Historic Preservation Board - Regular Meeting

Good evening. This is Marcus Lightfoot. We are live and broadcasting in our chambers. Can you hear us?

Yes, I can hear you.

Thank you. We do have a quorum. We only need a quorum of three for the historic board. We have Angelica Lang, we have Erica Hubs, and we have Julio Guillen. So whenever you're ready, we can start the meeting. Or if you would like to wait for more members to join, we can do that as well.

Can you hear me at all?

Yes, I can hear you.

Unfortunately, I'm not able to hear you guys. For some reason, the speaker's not working on this laptop.

Can you hear me?

We can hear you.

Angelica, can you hear me? I guess not.

Thank you.

Hi Angelica, can you hear us now?

Board members, if you're going to be speaking, well, I'm going to ask you all just to turn on your cameras, please, for the record. Thank you.

I can use my computer, too. Okay. Yeah, you get the feedback, I guess. Yeah.

There you go. So you know, green is on, red is off.

Yep. Well, I should leave it on, I suppose. Okay, let me locate the agenda. I had it. Do we have a do you have a printed copy?

Yeah, give me a moment. I'll give you mine.

On here. No. Okay, this meeting is called to order. We'll start with the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.

The next item on the agenda is to swear in anybody who is going to be speaking tonight. So for all people, whether you're an applicant or you're a member of the public, if you can raise your right hand and swear or affirm that whatever statement you give is the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. Tell me God.

Your response? Thank you.

Okay. The first item on the agenda is for a COA, well, let me take it, let me hear from Mr. Martos.

I think Marcus is gonna provide the staff report.

Yes, I'll give a presentation. So this item was deferred from the previous meeting because the applicant couldn't attend. The applicant is not present again this evening. They were informed that the item would be posted on the agenda, but I never received a response from them. Would you like to proceed with the item or would you like to continue it to the next month? What would you like to do, Chair?

Are we sure that there's nobody that's gonna be here tonight?

I received no email or no contact from the applicant confirming whether they were going to be at the meeting.

Okay. They don't appear to be on our Zoom call either.

Let me just take a quick look here.

Chairman, Mr. Guillen has his hand up.

Yes.

Julio, we don't hear you.

Can you hear me now? Yes. Yes. No, it was my mistake.

Sorry. Passed by Blades.

So would the board like to hear this item or what would the board like to do?

Well, what did you want to say, Julio? Did you address?

Oh, no, no, no. It was my mistake. I got it.

Okay, looking at this, I just located the application from the last meeting and there were some concerns expressed by the staff. So I think this should be deferred until the next meeting.

Chairman, I think you may be referring to the second item on our application. We're talking now about the signage application for the crossroads.

I think we're on order there. So I'm just thinking that is the person here for the crossroads then? Yes.

The first item is a crossroads item and that person is not here.

Oh, okay. All right. I'm confused. I thought we were asking about deferring the first item.

The applicant is not present to make a presentation. The board can take action on the item even if the applicant's not present. My advice would be if this is the first time they don't appear, Marcus...

It came in a January meeting, but the applicant requested that it be deferred.

So they asked for it to be deferred, and now they're not here. This is their first no-show, if you will. The board can take, they can bring it down.

Yes, but I'm in a meeting right now.

So the board can take action on the item. Affirmative approval of the item, for example, is not likely to rustle any feathers. A negative action on the item may raise concerns over due process.

And so if the- So deferring the item to the next meeting?

Not deferring, a negative action, a denial of the application, for example, might result in concerns over due process, okay? And so my recommendation, usually if an applicant doesn't appear on a first time like this one, is usually my recommendation is to defer the item to allow them an opportunity to appear. Emergencies, accidents can happen. There's all sorts of reasons why they may not be here today.

I'd like to move to defer.

Sorry.

I'd like to move to defer.

Okay, that's what I said to defer.

I misheard you, I thought.

Okay, maybe I mumbled or something, but I said defer. That's what I was trying to understand.

Then if there's a motion to defer, is there a second?

Second.

All in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Board members on Zoom, if you would, please turn on your cameras. For the record, and to record votes, we need to see your faces. We need to know that you're the voices behind the recording. Thank you.

We also skipped over the roll call. Gary Casal is present. Next.

Manuel Menendez is present. Erica Hubbs is present.

Okay.

Angelica, can you hear us now?

No.

She was having audio trouble earlier.

Okay, but Angelica's here.

Her name's on here, but we don't hear you, Angelica. We don't see your face either. Now we see you.

Okay, Angelica Lang, present.

I don't think she's listening.

Yeah. Earlier she said, Chairman, she couldn't hear us. And so I suspect that.

Yeah, in the chat she was, yeah.

Okay. Okay. Okay. So she's having technical issues.

Yeah, she's still unable to .

