Board continues review of rooftop addition for 1445 Pennsylvania Avenue after neighbors raise noise, privacy concerns

The Historic Preservation Board of Miami Beach continued review of an application for partial demolition, restoration and a one‑story rooftop addition with an active roof deck at 1445 Pennsylvania Avenue (the Penway Apartments), directing the applicant to return with further refinements and additional materials.

Staff described the project as a restoration of a 1939 Streamline Moderne contributing building in the Espanola Way local historic district and recommended approval subject to conditions in the draft order. The applicant’s team—attorney James Rao and architect Charles Benson—presented plans to restore exterior features, reintroduce historic signage and windows, convert upper‑story apartments into hotel rooms and activate the rooftop with seating, water features and a small rooftop addition to house restrooms and mechanical equipment. Benson said the addition would be set back approximately 14 feet from Espanola Way and that the rooftop guardrail and deck would be set back at least 4 feet from the parapet.

Neighbors and residents of adjacent Chelsea Condominium spoke at public comment, urging the board to reconsider an active rooftop because bedrooms in nearby buildings overlook the site roughly 10 feet away. Speakers raised concerns about noise, odors from kitchen exhaust, operations hours, traffic and trash collection. The Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) supported restoration of the original building elements but asked for greater setback and compliance with sight‑line guidelines so the rooftop would not visually overwhelm the contributing structure.

Board members questioned whether rooftop operations and hours of use could be controlled; planning staff explained that operation‑level items (hours of operation, patron occupancy limits, sound studies, valet/queuing, and trash operations) fall under the Planning Board/conditional‑use and neighborhood‑impact establishment review, not the Historic Preservation Board’s certificate‑of‑appropriateness criteria. Several board members asked the applicant to bring back clearer sight‑line drawings, a landscape plan for rooftop screening, and clarification about the proposed signage (including whether the historic pylon could carry updated copy rather than the historic “DRUGS” text).

The applicant withdrew a variance request to exceed hours of operation for an outdoor bar counter before the hearing and said it will work with the neighborhood. The board set a continuation date; the applicant asked to return on November 8 to give staff and the neighborhood time to review the revised drawings and operational clarifications.