City grants height variance
BY VICI PAPAJOHN Gulf Breeze News vici@gulfbreezenews.com

At a special meeting held Wednesday, Dec. 18, the Gulf Breeze City Council approved a height variance of four feet for the Driftwood Condominium project to be built on Duncan Avenue. The council approved the measure by a vote of four to one. Developers Foret and Lundy presented the final concept of the project to the council and a crowd of approximately 24.

For two years the project has been going before the council and before the Architectural Review Board (ARB). The redesigned concept was reviewed by the ARB on July 10 and Aug. 23. The request for five variances was generated following the August meeting, when the developer refined their preliminary plat.

The overall footprint of the redesigned project was reduced from nearly 80 percent coverage to only 40 percent, more trees were preserved and the bluff on the bay side will remain unadulterated. Citizens praised the preservation of the trees and natural bluff, but concern was raised over the height variance. The middle building exceeds the 35 foot height limit by 4.83 feet. The two side buildings are 35 feet tall. The developer stated that consolidating the living space to three condo buildings instead of multiple town homes allows the reduced footprint that saves the live oak trees and preserves the bay front bluff.

"That we are here tonight discussing a height variance of a hot button item for the citizens of Gulf Breeze surprises and disappoints me. We are one week away from Christmas and I'd rather be with my family at my grandson's Christmas program. This is the first time a height variance has been considered by the council," challenged Chanteclaire homeowner Michael Price. "I thought this issue was settled."

Councilmen asked questions about fire safety, tree protection, garage clearance and tree preservation.

"I want to know that the trees will not only be protected, but the drip lines will be protected during construction," urged Councilman Carl T. Hoffman. "It's not enough to say they are protected."

Councilman Dick Fulford praised the process and the project, stating "This has been an ongoing process since the spring of 2005. The builders have been cooperative and have changed many things to accom- modate the CRA plan. They have worked again and again to try to compromise with their neighbors as well."

ARB members Summer King, Britton Stamps and Bill Graves all spoke on behalf of the project and urged approval of the variances.

"I think this project fills a very real gap in our community," King praised.

Graves commented that quality projects like Driftwood added to the character of the city and generated much-needed revenue in the Community Redevelopment Association (CRA) tax district for muchneeded repairs. He cited the CRA plan consultants' assessment that the CRA was "deteriorated and underutilized" and encouraged the council to see that "good design is good business."

Mayor Lane Gilchrist made record of the fact that the neighboring post office had sent a letter urging disapproval of the project.

Price spoke again and said "I was not born here, I chose to live here. I don't want to hear about how many times the developer has come in and made changes and has worked hard. I want to speak against this height change. I would like to disclose my discussions with [City Manager Edwin] "Buz" Eddy and I would like for you all to disclose all the meetings you have had with this developer. I don't think the public has had the right to know about this."

During the public forum, Council man Hoffman stated that though he was against the variances up until the meeting, the information that the three buildings shared a common basement "defined the development as one building that meets the height limit as we average varying heights. My concern is now moot - this building does not appear to require a variance as it is in compliance when viewed that way."

"I am concerned with a variance even if it is small, it will open the door to a lot more problems and questions in the future and potentially disrupt the architecture in this town," said Chanteclaire resident Fabrizio Cutrone.

The topic created polarized views and resident Richard Lott urged examination of the reasons behind the code and emphasis to shift to the creation and protection of the character of the community.

"I'm just not sure the 35-foot limit should be applied with such a rigorous reading," Lott cautioned. "We should focus on the construction and architectural quality that makes Gulf Breeze look good. Sometimes a 35-foot limit is restricting and not the best guide."

Additional variances were approved with a vote of four to one. A variance was previously granted to place the buildings 10 feet apart (city code requires 25 feet between buildings); the redesign requested a variance to place the buildings 15 feet apart and developers agreed to provide full fire sprinkler coverage.

A variance was previously granted to place buildings on the east side 22 feet from the side lot line (city code requires 30 feet.); the new plat lists the distance from the buildings to the side property line as 21 feet. The east and west buildings include 12 units, the central unit is composed of 20 (city code allows 8 units), so a variance was requested to allow for the new redesign towers. Both plats listed variances from the city's stormwater rules; both had no downstream impact as the area downstream was the bay. Stormwater discharge under the redesign would be routed to a natural swallow in the bluff.