Okay. Well, the record reflects that she appears to be here.

Okay.

The next item on the agenda is HPB 2025-005. Marcus, you wanna?

Yeah, so this item was received by the city on February 13th, 2026. This is actually our resubmittal. This item first came before the historic board in December 15th of last year, and it was deferred by the board. The applicant is proposing a two-story addition to the historically designated home. The staff, regarding the boundary survey, staff has reviewed the survey information that the applicant provided and found that it complies, it conforms, it's a conforming lot in the single-family residential district, or RS4. So any district staff also did a review of the historic designation report pursuant to Ordinance 08-08-1943. The designation report for the subject property states the following about its architectural distinction. The style of this two-story rectangular building is best described as a Mediterranean revival and eclectic design based on prototypes from Spanish, Italian, and Moorish architectural archetypes. The design was hugely popular during the 1920s real estate boom and came to characterize the region. The designs often featured irregular plans, courtyards, flat roofs with distinctive parapets or combinations of roof slopes and residential construction and ornament concentrated around doors and windows. The residence at 5730 Southwest 49th Street expresses the hallmarks of the Mediterranean Revival style and its mace reconstruction, combination of one and two story sections, combination of gabled and shed roofs, prominent front porch that features an arcade of round arches, uses of a clay tile as a roofing material and the coping that follows the roof edges, prominent chimney and a decorative brick chimney cap, Double hung sash windows with a projecting sill beneath and separate masonry accessory building originally intended as a garage that's at the back of the property. Staff then reviewed the project against the dimension requirements for the RS4 zoning district. I just want to point out that on February 17th of this last week, the City Commission adopted an ordinance that amended the dimension requirements for the single family residential structures. Of the changes made, the requirements for floor area ratio FAR was removed and replaced with a new second floor building coverage requirement because the applicant did not provide the newly required calculations. It has been added as a condition for approval. Also, information pertaining to the setbacks for the proposed swimming pool was not provided at this time as well. An incorrect square footage for the existing house was also used when calculating the impervious coverage for the site. When the correct square footage is used, however, the site does not exceed the maximum permitted. The legend should be revised to reflect the correct square footages used when calculating the max impervious coverage last. The accessory structure was not factored into the building coverage for the site. When included, the project will exceed the maximum permitted. So they would need to amend their building coverage to make sure everything complies. Staff then reviewed the elevations for the building and found that they comply with the dimensional criteria for the RS4 district. Also part of that amendment that I just mentioned, the commission also increased the maximum building height for single family structures from 25 feet to 30 feet. And instead of before we were measuring it from grade, now we measure from finished floor elevation now. Staff provides the following comments and observations regarding the scale, color, texture, purpose, and aesthetic quality to assist the Historic Preservation Board. The proposed addition is located to the east of the existing residence and will face Southwest 49th Street oriented perpendicular to the street. The elevations are shown on sheets A201 and A202 and provide details for each elevation height dimensions and illustrate door and window fenestration. The doors and windows will consist of aluminum casement windows and aluminum arch doors. The roof of the new addition will consist of brown Varea clay barrel roof tiles that will match the roof of the existing residence. The colorway of existing colors and surfaces of the addition will match the stucco and paint finishes of the existing building. In addition, Sherwin-Williams creamy paint has been selected by the applicant. It's important to note, that pursuant to the city's site plan regulations listed in the Land Development Code, which is section 20, that's 5.11, Diaz and David number four, it states that this type of renovation would have to go to the city's design review board as well as prior to obtaining a building permit by the city. Staff has reviewed the vehicular access, egress, and parking for the site. Vehicular access is provided by a circular driveway with dual approaches along Southwest 49th Street, which is a local road. The driveway setback was not provided at this time, so it would be required. It is important to note that both the driveway and the walkway will consist of a pervious olytic stone. Because of this, its square footage was not counted towards the maximum pervious coverage for the site. Staff notes that the ability to not count pervious pavers is currently under review by the Planning Department. While there is no garage proposed, a canopy carport with a design that is similar to the addition is proposed at this time. The driveway and carport area provide parking for at least two vehicles and meet the requirements for the RS4 zoning district. Staff is recommending approval with the comments listed in the staff report and I'm available for any comments or questions you may have, thank you.

Thank you, Marcus. You're welcome. Guys, in the interest of full disclosure, I'd like to, I guess, to recuse myself from this one because it specified one of my clay roof tile products in this application. And, you know, I guess before you kick me out, I'd like to say it looks beautiful and congratulations to all involved. So I will be listening, but I won't be commenting any further. So thank you very much.

What's the conflict?

Okay.

They're using one of my clay roof tile products.

Yeah, the bottom tile.

Brown barrel tile that I bring from Spain.

Okay, I don't, I mean, I don't see why that would be a... Do you think that's a conflict at all? I don't see that the tiles are an issue as per staff recommendations.

