Davie council approves site-plan amendment allowing metal roof for Forest Ridge home; council calls workshop on roof rules

The Town Council of Davie on a majority vote approved a site-plan amendment that allows a metal roof at 2843 East Abiaca Circle in the Forest Ridge development, concluding a quasi‑judicial hearing where staff, the applicant and residents gave testimony.

The amendment changes the site plan for the single-family lot in Phase 6 of Forest Ridge (The Ridge on Nob Hill) to permit a standing‑seam metal roof in place of the concrete or S‑tile roofs shown on the original development elevations. The council approved the application after hearing planning testimony that the change met the town’s site‑plan modification criteria and after public comment both supporting and opposing the request.

Town planning manager David Quigley entered the staff report and the original Forest Ridge model elevations into the record and told the council the requested change would affect only the single lot at 2843 East Abiaca Circle, not the entire development. Rod Feiner, attorney for the applicants, told the council that both the master association and the Ridge on Nob Hill sub‑association had amended their architectural rules to allow standing‑seam metal roofs and that some homeowners elsewhere in Forest Ridge and nearby communities already have metal roofs or are seeking permits.

The council heard expert planning testimony from Thuy (Tweed) Turner, who said in her professional opinion the amendment qualified as a non‑material site‑plan change under Town Code section 12‑3‑74 because it did not alter use, setbacks, lot coverage, height beyond thresholds or other listed site‑plan elements. Quigley and the applicant’s attorney also discussed the town’s records and whether past approvals elsewhere (for example in West Ridge and Oak Knoll) had been administratively handled without site‑plan amendments.

Property owners Morris ("Moe") Pataki and Randy Pataki, who applied for the amendment, said they had pursued association approvals before filing with the town and described roofs in the neighborhood that are reaching the end of useful life. "If the town were acting fairly toward us and other residents of Forest Ridge, we would not need this site-plan amendment," Morris Pataki said, citing what he described as prior, inconsistent town practice on similar permits. He said the HOA had conducted a survey and the association vote supported allowing standing‑seam metal roofs.

Several residents opposed the amendment on aesthetic grounds. Resident Chris Chipani said the metal roof on the example home looked "horrible" next to the tile roofs on his block and warned it could harm neighborhood character and property values. Other speakers said metal roofs are more durable and may reduce insurance costs; the building official, William Diaz, confirmed the proposed roof would need to meet Florida building‑code requirements and be installed under a town permit and inspection.

Council members discussed competing concerns: code compliance and planning criteria versus neighborhood aesthetics and precedent for future applications. Several council members said roofing technology and homeowner choices have evolved and that the amendment met the code criteria presented as part of the hearing. Council members voiced a desire to avoid repeated, similar appeals and to clarify policy going forward: one member asked staff to schedule a workshop to address roof‑material review and the amendment process so the town and applicants better understand expectations.

After deliberation a motion to approve the site‑plan amendment (SP24‑052) carried. Council members who spoke in favor said they relied on the planning testimony and the lack of competent substantial evidence in the record showing the application failed to meet code standards. The council also directed staff to organize a workshop to review town practice and code interpretation for roof‑material changes and site‑plan modifications.

What this means: The approved amendment allows the applicant to proceed with a building permit application for the metal roof, subject to the usual permitting, inspections and building‑code compliance. Council members described the decision as precedent‑setting for Forest Ridge; the mayor clarified that the council’s approval would allow other Forest Ridge homeowners who meet building‑permit requirements to apply without repeating the town‑level site‑plan amendment if their proposals conform to the approved change.

The item came before the council under quasi‑judicial procedures; the court reporter recorded the hearing and the council based its ruling on the evidence presented at the meeting.