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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPB Minutes 2013-0123 • SUMMARY MINUTES City of Sunny Isles Beach Historic Preservation Board Meeting 18070 Collins Avenue, 151 Floor Meeting Room Wednesday, January 23, 2013, 7:00 p.m. 1. Call to Order by Chairperson: Action: Chairperson Joe Masters called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m., and each Member introduced themselves. The following Board Members and City Officials were present: Committee Members: City Officials: Joe Masters, Chairperson City Manager Christopher J. Russo Shari Blank (arrived at 7:18 p.m.) Deputy City Attorney Fernando Amuchastegui Jorge Camaraza Consultant Ellen J. Uguccioni Trina Duluc City Clerk Jane A. Hines, CMC Cassey Gabor Absent: Audience: Warren J. Stamm (excused/emergency meeting) John A. Rusnak Interested citizen City Clerk Hines noted that Janet Cini has resigned from the Board, and that Commissioner Jennifer Levin has appointed John A. Rusnak to fill that vacancy. The appointment will be confirmed by the City Commission on February 21, 2013. 2. Approval of Minutes of the September 5, 2012 Historic Preservation Board Meeting. Action: Trina Duluc moved and Cassey Gabor seconded a motion to approve the above- mentioned Board meeting summary minutes. The motion was approved by a voice vote of 4-0-2 (Shari Blank arrived late; Warren Stamm absent) in favor. 3. Update/Report on the Reconstruction, Design, and Permitting of the Sunny Isles Beach/Newport Pier. Action: Chairperson Masters welcomed our new City Manager Christopher J. Russo. City Manager Russo gave an update on the Pier. He said it is difficult to do construction on the water, and several agencies needed to be contacted for permits,etc. There are only two ways to build a pier, with steel or concrete piles. The pier is planned to be substantially completed by April 18, and totally completed by May 18, 2013 and open to the public with the exception of the interior of the restaurant. The restaurant is being leased to Dr. Robert Cornfeld. Initially we were in a 50/50 partnership with Dr. Cornfeld right through to the build-out of the restaurant. Ultimately it would take us many years to get the payback on our 50%of that investment, and so we struck a new deal with him. It is a straight fonvard lease, and we don't have to get into the business of running a restaurant. Dr. Cornfeld will run the bait shop, the restaurant, and the ticket booth or access to the beach. We are hoping to still design a Gateway access that ties in with that. The City will still have some hand in it, some control over the maintenance from the extended area to the Pier because there are very stringent requirements on the Pier on how we have to maintain it. The Pier is concrete, and it is painted somewhat like it was with a suede color, and he passed around recent photographs of the Pier. They are still building it out, it is going to have a steel Summary Minutes: 2013-0123 HPB Mtg Page 1 of 4 roof just like the lifeguard stands. The real debatable question that came in and it is all a matter of cost, the color you see is the closest match we can come to with the prior color. The project cost more, like every major project especially on the water, than what they anticipated from the beginning. The piles are white because they will get black over time, they will get dirty from mussels growing on them, splashing,whatever comes off the Pier. We could have painted them down to the waterline at a cost of between $50,000 to $70,000 more but we didn't think that change order was worth it. The Pier will be the only operating pier in Miami-Dade County,they have talked about putting in a smaller version of the pier at Haulover coming out from the north jetty. We will have this Pier forever,and it will become historic at some point. The railings will be tan with fishing holders as opposed to notches that the fishermen put in the wood previously. We also have to have fire extinguishers at the end of the Pier. John Rusnak asked what the admission cost would be to go out on the Pier, and City Manager Russo said in the contract, the most Dr. Cornfeld can charge is $5.00 for access onto the Pier, however,there is a provision, and that is general admission for anybody. For City residents, the City will determined what it will be and he thinks it will be $1.00 or $2.00. We have maintenance costs, they have maintenance costs, this will be a very expensive Pier to insure,we will have joint liability on this, hold harmless on both sides and insurance. There are a number of requirements, the fact that it goes into the water requires a lease with the federal government. The building is going to be painted off-white, something like LaPerla. John Rusnak asked what the relationship is with Dr. Cornfeld,and City Manager Russo said Dr. Cornfeld owned the Pier which got destroyed in the hurricane. There was no way he was going to spend or realize a return for him to replace it and he would have needed our assistance in securing the permits. The City realized that this is an historic landmark and partnered with him 50/50, he put in$2 Million and the City put in $2 Million. In return of the City paying for some change orders, Dr. Comfeld is paying for the restaurant anywhere between$600,000.00 and $1 Million. In return for that we are