I don't know that it's necessarily a conflict, but certainly if Mr. Menendez feels it is, I understand why he might err on that side of caution. I don't believe it's necessarily a conflict. Okay, well, there you go. Mr. Menendez, if you think it is a conflict and you decide that you want to recuse yourself, um yeah i don't mind uh just listening and i'll sit this one out you know right well this what i'm trying to explain is the recusal rules usually require you to not participate and not be in the room um if you believe that there is a conflict okay well i don't know you guys you told me i don't believe that this would amount to a conflict

All right, great. Thank you. Okay.

Excuse me, Chair, just as a point of order. Angelica Lane, she still can't hear us, but she's been putting comment in the chat for the Zoom. And she asked if she was allowed to participate as she was the realtor who sold the house and their neighbor. I don't know if the city attorney wants to opine on that or...

The plot thickens. I think that, Ms. Lang, this presents more of a clear conflict, and I think it's advisable that you do recuse yourself. If you're telling me that you handled this transaction, you're their next-door neighbors, and you have a financial relationship with them.

Well, how long ago did you participate as a realtor? I think she's going to type.

Chairman, my concern is more of a direct financial tie. The concern that Mr. Menendez raised is a speculative tie and it's also something that was Mr. Menendez, this wasn't proposed by you or you have not contracted with this

No, not at all. I've had no contact with the owners, you know, either initiated by me or them or a representative of theirs or anything like that.

If there's no existing financial relationship, Ms. Lang is also highlighting that she's a next door neighbor. And it sounds to, maybe I'm assuming Ms. Lang, correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you're suggesting you have a relationship that will affect your ability to vote. She writes, I have not had any contact with the particular project.

Right, right. My question is, you're the realtor that sold them the house. When did you sell them the house and the neighbor? And the neighbor's house as well. Could you hear me?

I think she's saying I am their neighbor, is I think what she means.

Right, you sold the house prior to the expansion. Was that five years ago, a year ago, four months ago? I mean, what was the timeframe? Okay, I don't know if that makes any difference to your recommendation.

My bigger concern is that there may have... My bigger concern, Ms. Lang, is first, if you have this feeling that there is a conflict, it's advisable not to participate. And typically, again, this is an assumption, but in the purchase of a property, there may be... anticipated ability to expand is usually something in a real estate transaction for vacant land. And so if you feel uncomfortable, my advice to you would be to recuse yourself. What's adding something to this analysis is also you have two factors, you're also the next door neighbor. And I think that's also relevant.

Okay, so she's supposed to sit out?

Yes. Okay, but you are a neighbor abutting them, you're the back neighbor. So my advice, if you feel uncomfortable, Ms. Lange, is to follow your gut, recuse yourself, and that would require you not to participate in the meeting. In other words, not be, if you were here physically, you would not, I'd ask you to step outside. So I'm gonna ask you to log off and you can log back in later if you wanna participate in the closing portion of the meeting. Yes, I'm going to ask that you please log off and you can log back in after this item is concluded. Okay, she just logged off. Okay. Okay. All right. We've heard from staff. Do we want to hear from the applicant, Chairman?

Yes.

If you would, your name and address for the record.

Good evening, my name is Jorge Trellis, architect. I'm representing Trellis-Caballeros Architects, a small family boutique, many years in practice, architecture firm dedicated to precisely this kind of work in the gables and surrounding areas and we're representing Mariana and Christian but feet our clients and we agree with everything staff just mentioned we have been kind of back and forth reviewing and trying to get the zoning predictions of the changes and I think now we're confident and comfortable. We are also probably going to redesign because of that. So we would, I don't know, take your suggestions and comments maybe to know we're confidently moving in the right direction. And if you recommend deferral or do we resubmit, I think it's what you might suggest.

Thank you. So, Mr. Trace, you reviewed the staff recommendations on this application, I guess?

Well, for the first time hearing them now. Okay. But I have, you know, I understand them. And it's been a... a challenge the design is um trying to um kind of marry an existing beautiful um recently restored house actually recently renovated so it has um by concept trying to be a part of something that was there or a confusing time in a way. And we work closely with the clients and hope to delight the preservation board.

Yeah, I think adding on to an existing house poses a lot more challenges than building a new house, especially an historic house. So I guess you have your work cut out. I can appreciate that. I know from my own personal experience on that as well. So we've got, there's several recommendations from staff. Do any board members have any questions or concerns about staff recommendations or about anything in general on this?

I think about it, if it's going to be reopened, you're gonna work on these zoning things. It should be the first probably so that we can look at the actual final design once everything gets implemented.

