2012-0301 Special Commission Meeting

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Summary Minutes: Special City Commission Meeting March 1,2012 Sunny Isles Beach, Florida steps the building back and creates a building that rises out ofthe Park. The waviness of the fayade really relates to the inspiration of the Park itself. When they looked for ways to create the pedestrian effect it really created an opportunity not only for the Park but also to the north fayade to create a green-wall effect that allowed them to bring the feeling of the Park all the way around the pedestal. The building scale really sits along the 200-foot Park and the Monaco, and is a buffer next to the Pinnacle. The landscaping is not only horizontal but also vertical, because their units are quite large and the density is not maximized, they took all the parking and put it on one level, meeting the new parking ratio which has recently been implemented. The point of it that comes from the Park is about 15-18 feet high of landscaping on both sides, and if you look at it from a rendering standpoint you can see how rarely we have an opportunity to arrive into a green space. The lobby has 25-foot high glass in volume that overlooks the Park. They were able architecturally to do something which is very unique to our commlll1ity which is to take this building and step it back, the notion is as you drive south and you pass the Pinnacle you then have an opportunity to see the Park. Mr. Karp said when you look at the building which is the hotel to the south it has a parking garage in front of it, and part of the intent of the MUR originally was we don't really want to have the parking exposed on the street, we want to find a way to hide it and to landscape it and they took that and blended it in with the greenscape of the Park on both sides. The previous design had a zero setback to the north, and we are now presenting a setback that varies between 3-5 feet which then created the opportunity for that green-wall effect to come all the way around, and it creates a very nice lush green environment that lets the lobby float overlooking the Park, the Ocean, and Collins A venue. He also presented a rendering ofthe landscaping done by Landscape Architect Jimmy SoCash. Mr. Scholl said in addition to the $3.15 Million that they will be paying the City in bonuses, they have agreed to redevelop the north portion of the Park with new landscaping, paving, a walkway, and new playground equipment. They have also agreed to construct on the south side of the Park a new Band Shell. They are going to put new pavers in keeping with the City's landscape plan for Collins Avenue but not only in front of their building but also in front of the Monaco. They are going to relocate any of the trees on their property that the City wishes, to City Parks or public rights-of-way at their own cost and expense. They will be contributing $25,000 to the Trust Fund for the Norman S. Edelcup/Sunny Isles Beach K-8. Mr. Scholl said that they have met with their neighbors and they have changed the design in some ways to help them and to get their support however they have not been totally successful. They also met with representatives of the Northeast Dade Concerned Citizens who had filed a Letter of Objection. Mayor Edelcup opened the public hearing. Warren Stamm, Esq. representing the Dezer Companies who are the leasehold owners of the Monaco Hotel at 1750 I Collins A venue, said this project will have a significant impact on their property both in the short and long term, and they spoke to Mr. Schulman and are pleased that they will work with them to try to alleviate some issues. There will be some vibration damage from the construction activities on the site, issues from excavation due to the closeness of the building, impact from settlements and potentially some environmental issues with some water tabling but most 4