West Palm Beach Historic Preservation Board approves several COAs and variances, continues multiple large projects

The West Palm Beach Historic Preservation Board on June 24 approved multiple Certificates of Appropriateness (COAs), a waiver and a Class B special use permit for a front‑yard pool, granted a variance for an after‑the‑fact pergola, and approved several renovation and addition projects while continuing other larger proposals for further design work.

Board action focused on property‑level design issues in locally designated historic districts, including window and roof materials, porch enclosures, and the size and placement of additions. The board approved several staff‑recommended conditions intended to preserve visual character and to keep new work subordinate to contributing historic resources.

The board approved two consent items early in the meeting (files 25‑34 and 25‑35). The meeting then considered continued and new cases. The board granted a COA for 110 Greenwood Drive (case 25‑25) and separately approved the requested waiver and a Class B special use permit to allow a swimming pool within the front setback, each with conditions requiring project data, white aluminum windows on street elevations, landscaping and other mitigation measures. The board approved a COA at 309 Edgewood Drive (25‑23) that included a staff‑recommended porch enclosure option. The board continued the application for a new two‑story house at 2916 Washington Road (25‑30) to the July 22 meeting after design feedback. It approved an application for additions and a minor FAR exception at 737 Upland Road (25‑29) with conditions preserving specific decorative details and requiring adjustments to mullion widths and proportions. A request for after‑the‑fact variances to allow a constructed pergola at 110 Westminster Road (25‑33) was approved with conditions that reduced the approved encroachment and required changes to height, column detailing and screening; neighbors’ objections and staff landscaping requirements were noted in the record. Larger renovation proposals at 195 Dyer Road (25‑36) and at 518 30 Third Street (25‑38) were continued to allow the applicants to respond to board requests and to provide additional documentation; the board specifically asked the Dyer Road applicant to provide additional precedent images and to reconsider massing so the historic front facade remains visually dominant. The board approved the attic conversion and small rear additions at 709 Kanuga Drive (25‑39) with conditions on roof material and review of window details.

Votes at a glance

- Files 25‑34 and 25‑35 (consent): approved (voice vote; no roll‑call recorded). Evidence: motion and voice approval recorded at 509.985–533.90. - Case 25‑25 / 110 Greenwood Drive: COA approved with nine conditions (project data table; white aluminum windows; documentation re: front door; accessory structure window symmetry, etc.). Waiver (25‑25A) approved; Class B special use permit (pool within front setback) approved with landscaping and equipment setbacks conditions. Evidence: applicant presentation and motions recorded at 582.15–1285.09 and votes recorded at 1691.95–2040.48. - Case 25‑23 / 309 Edgewood Drive: COA approved with conditions including approval for a porch enclosure (staff conditions applied). Evidence: applicant/staff presentation and motions recorded at 2139.02–2919.69. - Case 25‑30 / 2916 Washington Road: continued to July 22, 2025 for additional precedent documentation and design refinements. Evidence: applicant presentation at 3003.61–3199.65 and continuance motion at 4252.33–4280.43. - Case 25‑29 / 737 Upland Road: approved with staff conditions except modification of one condition per the board; additional conditions required preservation of a scalloped parapet detail, min. 2‑inch recess of the rear addition, and a 5‑light vertical pattern for specified French doors. Evidence: presentation 4315.62–4644.60 and motion/vote recorded at 6208.87–6379.69. - Case 25‑33 / 110 Westminster Road (after‑the‑fact pergola): variance(s) granted subject to conditions: approved reduced encroachment to 4'6" from property line (instead of the 3.5' built), lowered overall pergola height (reduced by 14 inches), post detail to be vernacular/chamfered and additional landscape screening, limits on solid roofs or walls for successor structures, and compliance with open‑space landscaping requirements. Evidence: presentation and public comment at 6425.36–7574.675 and motion/vote recorded at 8852.695–9053.865. - Case 25‑36 / 195 Dyer Road: continued to July 22, 2025 to allow the applicant to revise massing and provide additional precedent and landscape/statutory clarifications (board asked for alternatives that preserve the contributing front facade). Evidence: presentation and public comment at 9119.47–12491.35 and continuance motion at 13129.205–13169.13. - Case 25‑38 / 51830 Third Street: continued to July 22, 2025 for additional staff review of updated drawings and to address streetscape and window schedule issues identified by staff. Evidence: presentation and applicant responses at 13222.115–15076.565; continuance motion at 15056.35–15076.565. - Case 25‑39 / 709 Kanuga Drive: COA and ad valorem preconstruction (attic conversion and small rear additions) approved with conditions including standing‑seam, mill‑finish metal roof across the structure (staff preference), retention of the front door if original, cypress siding for repairs and staff review of window/door shop drawings; the board allowed a small transom window at the rear (window T1) to remain per the applicant. Evidence: presentation and vote recorded at 15125.335–16999.889.

What the board emphasized

Board members repeatedly asked applicants to: (1) provide clearer historic precedent drawn from contributing structures in the same historic district; (2) keep new work visually subordinate to the historic primary façade and roofline; (3) document and retain historic doors and significant trim where feasible; and (4) use cypress or comparable materials and clear‑glass street‑facing windows with white frames when required by staff conditions. Several continuances were requested so applicants could return with revised drawings and materials samples.

Meeting context and next steps

Several items were continued to the July 22, 2025 Historic Preservation Board meeting for revised drawings, precedent images, or additional documentation. Applicants whose projects were approved will be required to meet the conditions read into the record and documented in the staff memos during building‑permit review and prior to issuance of final COAs.

Sources and evidence

This summary is based on the June 24, 2025 HPB transcript of applicant presentations, staff reports and recorded motions and votes. Direct evidentiary excerpts from the transcript accompany each case in the provenance block below.