Yeah, I think that, well, looking at the recommendations, there seems to be additional steps that have to be taken. So... if we abide by the staff recommendations it's it's it's effectively like a deferral as well but uh what miss uh julio what's your uh you want to see more in the way of what what it's going to look like or yeah it might it might affect other things we don't know right right and in general right now you know this this was already here once uh and uh and there

The plans were less developed than now. They are now much more developed and much closer, I would say, to the final, but there are some issues still that they have to address with zoning and FAR. They are not our province, really, those sort of things, right? But they could affect, you know, the way the architectural solution to this, although in general it's almost, you know, it's following something already. But, you know, that's why I'm thinking, you know, that way they don't have to come here several times.

Yeah, to pick up on that, and this is a question for Mr. Troyes. Do you have any, there's photos of the existing house now, but there's no renderings as to what it's going to look like? Yeah.

No, there's a rendering in the first. In the cover sheet? Yeah, in the cover sheet, yes. There's two renderings, yes.

Okay. Oh, okay, I didn't see that.

All right. Yeah, they give a better idea than last time when it came before us. It was without the rendering, so it's more, you know, it's more alive this way.

Okay.

Yeah. One rendering, right? And one rendering elevation.

Okay, just bear with me one second, because I wanted to see if I can, I thought I had the, okay, I didn't click on one thing. Thank you, Mr. Martos.

Yeah, of course. Well, in general, let me say something. Okay, the selection of the materials, I think, is good, you know, to me. The coral palette, too. Probably, I assume, I'm not sure because I don't look at the plans. I assume that the new windows are matching the existing windows that were recently, probably recently replaced, you know, and it seems to be that they're going to be the same color, I think. So it's going fine, it's just that it might be that because of this FAR and other zoning issues, they may have to change this even more, you know?

yeah since the uh we've been in trying to predict we've been meeting with marcus and he's been um giving us all the information he can until it was just official um this couple days ago in fact But we have been studying and already reviewing with the client and we would, you know, for sure with this zoning change be very precise about that and probably also hope to review it with Marcus prior to the next submission.

Chairman, Mariana Parfit has her hand up on the Zoom.

And she's the owner.

And she's the property owner. And Ms. Parfit, if you're going to speak, we'll ask that you turn on your camera, please.

I don't think she was sworn in either.

Yeah, we'll have to swear her in.

Hi there. Are you able to hear me?

Yes. Would you turn your camera on, please?

So I tried at the beginning of the meeting, but it says, does that work? We see you. Yeah, perfect.

Ms. Parker, would you raise your right hand, please? Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I do. Thank you. Go ahead.

I just wanted to kind of reiterate what Marcus and Mr. said that we have basically been going back and forth due to the new zoning requirements that have been passed in the last two weeks and we thought it was still worth you know coming to this meeting and presenting to you all because what you're seeing on the rendering on the bottom left is basically a laundry room and what the additional square footage would allow us to do is to add a to kind of like reconfigure the interior a bit to add a one-car garage, which is the only thing that we felt like we were missing out of the addition. And that would be adjacent to the laundry room. So it would kind of just be that section that would look different. So I think it would be very helpful if you have any issues other than that to let us know now so that we can work on that until, you know, the March meeting.

Do any board members have any comments or concerns? Okay, well, I think then this will be deferred then to the March meeting.

Yeah, there's a motion for deferral.

It would be nice to get some sort of, you know, good... Good intention of...

It kind of glimpses to, okay, whether... Well... Yeah, how much... What's the square footage that's being added to this? Approximately 1,400.

Okay. and it's 900 on the second floor.

We've been very careful to keep it very sensitive massing.

Very sensitive massing. The rectangular portions of the house are larger but similar in composition to the old house. We've been conscious about making a variety of a variety in the elevation so that it could read like a courtyard from the rear and have a kind of garden presence in the front. And the strategy again, as Mariana and I've mentioned, is to kind of marry the house and confuse know the different parts of it, of course, but not be so dramatic about which came first. I mean, if there's a way of achieving an approval with conditions, as staff mentioned, that would be nice, because we would proceed very specifically.

Well, I have a question on the design of the house. The arched wooden entry door? Yes. The way the, I mean, you have the roof kind of slants in a way that it was when it was designated as an historic property. And then when you look at the new entranceway, the roof has sort of a different kind of look to it.

And the two roofs... what I would call roofs are same pitch, same tile, one is wider than the other. But the, I think the roof you're referencing is actually the front door archway, it's like a decoration around the arch. Okay. It's like a relief, like a bas-relief. And it's there to try to signal the new entry of the house.

Yeah, I guess my question is only on the curve of the, yeah, it's not, it's, yeah, it's sort of like a decoration.

We were looking at that extensively because the Christian has an affinity to Dutch and to a Caribbean Dutch. And I don't know, you know, these things, I know your question. We could look at it. but it's a design that comes out of a lot of attention and work with the client.

