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Historic Preservation Board grants continuance for proposed Lennox guesthouse after neighbor objections
Summary
The Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board agreed Jan. 10 to continue review of an application to build a two-story accessory guesthouse at 1426/142? Lennox Avenue after a nearby resident objected to setback and height impacts. The applicant said design revisions and neighbor talks are underway.
The Historic Preservation Board on Jan. 10 agreed to continue consideration of an application for a two‑story accessory building in the rear yard of a contributing single‑family property on Lennox Avenue after the property owner and architect said they would try to resolve a neighbor's concerns.
The application, filed as a certificate of appropriateness for a two‑story guesthouse and related variances, was set for the board's February meeting; the board approved a one‑time deferral process and then voted to continue the item to Feb. 14 to allow the applicant and the objecting neighbor to confer.
Staff described the proposal as a modest rear‑yard addition to a restored 1940 contributing house that would contain guest quarters. Staff noted the request includes variances for lot coverage (the proposal exceeds a two‑story lot coverage threshold by about 2.52 percentage points), accessory building lot coverage in the rear yard, and two setback variances: a 5‑foot interior side variance to align the new accessory building with the existing house's 5‑foot north side setback, and a larger reduction to the rear (alley) setback. Staff said the rear setback request is prompted in part by a unique condition: the property abuts an alley across from a commercial zoning district.
Architect Wesley Castellanos, presenting for the owner, said the guesthouse is meant as an in‑law unit and explained why the rear location and modest footprint were chosen. He told the board he must raise the structure to meet flood elevation requirements and that the two‑story design triggers lot coverage calculations that otherwise would not apply to a one‑story accessory building. "I had to raise it to the flood elevation of 9 feet," Castellanos said, adding that the building's configuration is constrained by the 50‑foot setback of the main house and the desire to retain usable backyard space.
Neighbor Sarah Wright, who lives directly north of the subject property, told the board she discovered the application by mail and said she was concerned the proposed guesthouse would be only 5 feet from her lot line, stand about 30 feet tall and run for more than 21 feet along her backyard. "Having a building tower over my backyard just 5 feet from my property line would block our access to air, to light," Wright said, urging the board to respect the zoning setbacks that protect neighboring yards.
Representatives of the Miami Design Preservation League said they supported the property owner's restoration of the main contributing house and were open to a continuance so the parties could try to resolve the dispute.
Board members urged the applicant to use the continuance to prepare specific evidence in support of any variance findings the board will be asked to make at a later hearing and to continue discussions with the neighbor. Several members suggested design adjustments the applicant could consider, including stepping back the second level or adding landscaping and screening along the north side to reduce visual massing.
The board voted to continue the application to the Feb. 14 hearing; staff will re‑notice the application and follow the city's deferral process.
Votes and formal actions: The board approved the continuance motion (to Feb. 14) unanimously.
