Design Review Board: summary of actions and votes, Feb. 7 meeting

The City of Miami Beach Design Review Board met in hybrid format on Feb. 7 and handled a full agenda of design applications. The board approved several designs and waivers, denied a handful of variances, and continued several items. Highlights, formal actions and follow‑up directions are listed below.

Votes at a glance - Approval: Minutes of the previous DRB meeting — motion carried. - Continuances (to March 8): DRB22-0841 (8 Century Lane), DRB22-0847 (10 Century Lane), DRB22-0876 (333 East Rivalto Drive) — applicants requested continuances while working on design changes; board granted continuances. - Approval with conditions: DRB22-0893 (315 West San Marino Drive) — board approved design, three waivers and one variance for rear‑yard pervious landscaping after design discussion; motion carried unanimously. - Height waiver approved with modification: DRB22-0851 (6455 Pine Tree Drive Circle, "Luce Del Sol Trust") — board approved a height waiver request after applicant and neighbors discussed massing; the board settled on a reduced additional height and recommended final coordination with staff. - Approval: DRB22-0895 (845 West 40th Street) — design approval and variance approved; unanimous vote recorded. - Approval/denial split: DRB22-0898 (8 Ferry Lane) — board approved the overall design (4–2) and approved variances 1–3 as requested while denying variance 4 (trellis projection into the rear yard). The board required the design team to remove the trellis or reconfigure it to comply with the rear‑yard setback. - DRB22-0896 (1400 West 20th Street / Sunset Island 3): presentation heard but item will be readvertised and returned to the board for formal action because of a posting error; discussion was nonbinding. - DRB22-0899 (401 West 30th Street) — board approved the design and approved setback‑related variances requested for the irregular lot (variances 2, 3, 4 and 5 as modified by staff); several other variances related to deck projection and rear open space were denied. - DRB22-0901 (1275 N. Biscayne Point Road) — understory/height waiver request approved; board included conditions on materials and required coordination with staff on landscaping and façade details.

Follow‑up directions and staff tasks - Applicants granted continuances were instructed to resubmit revised materials by the stated deadlines (often several weeks before the next scheduled DRB meeting) to enable staff review and proper public notice. - For projects approved conditionally, the board requested material sample boards, clarified roof‑rail setbacks, and asked applicants to work with staff on screening and landscape details, visibility triangles, and loading/driveway geometry. - The DRB asked staff to confirm final measured heights (BFE + freeboard calculations), to validate any code interpretations cited by applicants, and to check triangle‑of‑visibility and driveway safety details in recommended approvals.

What to expect next Several continued items and applications with conditions will appear on the board’s next published agenda after applicants submit revised drawings and staff completes its review. The board also asked applicants to prepare material samples and clearer scaled sections showing how proposed buildings meet or depart from BFE + freeboard requirements.