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DRB approves terracotta louver privacy screen, circulation waiver at 1820 Bay Road wellness club
Summary
Design Review Board approved a proposal to remodel 1820 Bay Road into a private wellness club with a new permeable terracotta louver privacy screen at the front property line, accepting a waiver to the 10‑foot pedestrian path standard because the project maintains an acceptable clear path.
The Design Review Board approved on May 15 a proposal to remodel 1820 Bay Road in the Sunset Harbor neighborhood into a private wellness club and to install a 10‑foot‑high privacy screen at the front property line made of a steel grid with four rows of manually rotating terracotta louvers.
Applicant representatives told the board they will raise the front yard elevation to match the sidewalk and add new openings and landscaped site work. "The building is located in the Sunset Harbor neighborhood," said project presenter Theresa Grama, explaining the facade changes and the intent to improve a previously altered 1938 building.
Staff recommended approval and supported a waiver so the clear pedestrian path could be reduced below the 10‑foot standard to a clear path of approximately 7 feet 6 inches, noting the sidewalk width overall would remain 15 feet 7 inches and that the proposed condition does not worsen the existing pedestrian path. The staff report said this is consistent with previous pedestrian widths along the block.
Architect Thomas Seeped described terracotta materials for the screen and indicated the tiles would be roughly two‑and‑a‑half feet tall and threaded on a metal rod so panels rotate but will have engineered restraints to prevent wind or vandalism. "We already have engaged the structural engineer that's producing engineering drawings for this specific privacy screen," Seeped told the board.
The Sunset Harbor Neighborhood Association offered support during public comment. Board members asked about details: mounting, gauge, hurricane and wind resistance, and whether the tiles would rotate freely in wind. Applicant team said final gauge, anchoring, and shop drawings will be engineered and submitted; they asked for the board to approve the design and waiver with the condition that final engineering comply with the approved design intent.
A motion to approve the application including the waiver passed; the board removed a staff condition asking for additional articulation of a blank wall to the south. The city will require final shop drawings, and the project must meet building department requirements for anchoring, wind loads, and pedestrian clearance before permits are issued.
