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Board allows taller gymnasiums in Hobe Sound CRA to accommodate Boys & Girls Club design
Summary
The commission approved a targeted change to the Hobe Sound CRA rules to allow gymnasiums built as part of institutional uses to reach 35 feet tall (from 30), a narrowly scoped amendment intended to provide the 25-foot clear interior height required for play and ceiling-mounted systems. The ordinance passed 4–1.
Martin County commissioners voted Jan. 28 to amend Division 5 of Article 12 (the Hobe Sound CRA regulations) to allow gymnasiums constructed as part of institutional uses in the general subdistrict to reach a maximum height of 35 feet. The board approved the narrowly written ordinance on a 4–1 vote, with Commissioner Hurd recorded as dissenting.
Senior planner John Sennott presented the request during the public hearing and explained the amendment adds a single footnote to the table of development standards: gymnasiums developed as part of an institutional use in the general subdistrict may reach 35 feet to provide about 25 feet of internal vertical clearance. “The proposed height would accommodate various levels of play, practice and community events,” Sennott said.
Architect Raul Ocampo, representing the applicant, the Boys & Girls Club of Martin County, told the board the extra height is the minimum needed for safe play and to accommodate HVAC, lighting and structural elements above the playing surface. “The 5 feet that we're requesting is really needed in order to have a gymnasium that has the clear playing area that is required,” Ocampo said.
Attorney Audra Creech, representing the Boys & Girls Club, noted the change is tightly scoped. She showed commissioners a comparison chart indicating other CRAs permit similar or greater heights in their general subdistricts (Rio and Jensen Beach have 35 feet in parts of their general subdistrict; Golden Gate and Port Salerno allow up to 40 feet in their general subdistricts). “This is not an exception that would make that big of a difference…they're asking for a very specific subsection that would be allowed,” Creech said.
Commission debate included a call for precision in the code language to keep the change limited to gymnasiums that are part of institutional uses. Commissioner Campey (Campy) said he supported the Boys & Girls Club plan and its community uses; Commissioner Hurd asked whether the change would create an undesirable precedent and voted against the measure. The ordinance passed 4–1.
The amendment applies only to gymnasiums developed as part of institutional uses in the Hobe Sound CRA general subdistrict; all other structure height limits in the general subdistrict remain unchanged. Staff said the footnote-based approach keeps the change tightly constrained to the specific structure type and location discussed at the hearing.
