boardname
PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
Meeting Date: November 20, 2024
title
Text Amendment to Zoning Code Related to the Measurement of the Height of Structures
projectinfo
Request: Text Amendment (Staff Initiated)
P&Z# n/a
Owner: n/a
Project Location: n/a
Folio Number: n/a
Land Use Designation: n/a
Zoning District: n/a
Commission District: n/a
Agent: n/a
Project Planner: Max Wemyss (max.wemyss@copbfl.com / 954-786-4671)
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Summary:
Staff is recommending text amendments to the Zoning Code regarding the measurement of the height of structures. The amendments occur in Article 3 (Zoning Districts), Article 5 (Development Standards), and Article 9 (Definitions and Interpretations). The amendments are summarized below. Attached to this item is the complete text amendment in strikethrough and underline format.
Measurement and Definition of Height (main amendment)
Staff proposes to modify the way that the height of a structure is measured by differentiating between habitable structures and uninhabitable structures. Habitable structures are to be measured from the required finished floor elevation rather than the finished grade. Measuring from the finished grade resulted in a loss of permitted building height due to the difference between the grade of a property and the elevated (generally for FEMA compliance) finished floor of a property. This also put us in conflict with our Comprehensive Plan policies to accommodate development adaptations to sea level rise and the resulting floodproofing regulations. Additionally, some standards in our zoning code encourage taller ground floors (to promote viable retail spaces) in multistory and mixed-use buildings while also requiring a limitation in building height in feet rather than stories. This hard number for building height maximum, inclusive of the taller ground floor and the difference between the finished floor elevation and the grade, collectively restricts building height in an unintended way. Here are th...
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