Or not Uber, those places.

Okay, yeah, I mean, it keeps the archway, you know, the doorway itself is arched. I mean, really, it's not, may not be that significant of a feature. Does anybody else have any comments or anything on the design?

No, I think with that aspect, you know, I'm fine. You know, it's kind of like a little flourish there at the entrance. to give a certain distinction. One thing that, the only thing that, like I say, you know, it's better than the last time I came here. The only thing is why, and it just bothers me a little bit, if you look at the re-elevation, right, why it couldn't be the new porch, the arches in the new porch, centered on the existing doors. Why that couldn't happen? And, you know, I can't.

Is there a reason, a particular reason for that? I wonder if you could be more specific.

Yeah, if you look at the sheet A202, the north elevation, there's a new porch in the existing house, right? Yes. There's a new porch, right? There were two existing doors, and the new porch is projecting in front of it, and there's arches right in front of those doors. Correct. If you go to A202, you're going to see. And for some reason, the arches are not aligned with the total length.

And that might be a reason. I'm pretty sure. Yeah, I could say something about that.

Right, right, right.

If you look at the plan condition. Yes, yes. what we were after is that the porch and the arches of the porch be more in composition with the adjoining arches of the great room. And we didn't wanna touch that wall. It's like we're trying not to touch the old house. So those are existing doors. And then so I thought also, I know what you're saying, And since the courtyard effect or what we're after is a kind of courtyard look towards the pool, the pool as a central piece, I think it's more dynamic. You're not going to be so frontal on those arches to see that alignment.

No, I know. It's kind of like a skewed view.

That's my feeble approach to an answer to that. But I know what you're saying.

Yeah, because it would have been easy just changing a little bit the thickness of the columns in between the arches, and then you go, boop.

No, it pushes us into the alley. And I didn't think it was that. And, you know, we're using the existing kind of geometries of the thing.

It's just that one tends to want those things. I understand that the new porch is a screen and separated from the doors, and you're never going to be able to really see it. you know, right away, but, you know, it was just a little intervention.

Maybe, you know, the middle column, maybe we could do something on the middle wall, like lighting, and that could help center.

Yeah, I think it would be easy to center, yeah. I thought there had to be a reason, because the first impulse is to center it. Okay, that was my only intervention. I'm fine with the way it has been done, altered really and the little flourishes here and there are fine you know they're like a little bit the signature of the the new architect you know and it's fine you know i think like i said to me you know the color palette you know the the selection of the tile which is very prominent um you know the other thing is the new windows they are going to be matching, I assume, the existing ones, right? Is that correct? Yes. Or there are new windows.

We had the existing house, we replaced all of the existing windows that were not impact rated, and they had a white frame, and we actually replaced them with the impact rated aluminum windows with a walnut veneer. So it looks like wood, and we plan on doing the same thing, the exact same.

I think those are important things, and they are addressed here, so... You know, the little parapet in between then is a creative way of joining these two things, which is difficult to do. So I think it's fine, you know.

I think it's fine. Okay. Okay, staff has several recommendations. Mr. Trace, you said you just learned about them now, or...? Yes. Okay. Do you have any questions or do you think they're all doable or?

They're all doable.

Okay.

And we're, you know, back at the drawing board, but it's, it's refinement and we're going to take these is what I like is that I could take these suggestions and refine. So, but I would like the, um, um, I don't know, being here and having the hearing, making it productive. If we can get some sort of, uh, approval with condition or?

Yeah, well, the most we can do now, and I appreciate that you guys have thought about this a long time and put quite a bit of work into it. And I think we're coming to an end here. But the recommendations, the most we can do, I think, is take a look at the recommendations and see whether or not we're gonna adopt them. I don't know that we can do anything beyond that at this point. But I think that we're now familiar with the project. This is the second time it's been up. Mr. Gann has made comments about it, and I think he's had some thoughtful comments about it, and I think it's moving along. So looking at the staff recommendations, do any board members have any questions or concerns about the staff recommendations?

Excuse me, Chair, just to the record. The first couple recommendations about the drainage plan and the landscape plan, those are requirements once this item goes to the Design Review Board. that board reviews landscaping and drainage grading plans for sufficiency. The plant consistency items would be the ones that Mr. Treyes would have to correct.

Okay, so yeah, the sufficiency items are just things they have to do anyway.

Yeah, they have to, with those errors that I mentioned, and staff is recommending that the historic board approve it, but if it is the wish of the board, if they wish to defer it, they can, and if they would like to see those amendments back here before you make a final decision, you may do that as well.

Okay, and what about the procedural ones?

That's just standard protocol, like all new constructions have to be reviewed by the Florida building code. And I made the procedural comment that the design review board needs to review because that's part of the land development code requirement. And any additional comments that the board may have?

