REVIEW COMMENTS
PLV~
MEMORANDUM
January 13, 1987
TO:
Chairman and Members
Downtown Review Board
FROM:
James J. Golden
Assistant City Planner
RE:
Water's Edge Marina - Parking Lot Variance
Section 5-144(c)(4) of the Code of Ordinances requires that when
a variance to Section 5, Article X, Parking Lots is requested,
the Technical Review Board must forward to the Downtown Review
Board a recommendation, and that the recommendation forwarded is
to be made part of the public hearing proceedings. To that end,
this memo is forwarded, consistent with Section 5-144(c)(4).
Craig Livingston, agent for J & J Ventures of Florida, has
requested two such variances: (1) A variance to Section 5-141(m)
"Fire Lanes", of the Parking Lot Regulations which requires that
all shopping centers, retail-office complexes, and retail
establishments for which the gross floor area is fifteen thousand
(15,000) square feet or greater shall have fire lanes along the
front of all buildings which shall allow efficient access to the
fronts of all buildings by fire protection vehicles. In this
instance, the applicant is requesting relief from the requirement
for fire lanes along the fronts of the buildings on the north
side of Casa Lorna Boulevard and the retail building that fronts
on Ocean Avenue; (2) A variance to Section 5-141(H)(2)
"Maneuvering and Access Areas", which requires that maneuvering
and access areas shall be of sufficient size to permit vehicles
to enter and exit the parking lot in a safe and efficient manner.
More specifically, the design standards within the Parking Lot
Regulations require that a 27 foot wide access aisle be provided
adjacent to a row of parking stalls set at a 90 degree angle.
The Water's Edge Marina is proposed to be located on the
Intracoastal Waterway between Ocean Avenue and East Boynton Beach
Boulevard extended. For an explanation of the code requirement,
the nature of the variance requested, and the variance
justification, please refer to the attached Notice of Public
Hearing and application.
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On Tuesday, January 6, 1987 the Technical Review Board (TRB) met
to review the plans and documents submitted, and to formulate a
recommendation with regard to the variances requested. After
review and discussion, the TRB recommended that both variances be
approved in part and denied in part. With respect to the
recommendation for approval of a variance to Section 5-141(M},
the TRB made findings that requiring the applicant to construct a
fire lane along the front of all the buildings would impose an
unreasonable hardship owing to the overall configuration of the
parcel, particularly the narrowness of the area between the
right-of-way for Cas a Loma Boulevard and the seawall on the south
side of the inlet. Therefore, the TRB recommended approval of
this variance request subject to the condition that fire
sprinklers and standpipes be provided for all buildings that are
inaccessible to fire apparatus.
With respect to recommending approval for a variance to Section
5-141(H)(2), the TRB made findings that requiring the applicant
to provide the required 27 foot wide access aisle would also
impose an unreasonable hardship for the reason previously stated;
that the overall configuration of the parcel, particularly the
narrowness of the area between the right-of-way for Casa Lorna
Boulevard and the inlet, poses a severe constraint on the
developability of this area with respect to the requirements of
the City's Parking Lot Regulations. Therefore, the TRB
recommended approval of this variance request subject to the
following conditions:
1. That the T-turnaround be eliminated in favor of a cul-de-sac
with a minimum diameter of 73 feet, extending from the
southern right-of-way line for Cas a Loma Boulevard north to
the boardwalk in front of the restaurant. This will require
elimination of at least four parking spaces and the westward
relocation of the restaurant stairway. It was the consensus
of the TRB that providing a cul-de-sac as opposed to a
T-turnaound would serve as a much more effective mechanism
in maintaining traffic flow and mitigating congestion on
Casa Lorna Boulevard, particularly at times of peak hour use.
2. That a detail be included in the plans submitted for
sign-off showing the integration of the cul-de-sac and the
Casa Loma Overlook park to meet the approval of the
Recreation Department and the City Engineer.
~ b. .wL
ES ~. GOLDEN
flat
cc:
Ci ty Manager .
Technical Review Board
Central File
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