2012-0920 Regular City Commission Meeting

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Summary Minutes:Regular City Commission Meeting September 20,2012 City of Sunny Isles Beach,Florida Commissioner Gatto said she believes that it is important because of the nature of the project, it is for the community and we have a moral obligation to look at it differently and so she also supports the variance. Mayor Edelcup said he believes that they will be using the facility seven days a week, and people will be coming by car to use the facilities,there will be teachers,people working in the kitchen, servers, guests, and members that don't live in our City who will all be arriving by car. In reading our own staff report. for the social hall there is a requirement of 68 spaces, there is a requirement of 11 spaces for classrooms and there appears to be at least 20 spaces for the restaurant, over and above the 98. Our Code says we can have common use and therefore not have to count and aggregate them all, but we can take that with the highest use, but even if he took the one with the second highest use which is the social hall and give you credit for the house of worship,you don't have to have 98 but for the social hall you still have 68 and 68 is still a lot more than the 22 spaces. The City passed an Ordinance a couple of years ago that was trying to treat all people equally,and that Ordinance provided for purchases of parking where parking was not available on the site because of hardship. Even in that Ordinance, the City said that you can only buy down 25%of the unit as opposed to what you are asking us to waive which is close to 75%. This City already entered into a transaction for such a buy down and established a price of$11.000 a unit. That to him is the starting point from where we are at, he is not opposed to having a discount from that $14,000 but he certainly needs to recognize and uphold the laws that we have passed. This provides for at least some recognition that 76 parking spaces need to be provided in this City. He knows that at some time there will be an event where more than 76 cars will be there because it is going to be a very successful and beautiful place and many members are going to want to be there. It would be derelict on the part of the City to assume that everyone is going to walk there or conversely that we should put the burden on other taxpayers to pay for the fact that we didn't require a property owner to purchase some buy-down of parking. Initially there was a buy- down offered that was withdrawn, and to him that was not an act in good faith. Rabbi Kaller responded that he agrees with many of the things that Mayor Edelcup said but for those times when the social hall will be used. there will be nothing going on at the sanctuary. These things are mutually exclusive. Mayor Edelcup said when there is something at the social hall they may come by car, and our requirement for the social hall says that you must provide 68 spaces, and he is willing to see some sort of compromise here. Rabbi Kaller said they have 22 spaces on site, there is an existing municipal parking lot right there that is virtually deserted, it is not used by anyone, and there are 26 spaces there. As their attorney has calculated and they have measured the area underneath the bridge, just like you have parking underneath the bridge next to Marco Polo before the garage was erected there. We have approximately 40 spaces that could be added underneath the bridge, if you add 22 & 26 you have 48 plus 40 is 88, that is very close on site within five yards. Mayor Edelcup said those spaces under the bridge are not solely for you,and Rabbi Kaller said he understands but there is nobody else on this end of the City. Mayor Edelcup said we just passed a zoning resolution that has a building and a marina right next door to you, across from those same parking spaces. Rabbi Kaller said we will be parking there as there are meters there and it is City parking. In addition, we have a garage which the City is erecting with 313 spaces,and if there is ever an event at the social hall like a wedding,then a valet company will be hired and we will be utilizing the City garage which again will be paid for at the parking there. 9