Chairman, my concern with approving today would be that Mr. Treas has indicated that, and Ms. Parfit has indicated that they're going to be adding a garage to the design. That addition of a garage will very likely trigger review by this board again.

Oh yes, we don't rule. This is what I'm asking procedurally.

Yes, so what I'm saying is procedurally, we can approve you today, but if you had a garage, you gotta come back here for the garage review. It may make more sense just to defer. I don't know how long it'll take you to add the garage design, but when you've got that garage design, we could review it one last time and you can move forward. If you're not adding the garage, then yeah, it would make sense to approve today.

If we got an approval today, wouldn't we have to come forward for a revision? If you have a garage, correct.

That's a significant enough change that it wouldn't be done administratively. It would have to come back here.

We're aware of that.

So, you know, if the board wants to give you an approval today, they can. They just need to be aware that, and you and your client need to be aware that adding that garage is going to bring you back here. Yes, we're aware of that. Okay. So, you know, I leave it to you and the board to decide. Chairman, before you do close or take a vote, I'll also ask that you open and potentially close the public comment period. We've heard from the applicant, but not from the general public.

Okay, I thought that would come after, but...

I'm saying before you take a vote, you know, public comment should be allowed.

Okay. So there will be a separate public comment section after, just for general comments, because we do have residents and the audience that would like to speak to the board. Okay. To address the board, but because this is a public hearing, this public hearing item needs a public comment, so that anybody that wants to speak on this specific item, they can do so. Right. That's what the city attorney is mentioning.

Yep. Yeah, I mean, the staff recommendations are sort of... They're really... they're not the usual staff recommendations. I mean, these are all conditions that they have to abide by anyway. For the most part, yeah. Yeah, so it's really, a lot of the recommendations are not really within our purview then as far as whether or not to approve it. So I guess the only question is, just as a matter of practicality, this issue of the garage. So if there is a garage that's going to be added, that that would factor into a decision whether or not we're gonna defer it. Now, is there a garage that's gonna be added or?

So right now they're proposing a canopy carport. And I remember at the December meeting, board member Gillian had some reservations about that carport, which they have revised, but I wanted to bring that up, make sure everybody's aware.

Well, what's before you is what we think is a beautiful carport, and it would be a very unique one on the street. We see it like a garden trellis, actually. But yes, a garage would change things. And we're aware that we would come to a new submission. We understand that as architects. And I believe Mariana is aware of that, too. Maybe just on practical terms, we could go home tonight and say, hey, we have an approval, but we're going to change it, you know?

Okay. Right. So that's kind of still up in the air, I guess. Yeah. All right. Any other comments from the board? Okay. And now let's...

I have a question.

Yes, go ahead.

Okay. Just to, for my own clarity, is the garage going to be built where the carport is? So like covering that part of the building, is that the plan? Or somewhere else on the lot?

No, it would be garage to the left and laundry to the right. Right now the laundry is centered and we couldn't fit the garage in fact.

The garage would be where the carport is now. Yeah.

Oh wait, that's what I was asking. So the garage would be where the carport is right now in the rendering?

Yes, more or less. It will come up forward to the setback, the front setback. Because right now the mass of the house is fairly receded from the front.

So basically the garage and laundry would be adjacent to each other. So right now that, um, one story structure is just a laundry. So if we have, now that we have the additional square footage, it would basically be just extended forward towards the street and sideways.

Any other comments from the board members before we open it up for public comments? Okay. Okay. Are there any members of the public who wish to speak on this item?

Okay. If there are none, you can close public comment.

Okay. There was somebody, I believe you said that there was somebody who planned to be here or was here?

No, but with respect to, I think, a different application.

Oh, okay.

A different subject.

Okay. All right. OK. Do we have a motion? Yeah. I mean, again, none of the recommendations really concern us. So if we were to approve this with the and adopt the recommendations of staff, they really don't do anything because it's just, these are all items that they have to address apart from what our role is here.

These are standard conditions and they really just emphasize that this isn't the final step in the process. Right. Other steps will take place.

Okay. Well, I move that we approve this application 2025-005. I second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Okay. Thank you.

Congratulations.

Good luck with your project. This is an exciting one. It really, I can imagine just how much time and effort you guys have put in this.

Well, it surprised us to speak on the record.

Yeah. You won't be off the record. Everything you're saying is there. Oh, yeah.

I didn't know it was there.

Sir, the microphone.

Yeah, yeah. It surprised us also because I didn't know it was there. And we found it in our first meeting with Mariana and Christian. And the proximity to Coral Gables, it even has the same lamppost. on the sidewalk, the same lamppost of Cora Gables. So it was clearly, and the date that it's built, one wouldn't know the difference, the Red Road difference. So we see it as that, as continuing this very special place.

