Design board approves 1520 Stillwater Drive understory home with conditions to refine front façade

The Miami Beach Design Review Board approved a two‑story understory residence at 1520 Stillwater Drive and granted two design waivers, while asking the applicant to work with staff to refine the front façade and simplify certain roof and screening elements.

Planning staff recommended approval with conditions. Staff noted the lot is in the RS‑4 district; the applicant sought a 31‑foot height under rules applicable at the time of a prior pre‑application meeting (the district’s newer understory height limit is 28 feet but the project qualified to use the earlier standard). Staff said the design presented a contemporary house with substantial landscape and open space around a raised living level and recommended that one long side elevation be further recess‑modulated to meet the intent of the open‑space rule that breaks up long facades.

Architect Antonio Rodriguez described the project as an organic, modern understory house with a stone base, wood detailing and abundant glazing. Rodriguez said the owners intend the property as a vacation home; the design places living spaces on the main habitable level above an open understory terrace, with bedrooms on the level above. “The green area requirement for the understory is a little bit…higher than the norm, and so we do have a lot of open space around the house,” Rodriguez said.

In review, board members generally praised the internal plan and the project’s attempt to reduce ground‑level massing but asked the applicant to simplify the front roof and screening elements and to add planting to soften the façade. Board member comments urged the applicant to reduce a perceived “boxiness” by simplifying the double‑roof treatment on the front elevation and to replace or reduce applied screening so the frontage reads less like a house on stilts and more like a single family residence with a softer street presence.

The board voted 4–1 to approve the design and waivers with conditions (the one dissenting vote was recorded as opposed). Conditions included: refine the front façade and roof overhang so the composition reads more simply and cohesively; add horizontal planters or greenery to soften the front balcony and break vertical massing; and coordinate final material and sustainable‑product choices with staff prior to permit. Staff will verify compliance with the board’s direction at building permit review.

Key numbers and waivers - Lot size: approximately 8,000 square feet (RS‑4). - Proposed maximum height: 31 feet (applicant used pre‑adoption understory rules that allowed greater height). - Waivers requested and granted: (1) relief from the code’s open‑space modulation requirement on one long side elevation (board requested additional recessing but approved waiver with condition that façade be further articulated), (2) waiver of the additional five‑foot setback strictness for the second‑floor front elevation where an architectural projection encroaches but the primary wall is set back.

The applicant may proceed to building permit review after addressing the refinement conditions with planning staff. Staff and board members encouraged early coordination during permit documentation to ensure the simplified front composition and additional plantings match the board’s directions.