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Summary Minutes:Regular City Commission Meeting November 20.2014 City of Sunny Isles Beach.Florida <br /> allowed by the Code. And so the issue before the Commission tonight is not we will exceed <br /> any floor area ratios or the lot coverage because we can build that birthday cake and come <br /> before you as a matter of right. This is a cold corner right now, it is a ground level parking <br /> lot, it serves the Newport Hotel. And so what Dr. Cornfeld desires to do is to build his <br /> building higher than the Code permits but the trade-off is to give you 140 feet of frontage and <br /> a sculpture garden which he will dedicate to the City. He has also agreed that if you do not <br /> want to maintain or own this park, he will maintain it in perpetuity. <br /> Mr. Price said that the issue tonight is not whether he can build the building as a matter of <br /> right, he can, the question is, is there a trade-off that the City believes is in its best interest. <br /> Would you rather see a taller building set back 140 feet, or would you rather see a birthday <br /> cake with five (5) stories within 25 feet of A l A and wrap around that intersection which is <br /> heavily traveled. He pointed out that since they are the only parcel on the left side of A I A <br /> that FDOT will not permit to have a driveway, they have to bring more traffic in from the <br /> service road to the back of the building. That is how our traffic has to work, and so Kobi <br /> Karp who is one of the most creative architects that he has ever dealt with, was given <br /> instructions by Dr. Comfeld of what he would like to see on this property. We are suggesting <br /> that they are prepared to bring down the height of this building from 27 stories. We believe <br /> that once you see the illustrations and the drawing that the benefit to the City of having this <br /> park in this location far outweighs the fact that the height will be set back from A I A. <br /> Kobi Karp. Architect, presented renderings of the project. He said that Dr. Comfeld had come <br /> to see them and they came up with a scheme which is as of right wedding cake. It goes 50, <br /> 100, 170 feet but since everybody knows this site, we assembled land and made a park so you <br /> can see towards the water, and have an opportunity of green space on the west side. Dr. <br /> Comfeld had asked him what he thought he could do there, and Mr. Karp said to him that this <br /> area is a lemon site. It has a lot of issues, you are driving parallel to the site and that does not <br /> exist anywhere in the City. You have a rectangle but then you have %'s of an acre sticking <br /> out on a corner but when you look at it in 3-dimensional because it has green space across, it <br /> is an acre of open space. He had said to Dr. Comfeld, why don't we take this area and make it <br /> into a green space. He hired Mr. Socash, his plans are right here, and we came up with a <br /> scheme that basically takes the building and pushes it back. Dr. Comfeld also said to him that <br /> he wants to make something that is highly efficient, meaning the parking across the street <br /> right now sets on the surface, he wants to hide it. The loading he wants to tuck it in, and he <br /> wants to have a very nice building. Mr. Kobi said to Dr. Cornfeld,why don't we make a park <br /> and this is set back 150 feet going west, you have an opportunity to make it all green. <br /> Pedestrian access all the way back over here with a plaza,a park, and a seating area. This idea <br /> came to us, if you go to Miami Beach on Washington Avenue and 17th Street where they built <br /> the Performing Arts Center,and what they did was make the corner all green and people come <br /> there day and night and they watch movies, etc. <br /> Mr. Karp said that Dr. Comfeld came to him and said what do you think we can do here? <br /> What we did is we created here commercial with a plaza which is the prescription that we <br /> have on Collins Avenue where people can come in and out with broad sidewalks on the south <br /> side all the way around so that the footprint of the building is pushed in a way from the street <br /> and creates public plazas on the park connecting across Collins Avenue. Also people that <br /> want to come in across from the other park on the south side would have a connection. What <br /> is the price? The price means that we took the square footage from where we would have a <br /> 16 <br />