Yeah, in a lot of respects, we're better than the Gables. In some respects, I guess, you can argue. I like the city of South Park better. Thank you. Okay, next item is public comments.

Good evening. Thank you for having me. My name is Ayesha Carr, and I'm here with my husband and partner, Darrell Altenhoff. We are hopefully about to embark on a restoration of a historic house in South Miami, which also we hope to delight you. But before we even start, I'm confronted with kind of one major issue that I wanted to bring to the board. And it has to do with the nature of the house designation. There seems to be a discrepancy between the designation and the historic research that was done in the house by the Miami-Dade Preservation Board. So when it was designated in South Miami, it was designated as built in 1935 and as being a minimalist traditional home. in my own historic research and research predating like from the 70s by Sarah Cody which I obtained classifies the house as frame vernacular and the historic record primary which I found and also what she had done in her 70s research states that the house was built in 1912 and the historic record shows that the house was used as a church in 1915 and the owner moved in it in 1916 so at the very latest the house was built in 1916 definitely not 1935 and again according to what i see in the house what the sarah cody's research is who i don't know but i've obtained her records there's again a discrepancy between the designation and you know the designation and what's in the historical records

Is there more than one designation on the house of the city of South Miami?

So the official city of South Miami is minimalist traditional. But the house, according to Sarah Cody and the little research I've done, and the neighboring houses is clearly more likely frame vernacular.

And I'm sorry to interrupt, but you're saying there's an error in the designation report that was generated when the house was designated?

Theoretically, I would be agnostic, but effectively, since I have to pay for an architect and all these things gets delayed, I would like a clarification at the very least. I think it's frame vernacular, but it's up to you to decide. But again, is there some kind of procedure to kind of, I don't know if the word is appeal or review the designation to determine it before we actually start any work? That's what I would like.

Go ahead.

And it's probably not a very common request. That's why I came here, because I've been like researching the house ad nauseum, and that's really why.

It's not a common request, but I'm going to, so I don't have a clear answer for you, I'm sorry to say. I would have to myself look over our rules and determine what the process might be. What I would suggest is that you meet with our staff, with Marcus and the rest of our staff. We can set an appointment and we can sit down and discuss this with you and then bring it back to the board if we think it's necessary after we've worked it out. I'm gonna recommend that because I honestly don't, I appreciate you bringing this issue up, but I don't know that we have a set process to amend a designation report once it has been issued.

Okay, because, I mean, again, I mean, I know it's not going to be decided now, but again, I mean, the front of the house, which I know is always the most important for restoration, is clearly added on probably in the 60s, according also to the actual records by Miami-Dade Historic Preservation Board. And to me, it looks also like that because behind it, I can see the original porch, which is more historically typical, especially of African-American homes, which is what this house is. And also behind that porch, there's one surviving window, which is a stash window, which I think is arts and crafts. And again, that would also suggest the current facades and the designation are wrong, and also the windows are jealousy and they've all been replaced. So basically, I mean, My hope is that to have some things clarified before I actually, you know, so I can figure out who's the right architect for the project and before I waste my money, you know, going back and forth and deciding, oh, no, this doesn't fit the true designation of the house.

Cool. Okay, well, Mr. Martos has given you a pathway to address your concerns. Okay. And I think, well, you have a designation report, obviously. Yes. And you don't agree with what's in the designation report.

What?

Or you're concerned that you want to go in a direction that's different than what?

No, no, I think I want to go in the right direction, which is what the house is actually. Okay. So I think the first research which was done prior to South Miami by the Miami-Dade I think is more accurate and more typical of the era, more typical of the street, and I think more typical of the person who owned the house too. Because he was also a carpenter, he would have built the house himself.

And that's going to inform you.

And he will definitely have had a porch, not a front flat house.

And that's going to inform you on how you go forward with the plans.

Yes, exactly. So then I know what's the right architect, you know how to go about the plans I need to do.

And you want to stay true to what, you like what Dade County had to say better before the city...

I think it's more accurate.

Okay. All right, well, Mr. Martos already addressed that, I think.

Yeah, I think the best thing to do, Miss, is to sit down with our staff, allow me to look over our code, understand what your position is exactly, and then figure out your best path forward. Okay, great. It may, and I have to say, as a point of privilege, if I may just say, you've done a lot of work already, and we all appreciate that very much because you're clearly concerned about doing it the right way. I'm interested. so that's that's I applaud you I applaud you and I thank you for that but give us an opportunity to sit down with you understand exactly what your concerns are read the designation ports this is our first time we hear about it and then we can sort out the best path forward for you okay

And can I ask just another theoretical question again to kind of speed things up, which is, you know, what's special about the house, it's actually, it's still all wood. It's actually still all the original wood, including the foundation. But the foundations are crumbling. If... it is to be kept like all wood and preserved, which would be ideal, something has to be done to preserve the foundation. So right now, I'm also an engineer, so right, I'm a professor, so I belabor, sorry about that. So right now, the rain falls and goes straight down and straight into the foundation. which is a problem. So I've tried to look around for a house of similar vintages. And one that you all know is probably the Merrick House. And with how they've solved the problem, they put a wrap around the porch. So by adding a porch around, which was also, I think, not very common, but used to be in that era, that would basically protect the people from the rain, you know, the windows, but also preserve the foundation. Of course, you can put gutters too, and the gutters will solve the problem, but the gutters, I think, will look odd. So in your experience, just again, what are kind of favorite ways of approaching a problem like that?

