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Summary Minutes:Regular City Commission Meeting February 19.2015 City of Sunny Isles Beach,Florida <br /> Eduardo Castineira,Architect President/CEO of Axioma3Architects, noted that about six(6) <br /> months ago he was with a group of developers and real estate people who mentioned that <br /> Sunny Isles Beach is a world-address. It dawned on him what is a world-address? A world <br /> address is like Dubai, Central Park, Beverly Hills, those are all world addresses. It is really <br /> important that we recognize the impact that this City is having worldwide: While working on <br /> so many projects in Sunny Isles Beach,one gets to understand the thought process that the City <br /> expects and fights for on every project that is done here. That is what makes world class <br /> architecture and that is what gets you to that status. <br /> Architect Castifeira stated that this Association understands that this project and many others <br /> that has to do with parking and traffic,always comes back as an issue. There are two sides of <br /> it, and one is the technical aspect and the very basic need, and the other one is how do we <br /> dress it up so it does not look like a parking garage. It is about 340 spaces short of what it <br /> would be in today's Code. Before in the Zoning Code all the units regardless of size there was <br /> a multiplier of 1.5 parking spaces,and now in today's Code units above 1,800 has a multiplier <br /> of 2,which is something that the City recognized in its practicality over the years,and made an <br /> improvement. What happens in this particular building is that most of the units are luxury <br /> condos and they are above the 1,800 square feet, and so that 1.5 difference in parking comes <br /> out to about 350 parking spaces that we are now reintroducing back into the project. <br /> Architect Castifeira presented several renderings of the project. The diagram captures the way <br /> the building is right now which is three (3) towers, two (2) levels, ground and second are <br /> already there and are built. He showed the third level and the fourth level. The gray areas are <br /> where they are introducing the parking. They are connecting internally to the existing parking <br /> gutters underneath the Towers,and they are using the same ramps and driveways and so there <br /> is no change to that. On the top level they are enhancing the lanai which is much nicer than <br /> what it is today. At the time when this building was built,the width of the typical parking stall <br /> was 8.5 feet, in today's Code that has been changed to 9 feet. The column width that is built <br /> based on the old Code allows for three (3) stalls, and so if we need this 9 feet we are going to <br /> be losing in the striping, one space between each of these columns, and so that is the request <br /> for that variance. One of the things he spoke to the Association about right at the beginning <br /> was the fact that once we tabulate all the parking and build the technical aspect, we are left <br /> with the question of what it is going to look like and how are we going to introduce it into the <br /> building. One of the things he had suggested was instead of going up with a wall that is a <br /> continuation of the two lower floors, to tip it back so that element becomes softer and steps <br /> back and to add landscaping. He found that to be a very important aspect of it because there <br /> are portions of that façade that are bare and plain,and not up to the standards of what it should <br /> be. Going back to the whole concept of what Sunny Isles Beach is about, there has been an <br /> incredible effort in this City to get quality architecture and buildings in every sense of the <br /> word. Even'time he has been involved in a project here the one thing that he has always told <br /> his clients and the one thing he has tried to push is that the quality of the architecture has to be <br /> there because that is what makes it that much more different. And so we step it back from the <br /> columns side and from the beach side and we really enhance that whole'facade so that new <br /> architecture is not just a blank wall but it is a beautiful architectural feature wall. In addition <br /> to that the Association had already been in the works with an Architectural firm to beautify the <br /> project, but he had told them to put it on hold until we can address this issue and with an <br /> approval, to proceed in a coherent fashion where both teams are working together. <br /> 6 <br />