CITY OF SARASOTA Development Services Department MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING BOARD/LOCAL PLANNING AGENCY November 10, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Planning Board Kathy Kelley Ohlrich, Chair Members Present: Terrill Salem, Vice Chair Members Damien Blumetti, Dan Clermont Michael Halflants (arrived at 2:07 PM) City Staff Present: Mike Connolly, Deputy City Attorney Lucia Panica, Director, Development Services Kevin McAndrew, General Manger, Development Services Briana Dobbs, AICP, Development Review Senior Planner John Nopper, Coordinator, Public Broadcasting Karen Grassett, Sr. Planning Technician, Development Services 1:37:05 P.M. I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL PB Chair Ohlrich called the meeting to order and General Manager McAndrew acting as the Planning Board's Secretaryl called the roll. Secretary McAndrew stated four members were present and noted that there is a quorum. II. CHANGES TO THE ORDER OF THE DAY There were no changes to the Order of the Day. 1:38:49 P.M. Attorney Connolly recommended time limits for the presentations that will follow and administered the oath to those wishing to testify at the public hearings. The PB members approved the time limits by consensus. I.LAND USE ADMINISTRATION PUBLIC HEARINGS NOTICE TO' THE PUBLIC: At this time anyone wishing to speak at the following public hearings will be required to take an oath. (Time limitations will be established by the Planning Board.) A. Reading ofthe Pledge ofConduct Secretary McAndrew read the Pledge of Conduct. PB Chair Ohlrich opened the public hearing. Attorney Connolly discussed the purpose of the Rezone Ordinance Amendment noting a previous rezoning of the site included a site plan, that approved site plan is being amended, and therefore the rezone ordinance must be amended also; and stated the Standards for Review for Site Plans are applicable. Attorney Connolly called upon Ms. Elizabeth Serowka who had applied for Affected Person status as a representative of Seminole Gulf Railway. Ms. Serowka was not present and therefore Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting November 10, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 2 of 9 could not be granted Affected Person status. Attorney Connolly noted the required written authorization permitting Ms. Serowka to represent the railway had not been provided. B. Quasi-judicial Public Hearings 1:41:39 P.M. 1. Pines of Sarasota (1501 N. Orange Avenue): Site Plan Application No. 21-SP-10 and Rezone Ordinance Amendment Application No. 21-ROA-02 are a request for Rezone Ordinance Amendment approval to modify Ordinance No. 20-5315 and for Site Plan approval to modify the existing Koen Building in order to facilitate Phase II of the Pines Master Plan and construct a Child Daycare Building on property with a street address of 1501 North Orange Avenue. (Briana Dobbs, AICP, Development Review Senior Planner) Applicant Presentation: Mr. Joel Freedman, Agent for the project, and Mr. Darrell McLain, Architect for the project, appeared. Mr. Freedman stated the proposal was Phase II of the Master Plan for Pines of Sarasota; noted Phase I was currently under construction; said Phase II consists of a proposed daycare facility; pointed out the location, existing Future Land Use classification, and existing zoning if the site; and presented a graphic of what the final Master Plan will look like if Phase II is approved. Mr. McLain discussed the proposed site plan stating an existing building would be renovated; reviewed the proposed improvements to the exterior of the existing building and the proposed playground areas; and stated the daycare was for children ages infant to five years old and was for employees only. Mr. Freedman stated all requirements of the Downtown Edge zone district have been met. 1:49:04 P.M. PB Member Clermont requested clarification that the daycare was for employees only and therefore would not increase traffic in the area; and questioned if the comments from the City's Planning Director regarding providing a sidewalk to the building from the six proposed parking spaces on the southern side of the site and enhanced landscaping had been addressed. Mr. McLain noted the six proposed parking spaces have been eliminated from the proposed site plan. Phil Smith, Landscape Architect for the project, appeared and stated the minimum required landscaping is shown, noting the existing landscaping is not depicted. PB Member Blumetti stated a rendering of the finished building would be helpful; questioned if the exterior of the building would be cleaned upi pointed out only one bicycle space has been provided; and questioned if additional bicycle parking is available on the site. Mr. McLain stated stucco is being added to the exterior of the building; the exterior will be freshly painted; all windows will be replaced with: new windows; pointed out the proposed bicycle rack would hold five bicycles; and said approximately 30 bicycle parking spaces are available on the entire Pines of Sarasota property. PB Vice Chair Salem stated as a retired Firefighter he appreciated the relocation of the fire hydrant. Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting November 10, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 3 of 9 PB Chair Ohlrich questioned how the provision of enhanced landscaping would be solidified if not shown on the proposed site plan. Mr. Smith stated the enhanced landscaping would be depicted on the site plan that is submitted as part of the building permit submittal requirements. PB Chair Ohlrich stated she agreed with PB Member Blumetti that a rendering would be helpful. 