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Summary Minutes:Regular City Commission Meeting September 20,2012 City of Sunny Isles Beach,Florida
<br /> but would like to bring it to this facility. Over the last nine (9) years they have had to move
<br /> the community center five times but now they have purchased this property which was largely
<br /> supported by our community. They envision that this facility not just be a Synagogue but be a
<br /> full fledged community center for the residents of this City. As such, there will also be a
<br /> library, a teen lounge, and generally a place that is fun to come to and interact with the
<br /> community. This facility would become a landmark for the City as this is pretty much the
<br /> first building for those entering the City will see. The architecture, the style, and the
<br /> relationship with the other buildings in the City should be up to par to the beautiful buildings
<br /> we have in the City.
<br /> Architect Jamie Shapiro presented a Power Point,renderings and a 3-D model of the building.
<br /> He said the building is designed to house three (3) main components of a Synagogue which
<br /> were already described: 1) House of Assembly; 2) House of Study; and 3) House of Prayer.
<br /> They merged the practical requirements of the building with the design that expresses its
<br /> symbolic purpose. The purpose of identity within an urban Floridian tropical context, the
<br /> design grammar is abstract,very sensitive to its context in terms of scale,height,massing as it
<br /> relates to the City of Sunny Isles Beach. Biscayne Bay, and the adjacent proposed Park.
<br /> Materials they are using are white stucco, Jerusalem stone, glass on white aluminum frames,
<br /> and some of the windows are going to be stained glass, specifically the ones that are going
<br /> into the sanctuary. They are going to commission a well known artist to do the stained
<br /> windows, as well as the symbolic elements of the sanctuary. The Project has four stories
<br /> above the garage, the lower floor is a parking garage with 22 parking spaces and also houses
<br /> the Mikvah. The second level acts as the main floor of the building, the access is through a
<br /> series of steps and terraces, a little entrance plaza, to the main lobby and on both sides of the
<br /> lobby we have facilities. We have the main sanctuary that has 176 seats in the men's section
<br /> on the lower floor, the daily chapel sits 70, a multi-purpose room which will be used for
<br /> meetings,exhibitions, lectures,and a women's Mikvah,bath,and restrooms. The main lobby
<br /> connects through terraces that front the Bay with a baywalk, the docks, and the island on the
<br /> Bay which will be used for outdoor activities. The baywalk is a continuation of the existing
<br /> baywalk, and we will use the same materials. We have complied with the requirements for
<br /> the baywalk which are the seating, lighting,and landscaping. As we go to the upper floor,we
<br /> have the women's section,the sanctuary which has 144 seats, which gives us a total 326 seats
<br /> for the main sanctuary. Also at that point we have the Montessori School, three Montessori
<br /> classrooms for pre-school children,and two extra classrooms. We have a lobby that connects
<br /> to the main lobby through monumental stairs. As we go up we go to the third floor which
<br /> houses the social hall with a full kitchen,the restrooms,and the exterior terrace always facing
<br /> the Bay. The main room could be subdivided to accommodate different social events. The
<br /> fourth floor is the center of the community offices, the Rabbi's offices, a library, a youth
<br /> center, and a restaurant with terraces all overlooking the Bay. There is also a roof terrace that
<br /> will be used for outdoor events like wedding ceremonies. The project has a gross area of
<br /> 42,500 square feet with the garage. There are 3,000 feet of mechanical spaces which are
<br /> located in the intermediate floors. The project complies with the Zoning District requirement
<br /> in terms of setbacks, FAR, height, lot coverage, and open space.
<br /> Mr. Kasdin said in conclusion, he already presented their arguments for the variance which
<br /> are also set forth in their hardship letter. What they are really grounded in the fact that there is
<br /> a Orthodox Jewish Synagogue, the required parking for a place of assembly of a facility of
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