2015-0416 Regular City Commission Meeting

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Summary Minutes:Regular City Commission Meeting April 16,2015 City of Sunny Isles Beach,Florida III. The Application is consistent with the City's Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations. Public Speakers: Stanley B. Price, Esq.; Charles Sieger,Architect; lasta Sobouti, Landscape Architect; W. Tucker Gibbs, Esq.; Samuel Leff; Estela Bruscanteni; Diane Drabkin; Wendy Cohen; Denise Mayer; Gene Newman Stanley B. Price, Esq. representing Residences by Armani/Casa, reported there are no variances associated with this Application, and he asked Architect Charles Sieger to describe the unique features of this building. Charles Sieger,Architect, Sieger Suarez Architects,reported that this will be Project No. 20 in the City of Sunny Isles Beach in the terms of Towers. With the additional height that was given to them by the FAA for the Porsche design, at 649 feet, it allowed the buildings to change its character and become more elegant, which they have achieved with this project. They worked in tandem with Caesar Pellis' office in Connecticut. It is 54 stories to the main roof,there are 308 units, 600 cars, all the cars are hidden like they have done for all of the rest of the buildings. He presented renderings and a 3D-model of the project. He showed what the project would look like with and without the TDRs. It is about 12 stories shorter than the 54 stories which is in the range of the original zoning, and now with the additional height we can make the buildings more slender and more elegant. One of the things they did was, and because the City is not filling up with towers, they looked at it like they did Porsche with the variances they got to make it a good neighbor building so that they are not blocking the neighbor's views. He showed Ocean III which they also did to the south, and you will see the red lines in the orientation that they could have placed the building parallel to the seashore or Collins and block a lot of views. What they did was they cantered it almost 45 degrees and it gave them an opportunity to have some sunlight on our pool, and give a southeast exposure but at the same time it left all those northeast units on Ocean III unblocked. The entrance is on the southern side of the portion next to the beach walk. The City's requested that we combine the north side of the beach walk that belongs to the easement from Ocean III with our southern beach walk and we build the whole thing and enhance it. It will be in excess of 50-feet wide. The clients have hired Enea who comes from Switzerland,a very famous Landscape Architect, and they will show you some pictures of the landscape material that they are going to do which is kind of unique for this area, and it will add more variation. The building is slick like Porsche but it is different. He presented a rendering of the building where you come up on the ramp to the porte-cochere. The other side of the building which is the beachside looking southwest is essentially the same. There is a twist in the building and so it has a subtle easing of the edge where you can come around and see it more and it gives an impression of a"V". It is an as-of-right scheme. The porte-cochere will be unique in the flare steel structure held up by one column, there will be two (2) signature trees. In the package there is$5,000 to$6,000 worth of art which will be placed around on the grounds. As to Armani as a person, he is 81 years old and speaks no English. He is worth S8 Billion, and is very famous. To have him design the interiors and work with us is fantastic for him personally as well as for the City. It is a world class building, he only has a hand full, and believe me he looks at everything,even at 81 years old, he is still working from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and he doesn't travel very much, he likes what he does and he is very meticulous and when you go and see his buildings, they are incredibly detailed. Charles Sieger is thrilled that Armani is going to be doing the interior, and it is a feather in the City's cap by far. 8