On 11/03/2020, the property was granted a variance of six feet to allow for a zero foot side yard setback on the west side for proposed solar panel roof with poles.

Additionally, the existing home encroaches into the side yard setback on both sides. The surrounding zoning districts are single family residential and the future land use designations are low density residential. The south of the property abuts the C-twenty 3 Canal and it is surrounded by single family homes. Here on the survey, you'll see the proposed nine forty five square foot carport located beyond the front corners of the home and maintaining a six foot side yard setback. On 08/05/2025, the Planning and Zoning Board denied mister Jared Greenberg's request for the three variances.

He formally appealed the decision by the Planning and Zoning Board and and it was filed with the city clerk's office. You as a board have the option to make a motion to affirm or reverse the decision made by the Planning and Zoning Board. That concludes my presentation. I'm here to answer any questions you may have.

Before we get started, because of the fury today, this is quasi judicial, so we should have a swearing in of everyone who's gonna provide testimony. So Madam Clerk, can you swear in our staff and mister Greenberg and anyone else who's going to provide testimony?

Do you solemnly swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth so help you God?

Yes. I do. Thank you.

Thank you. And, counsel, are there any ex parte communications to disclose?

No. No.

Me neither. Okay. Any questions for staff?

I do have one question. Sure. Back on the page that says project background, Was granted a variance of six feet on 11/03/2020. Could you please elaborate on the statement additionally, the existing home encroaches into the side yard setback on both sides?

So that's a great question and I apologize. There should have been two bullet points. One was a variance and then the other one was just to point out that the home encroaches into the side yard, they require side yard setbacks. So it's not meeting the 10 foot side yard setback on both sides currently.

So how does that happen?

Well, I mean, it's due to the contractor whoever built the home, sometimes it's built into the side yard setback and it's not caught until later on when a survey is done.

So when that is done, when a contractor and it goes beyond the setbacks, is there a variance that is applied for and taken care of at that point in time when that happens or that's noticed?

Not until later on into the future when we catch it due to let's say like the home owner comes in to do a home addition and then we realize that it's not meeting the setbacks.

So obviously we know that the home is encroaching on the sides yard setbacks now. Has there been a plan to correct that or to have a variance for the home encroaching?

At this moment, no. Thank

you, madam mayor. Yes.

Do we allow carports in the city of Port St. Lucie?

We do and it's the size is depending on the lot size. We allow them on the side and on the rear of the property, but not located past the front corners of the home.

And then do we require a permit for such side and or back?

We do, yes.

Okay, thank you.

Any

other questions of staff? Okay. Does the applicant wish to make a presentation? On forward, Mr. Greenberg?

Good afternoon.

Afternoon. So I'm planning on putting a new roof on my house, and the side encroachments were done on the latest survey I had done is, like, four inches that is encroaching on. Instead of 10 feet, it's nine feet, 10 inches according to the survey. That's the side setback encroachment that plan is only referring to. If you look at my other surveys that's on file, they all say 10 feet on the side.

So I guess one guy had a more accurate measuring device and so the latest survey shows, I think, it's a four inch in encroachment on on two sides. So long story short, I'm trying to put a new roof on my house and I wanna put a carport in front of my house that does not I guess it's a terminology when when you see the survey of where it is. So this is my neighbor's house, and it was great because he had a, we call it, temporary carport on Mhmm. Front of his house, and it was a tarp. And that was up for fifteen, twenty years.

And to me, that did not look very aesthetically pleasing. I wanted to have a more permanent fixture in in front of my garage. And this particular house, his garage faces the road where my garage does not face the road. So it technically is not in front of the house as planning and zoning says. So if you look into aerial view, my house is on the northern picture of it.

25 feet front setback is my house is at is at 28 feet from the front setback. So my carport that I'm proposing is within the 25 feet setback from the front property line. I can see my neighbor's carport is totally in that 25 front setback area. So I assume this is allowed because it's a temporary structure as a a tarp, you know, can easily be taken down. So I personally think a permanent structure looks a lot better than a tarp, you know, for aesthetics for your neighborhood.

So my proposed idea is to do the front area. So what I consider the front of my house is the side of the garage. So if you look on the picture there, that's what I consider the front of the house. It is not extending in front of my house. You know what I mean? So my house, if this mouse actually works, this is what I'm considering the front of the house. That's the the front of the house. You know what I mean? So the carport will be in front of the garage and not in front of the house. So I think there's a wordplay and terminology here that needs to be addressed.

So the proposed plan is stick a carport in front of the garage, not in front of the house. You know, in front of the house would be in the 25 foot setback, which is a no build zone, so you keep the aesthetics of your neighborhood 25 feet from the front setback of your house so you have good curb appeal going down going down the street. So this is this is called the SkyLift system. It goes through your roof, attaches to your walls of of your roof. That's why I wanted to get this approved before I do my roof so it don't create more holes when a new metal roof is put on the house.

So this is the technology that I wanna use to build the carport so it's aesthetically pleasing so you don't have all these poles all over your house and looks hideous. You know what mean? But, of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I like functionality. So this is kind of what it would look like in the setback of the 25 setback of the current code. So when you look at the map here so excuse me. I was nine feet nine seven feet. So point o three feet of the encroachment setback on this side of my property according to this survey is what the planner is selling. So current zoning allows you to have a 200 square foot carport. Alright?

When you put a 200 square foot carport that in front of my garage, that only gives your carport as wide as 7.4 feet. Now I don't know about you, but I don't drive a smart car. And so a my Ford Expedition won't fit placed in there with a 200 square foot size carport. You know what I mean? So that's why I wanna have the entire area covered.

So when you park, you are completely covered when it rains. You can unload two cars without getting soaking wet. So that's why I requested the approximately 945 feet because it might be 900, it might be nine eighty, and once we get the drawings finished, then you'll see the actual total square footage. We're not gonna waste a PE's time of doing drawings when it's not even approved yet. So this is just conceptual of what the size of it is, and that's within the 25 feet setback from the front of the property line. So have you guys read all these or do I need to read them to you?

I went through the packet. I'm assuming everyone else did. I think.

Okay. So I don't need to read the questions. Okay. That saves some time. And so what I'm asking is to be allowed to build a carport that's in front of my garage, that's not technically in front of my house because in front of my house is this area, which is the garage. So and it's 28 feet three feet from the front setback. So I'm way away from that 25 foot setback that is in the planning zoning requirements for your front of your house being away from for for curb effect. So and the current carports that have been approved are listed here. This is 480. This is 2,400.

This is 480. And this one, 25125 is currently awaiting. It's in the process. It hasn't been heard yet

from from

from my knowledge. And so any questions?

Any questions? No?

Alright. Thank you, guys.

Alright. Thank you very much. Counsel? Oh, well, first, this is a public hearing. Would anyone like to address the counsel on this item? Seeing no one, I'll close the public hearing. Counsel?

Wow. I never start. Go ahead. It's a world of firsts today. I I'm I can't support this.

The the If I'm not mistaken, it was stated that carports are allowed if it's on the side or the rear of the home and permits done. So I I I just if we if we start and open up this can of worms, it allows it for carports to be placed anywhere and everywhere. It there's a lot of stuff in the application. I'm not really overly it's not leaning me to the other way. So I I cannot support this at this time.

Okay.

And I'll just stop there.

Other comments? No? Alright. Is there a motion?

Motion to deny. Second.

I have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Okay. Alrighty. Is there anything else? If not, we are adjourned. Thank you.