1:54:58 P.M. Staff Presentation: Briana Dobbs, Development Review Senior Planner, appeared and stated the applications were for Site Plan and Rezone Ordinance Amendment approval; pointed out the location, Future Land Use classification, zoning, existing uses and surrounding zoning; stated a rezone and site plan had been previously approved for the site for Phase I; said the proposed Phase II consisted of a seventy-five child daycare facility; noted the rezone ordinance amendment was required due to the proposed revisions to the previously approved site plan; stated the Downtown Edge standards are applicable and have been met; discussed the trash pick-up, ingress and egress to/from the site, and parking; said the required Community Workshop had been held; said the traffic review found the project to be di minimus; stated the landscaping requirements have been met; and said staff recommended approval. 1:59:53 P.M. PB Member Blumetti questioned if there was only one bicycle parking space. Development Review Senior Planner Dobbs stated there was an error in the Staff Report and more than one bicycle parking space is being proposed. 2:00:26 P.M. Affected Persons: PB Chair Ohlrich questioned if Ms. Serowka who had requested Affected Person status was present. Ms. Serowka was not present. Citizen Input: There was no citizen input. Rebuttal: There was no rebuttal. 2:01:03 P.M. PB Chair Ohlrich closed the public hearing. PB Vice Chair Salem made a motion to find Rezone 21-ROA-02 consistent with Section IV-1106 of the Zoning Code, find Site Plan 21-SP-10 consistent with the Tree Protection Ordinance and Section/V-506 of the Zoning Code and recommend approval of the Rezone Ordinance Amendment (ROA) and Site Plan to the City Commission, subject to the two conditions. PB Member Clermont seconded the motion. PB Member Blumetti questioned why there were no proposed alternative motions. Attorney Connolly stated that was a staff error and the PB could proposed an alternative motion if SO desired. The motion passed 4-0. Attorney Connolly stated an alternative motion was not provided for the following item either and stated staff will assist in creating one if necessary. Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting November 10, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 4 of9 2:03:13 P.M. 2. SMH Bayside Center for Behavioral Health (1625 S. Osprey Avenue): Site Plan Application No. 21-SP-12 is a request for Site Plan approval to construct a Behavioral Health Center with 821 beds within private rooms with a street address of 1625 South Osprey Avenue. The existing structures on the property are proposed to be demolished. (Briana Dobbs, AICP, Development Review Senior Planner) PB Chair Ohlrich opened the public hearing. Applicant Presentation: Charles D. (Dan) Bailey, Jr., Attorney for the project; Terry Cassidy, Executive Director of Bayside Center for Behavioral Health; Tom Perigo, Director of Architecture and Facility Planning for Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Christopher Davis, Architect for the project; and Ryan Brady, Engineer for the project appeared. Executive Director Cassidy discussed the purpose of the facility; provided statistics on mental illness in the community; pointed out the impacts of COVID-19; stated the existing facility is inadequate and poorly designed; and said the new building will be an open and brighter design. Attorney Bailey stated the existing facility is licensed for 821 beds; said approximately one half of those beds are utilized with multiple patients in one room due to the design; pointed out the new facility will have 82 functional beds; noted the Future Land Use Designation is Metropoltan/Regional #8 and the zoning is Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH); and said a boundary adjustment for the site was recently approved. 2:07:31 P.M. PB Member Halflants arrived. Mr. Davis discussed the site plan noting the facility was being constructed across the street from the existing facility in order to bring the facility onto the SMH campus; said the previous structure on the site has been demolished; pointed out protected trees on the site will be incorporated into the new facility; presented a breakdown of the internal uses; said safety is the key focus; discussed the proposed landscaping, garden areas and plant types; and presented a rendering of the interior. Attorney Bailey stated the three proposed stipulations in the staff report were acceptable to the applicants; noted the third proposed stipulation regarding a Joint Use Agreement may not be necessary; and said there were errors in the parking calculations, noting the total is actually 3,798 and the surplus 1,879. 2:19:33 P.M. PB Vice Chair Salem questioned how patients were transported to the facility. Discussion ensued. Mr. Davis noted patients that were being transported involuntarily would be brought in through a gated area off of Waldemere Street. Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting November 10, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 5 of 9 PB Member Halflants stated he thought the floor plan was well designed; and suggested adding windows to the stairwells. PB Member Clermont questioned how construction would be staged. Mr. Davis stated the back of the house area would be the primary staging area. PB Member Clermont stated he appreciated the design of the exterior noting it did not look institutional. PB Member Blumetti noted the need for such a facility in the community and it was long overdue; questioned what the site of the previous facility would be used for; asked if access to the parking garage from Osprey Avenue would be maintained; and questioned if the parking garage could be accessed from Waldemere Street. Mr. Davis stated there is a separate parking lot off of Waldemere Street; noted an area in that parking lot will be reserved for the Behavioral Health Center; and said spaces in that reserved area will be designated for law enforcement and the Judicial Chamber located on the first floor. Attorney Bailey stated the future use of the existing site was unknown. PB Chair Ohlrich stated relocating the facility to the campus was a good idea; discussed the Standards of Review noting the requirement for Urban Open Space; and questioned if changes had been made to the existing Urban Open Space since the Applicant's last appearance before the Planning Board. Discussion ensued. PB Chair Ohlrich requested any ex-parte communication be disclosed. PB Members Blumetti, Clermont and Halflants, and PB Vice Chair Salem had none. PB Chair Ohlrich stated she had spoken with Mr. McAndrew, had written communication with Development Review Senior Planner Dobbs, and had visited the site on her own. 2:31:13 P.M. Staff Presentation: Briana Dobbs, Development Review Senior Planner, appeared and reviewed the application noting the property: is owned by SMH; pointed out the location, Future Land Use classification, zoning, and permitted uses on the site; noted the surrounding zoning and Future Land Use classification; stated part of the previously vacated Hawthorne Street is included in the site; said a boundary adjustment had been approved; stated a Joint Use Agreement would be required; discussed the proposed facility and uses; stated the Urban Open Space requirement for the SMH campus has been exceeded; said parking requirements are met through existing parking spaces; stated the traffic analysis found the project to be di minimus; pointed out the location of access, refuse collection and emergency service access; stated the project complies with all applicable code requirements; and stated staff recommends approval with three conditions. 2:36:36 P.M. PB Chair Ohlrich referenced the definition of Urban Open Space noting there are three components; and questioned if all three components must be met for space to be considered Urban Open Space. Discussion ensued. PB Chair Ohlrich asked Attorney Connolly regarding how to address the issue if all three components are not met. Attorney Connolly pointed out the issue was not relevant to the site plan being discussed; and noted it would be a code compliance issue. Additional discussion ensued Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting November 10, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 6 of 9 PB Member Halflants questioned if the site plan met the Urban Open Space requirements. Development Review Senior Planner Dobbs stated the Urban Open Space requirements were not applicable to this project since the amount of Urban Open Space for the overall campus did not: need to increase as a result of this application. PB Chair Ohlrich asked if Urban Open Space is granted in perpetuity. Attorney Connolly responded no, that any violations of Urban Open Space requirement are not related to the site plan but would be addressed by Code Compliance." Attorney Connolly discussed proposed condition number three noting a Joint Use Agreement may not be required and suggested that proposed condition be revised to add the sentence " Alternatively, Applicant must establish to the satisfaction of the Director of Development Services that such Joint Use Agreement is not required by the Zoning Code." Discussion ensued. 2:45:44 P.M. Affected Persons: There were no affected persons. Citizen Input: Ms. Mary Ciner appeared via Loom and stated she attended the Community Workshop and was told the access via Waldemere would be exit only; said there was 126 beds at the previous facility; questioned how patient's privacy would be maintained; stated the project should have been planned without the south side of the vacated Hawthorne Street being included; and questioned what happens if the variance is not approved. 2:48:07 P.M. Staff Rebuttal: There was no staff rebuttal. Applicant Rebuttal: Attorney Bailey stated the Applicants were in agreement with the amendment to Condition #3 as proposed by Attorney Connolly. Mr. Brady discussed the Urban Open Space for the overall campus stating the requirements have been met. Attorney Bailey stated the requested variance relates to the two buildings south of the vacated right-of-way; and stated the variance was necessary to meet the requirements of the SMH zone district. Mr. Davis stated blinds encased in glass would provide patient privacy; and noted eighty-two beds has always been the capacity of the facility. PB Member Halflants stated the project contributes to the overall Urban Open Space and meets all three components. Discussion ensued regarding the designation of Urban Open Space versus Open Space. PB Vice Chair Salem questioned if benches could be added to the open space at the intersection of Osprey Avenue and Waldemere Street. Mr. Davis stated it would create a safety issue as that area is not internal to the site. Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting November 10, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page! 7 of 9 PB Member Clermont questioned if the percentage of the site that is to be designated as Urban Open Space was applicable to the overall campus or this particular site. Discussion ensued. Mr. Brady noted this project doès not add or eliminate any Urban Open Space. PB Chair Ohlrich stated if it was determined that the previously approved Urban Open Space no longer met the three components, she trusts the Code Compliance Department will address the issue. PB Member Blumetti suggested SMH change the designation to Open Space rather than Urban Open Space; noted a hospital campus is an odd place for Urban Open Space; and stated he would not take his family to the hospital campus to hang out; and said the amenities should not be required. Discussion ensued regarding if that would be an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan or the Zoning Code. Attorney Connolly stated it would be a Zoning Text Amendment. 3:01:21 P.M. PB Chair Ohlrich closed the public hearing. PB Member Halflants made a motion to find Site Plan 21-SP-12 consistent with Section IV-506 of the Zoning Code and the Tree Protection Ordinance and approve the petition, subject to the conditions as amended. PB: Member Blumetti seconded the motion. PB Chair Ohlrich stated she likes the design, appreciates the facility being moved to the main campus, trusts Code Compliance will look into the Urban Open Space matter, and the benefits outweigh the flaws sO she will support the motion. The motion passed 5-0. 3:04:42 P.M. IV.CITIZEN's INPUT NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC: At this time Citizens may address the Planning Board on topics of concern. Items which have been previously discussed at Public Hearings may not be addressed at this time. (A maximum 5-minute time limit.) There was no citizen input. 3:04:57 P.M. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. October 13, 2021 The minutes were approved as submitted. 3:05:13 P.M. VIPRESENTATION OF TOPICS BY STAFF Items presented are informational only (no action taken). Any issue presented that may require future action will be placed on the next available agenda for discussion. 1. Site Plan Submittal Requirements Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting November 10, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in thé Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 8 of 9 Secretary McAndrew stated staff had a brief presentation. Development Services Director Panica appeared and stated the Planning Board had requested staff look at other municipalities; and noted staff looked at the documents required for Site Plan submittal. Secretary McAndrew discussed the findings stating staff did a broad comparison of municipalities that are comparable to Sarasota; said the format and details required varied; stated staff1 broke the analysis into three categories (legal, civil and architectural); said there is broad consistency in the degree of documentation required; pointed out the analysis reinforces the City is not requiring more than other municipalities, sometimes less; said the conclusion is the degree of documentation for Site Plans has a minimum baseline of information needed; noted the documentation facilitates the technical review needed to enable the Planning Board, City Commission and Board of Adjustment to make informed decisions on applications. PB Member Halflants stated his main concern was related to process; and discussed the types of revisions to site plans that should be considered minor revisions. Discussion ensued regarding the appropriateness of requiring the level of documentation currently required, using tables to communicate information rather than a floor plan; the amount of detail needed to determine the impacts on surrounding neighborhoods; the level of communication between applicants and staff prior to a Planning Board or City Commission hearing; issues with building permit processing due to lack of details on the approved site plan; the time allowed for completeness reviews; the potential of receiving public input prior to DRC review; and providing applicant's with a list of items that would be considered major revisions. Director Panica stated she is reviewing the process and will provide updates to the Planning Board members. Secretary McAndrew noted the December Planning Board meeting was rescheduled to Tuesday, 12/14/21; said there was a significant agenda; and questioned if the Planning Board members wished to take the lead on the affordable housing mix item the Vice Chair requested be placed on the agenda. Discussion ensued. PB Vice Chair Salem will coordinate with Secretary McAndrew regarding the discussion. Secretary McAndrew noted the Election of Officers for 2022 was also on the December agenda. Discussion ensued regarding taking a break at a certain time or after a particular item; and the potential of starting the meeting earlier than 1:30 PM. Attorney Connolly pointed out all items are advertised for 1:30 PM or as soon thereafter as possible. The PB Members stated they will leave it up to staff to decide. 3:43:50 P.M. VII. PRESENTATION OF TOPICS BY PLANNING BOARD Items presented are informational only (no action taken). Any issue presented that may require future action will be placed on the next available agenda for discussion. There were no topics by Planning Board members. Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting November 10, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 9 of 9 VIII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 3:44 P.M. Ku MSArNdon Kevin McAndrew Terrill Salem, Chair Development Services Department Planning Board/Local Planning Agency [Secretary to the Board]