doing a straight lease with him, and it was a mutual thing with us. Originally Dr. Comfeld bought the pier when it was part of a casino that was there years ago. As a matter of fact it had a lighthouse which was part of the Newport and it had to be removed when LaPerla was built which caused many issues. He said you can trace it back in the pictures in History Hall. Cassey Gabor asked how often will we have to paint the Pier, and who would pay for it? City Manager Russo said he can't fully answer that right now, and he asked Deputy City Attorney Amuchastegui to make a note of that as it would have to be defined with Dr. Cornfeld, but it sounds like it should be a mutual thing. We still have to finalize the 'agreement with Dr. Cornfeld. As far as how often it needs to be painted, we will have to feel our way to see. Trina Duluc said it is too bad that they didn't put a color into the cement, and City Manager Russo said that they had asked about that and there were a number of reasons why they could not do that. Ms. Duluc asked if we would have a rental for fishing poles, and he asked Deputy City Attorney Amuchastegui to also make a note of that so we can check on it. Jorge Camaraza suggested a place for a photo opportunity on the Pier, and City Manager Russo said they have talked about it, and once we get it open we will look into it. We may put up a sign,although it is not in the contract. Ms. Duluc asked about benches for the disabled, and City Manager Russo said yes, there will be some benches on the north side. Cassey Gabor asked about the plaque, and City Manager Russo said it will be an historic designation plaque with the City Seal and it Summary Minutes: 2013-0123 HPB Mtg Page 2 of 4 will be made of corrolon. Cassey Gabor asked about the date of the dedication of the plaque,and City Manager Russo said the Pier will be completed by May 18 and so he thinks it might be between April 18 and May 18, or it might be in June in celebration of the City's birthday. 4. A Report by Ellen J. Uguccioni concerning the City's Historic Landmarks Ordinance and Duties of the Board Members. Action: Consultant Ellen J. Uguccioni reviewed the Ordinance that established the Board and she distributed Chapter 171 of the City Code to the Board members. She said we would concentrate on Section 171.3 powers and duty of the Board. We have done designations and Certificates of Appropriateness,and so those are the two major things that this Board does in terms of public hearings where we are in a quasi-judicial hearing where testimony is taken from the public and the applicant. There is latitude in what you do, what you do is rehabilitation, not restoring. If you were restoring, everything would be exactly the same as the original. Anything historic is 50 years old or older, although that is not a hard fast rule. She explained that the Certificate of Appropriateness is a vehicle that someone applies to this Board, to make changes to landmark structures. There are two types: one is standard, and one is special. Transfer of Development Rights can also be done by this Board however it has not been done yet through this Board. She discussed grants that are available through the State and the Board can apply for as much as$50,000.00 with a 50/50 match. She noted a local ad valorem tax incentive where the City would adopt an ordinance and property owners taxes would not change for ten years if they maintain their property if historic. The Property Appraiser's Office has two values,the appraised value,and the actual value of your home. 5. A Report by Ellen J. Uguccioni concerning the Historic Presentation Board Annual Report to Miami-Dade County. Action: Consultant Ellen J. Uguccioni reported noted that in Chapter 171 there is a requirement to prepare an annual report and submit it to the Miami-Dade County Historic Preservation Board. She distributed the Annual Report to the members and reviewed it. Jorge Camaraza moved and Shari Blank seconded a motion to approve the Annual Report. The motion was approved by a voice vote of 5-0-1 (Warren Stamm absent) in favor. 6. Old Business. • Cassey Gabor asked about dedicating artifacts as historic, for instance the camels can be declared historic. Ellen Uguccioni said the National Register that we base our wording on tells us that we can dedicate objects, however, it is not defined in the Ordinance. 7. New Business. • Cassey Gabor said there was an article in the January 13, 2013 issue of the Miami Herald regarding the architecture of the Castaways. She will give it to Deputy City Attorney Amuchastegui to forward to City Historian Richard Schulman. • Jorge Camaraza proposed that we do an analysis of other cities on the ad valorem taxes incentive to maintain properties as required. Deputy City Attorney Amuchastegui said we Summary Minutes: 2013-0123 HPB Mtg. Page 3 of 4 will discuss it at the next meeting. 8. Date and Time of Next Meeting. Action: After discussion it was decided to schedule the next meeting on Wednesday,May 8, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. 9. Adjournment. Action: Cassey Gabor moved and Jorge Camaraza seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting, and Chairperson Masters adjourned it at 8:00 p.m. =Respectfully submitted, . • •% � May 8. 2013 - Jane A. Hines,,CMC, City Clerk Date • Summary Minutes: 2013-0123 HPB Mtg Page 4 of 4