Well, we go by what the designation report says and then we apply the standards that are in the code.

I don't think there were any gutters back then.

I think step one for you is to meet with Mr. Martos to try to get you to where you want to go. But it sounds like you have an interest in keeping the property historically accurate and to meet all the standards that we try to meet. So it's just a question of how to get there. And I think when you meet with Mr. Martos, you get a better idea as to how to get there. But I think you'll get there, though.

Okay, great. Thank you so much. Okay. Thank you.

Okay, we're just waiting for Marcus to finish up.

So I have one more item for public comment. When I was doing the minutes, I noticed that, Mr. Chair, you had mentioned you wanted to have a discussion about the historic brochure. I thought I put it on the agenda, but I'm seeing now that it didn't make it on there, but if you would still like to hold that discussion, or if you'd like to save it for another meeting, it would be your choice. Sure, let's talk about it. Okay. You had brought it up, so that's why I put it on the agenda.

Okay. I think in the last meeting we had talked about, and there's been a lot of talk about the brochures, and uh, whether they should be distributed and things of that nature. So do we, we know how many brochures there are or I still have to do a count of the amount of boxes.

I know there's about probably two boxes and in the storage area of the civil martin building, but I don't have an exact count for you.

Okay. Well, and right now, I mean, they're just sitting in City Hall somewhere, correct?

Yes, they're sitting in the Silver Martin building. We have them on display in our building for people to get, but the majority of them are sitting in the storage at the rear of the building.

All right, I think in the next meeting, if somebody wants to weigh in on it, but I think it would be good to distribute those brochures at some points. I guess we missed an opportunity with the art fair, which just was this previous weekend. But do any board members have any ideas on what to do with these brochures, which we spent a lot of time putting together a while ago?

I actually passed by to pick one up after the last meeting because I hadn't seen it. I think there's so much great information. Yeah, South Miami Arts Festival would have been a great opportunity to just get some more awareness of the historic, especially down by Sunset and the crossroads and all that. So I think it would be a great discussion to start talking about sort of like what and how do we want to sort of promote the concept of this like city of South Miami festival

um especially that area right there in the historic just information and awareness for everyone coming around so i don't have an idea but i think it's worth a conversation okay why don't we think about that for the next meeting and i'll put out some ideas uh and talk about what we've done in the past we've talked about putting them in different storefronts we've talked about the art show um i don't know what's coming up on in the city events off the top of my head what what um And I think they used to be in City Hall somewhere on display. I'm not sure if they still are.

But Mr. Lightfoot? We still have locations here at City Hall where we can... place the brochure for people to see and pick up. Here at City Hall, there are locations by the clerk's office, by our cashier windows. We also have the tables that are right by the manager's office at the front vestibule here.

So there are places. But they're not being displayed now, though, right? They're not being displayed now.

We only have them displayed in the Silver Martin building with us.

Yeah, I think they were displayed at one point somewhere in City Hall toward the entrance. It may be possible for that was several years ago. Okay. Well, I think we can leave that for another meeting. But you all could be thinking about ideas for, you know, creating public awareness for historical preservation, where to put the brochures. You know, obviously, as always, you know, South Florida, we're in a constant state of flux here and nothing ever seems to say stay the same. So I think it becomes more and more important to make the public aware of the history of South Miami and to promote that and to preserve it because it's rapidly disappearing, especially with the property values being what they are here in South Florida. On that note, too, I think we talked about the video. There is a video on the history of South Miami that's out there. I think it's somewhere on the website, and that's something to be made aware of as well. But yeah, I think that that should be an item, but on maybe the next agenda or the agenda after that, but let's be thinking about that, how to create public awareness for, how to distribute the brochures and create more public awareness on the history of historic preservation. Okay, the next item of business would be approval of the meeting minutes from January 26th. I move that the meeting minutes for January 26 be approved.

Is there a second? Ms. Latour is raising her hand. Yep. Okay. We have a second.

All those in favor? Aye.

Aye.

Okay. All right, our next meeting is on March 30th at 6 p.m. Thank you. This meeting is adjourned.

Thank you, Board.

Bye, everyone. Good to see you.