Pompano Beach Zoning Board approves several variances and temporary permits; elects new chair

The Pompano Beach Zoning Board of Adjustment on March 20, 2025, approved six land-use items including variances and major temporary use permits and elected Charlotte Burry as chair. The board voted on reductions to required parking at a multifamily property, allowances for an on-site recreational vehicle during construction of a new home, a one-year temporary outdoor-storage permit for a commercial site in the Northwest CRA, a reduced perimeter landscape strip for a commercial expansion, and a screening waiver for two 40-foot grain silos for a beer production facility.

Why it matters: The board’s decisions alter development and operational requirements for specific properties in Pompano Beach, potentially affecting parking supply, short-term residential accommodations during construction, and the temporary use of commercial sites pending redevelopment.

Votes at a glance

- PNZ 2511100001 (Humberto Chavez) — Variance to reduce required off-street parking from 56 (after a 2018 administrative adjustment) to 51 spaces for a 41-unit multifamily property in the Snug Harbor neighborhood. Motion approved unanimously; conditions require permits, resolution of active code violations, and minimum stall dimensions be met.

- PNZ 2515000002 (Patricia Hodgson) — Major Temporary Use Permit to allow an on-site recreational vehicle (RV) to be used as living quarters during construction of a new single-family residence in Old Pompano. Motion approved unanimously with staff conditions including current vehicle registration, connection to city utilities, compliance with noise standards and resolution of outstanding code violations.

- PNZ 205151 (Jen Lobel LLC / property at 1126 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) — Major Temporary Use Permit to allow temporary outdoor storage on the eastern half of the property for up to one year pending sale or redevelopment. Motion approved (majority; one ‘no’ recorded). The board modified recommended conditions to strike the hard-surface requirement for the temporary permit and clarified screening/height rules and outstanding code-violation resolution; the permit will not permanently relieve long-term site development requirements.

- PNZ 205111000003 (2201 LLC) — Variance to reduce the required perimeter landscape strip along NW 20th Avenue from 10 feet to approximately 5.5 feet to preserve an on-site large tree and retain parking needed for a proposed 21,492 sq. ft. addition. Motion approved unanimously; conditions include required development permits and that, if right-of-way dedication is later deemed unnecessary by the city engineer, the variance could be voided per staff condition.

- PNZ 2511000004 (McNabb Building Venture LLC / Gulfstream Brewery) — Variance to waive the standard screening requirement for two 40-foot grain silos associated with a brewery (staff concurred screening would be impractical and impede truck access). Motion approved unanimously with standard permit and plan-compliance conditions.

- ZBA rules of procedure update and elections — The board approved a rules-of-procedure update (mostly technical; aligns the rules with recent zoning-code changes increasing alternates from three to six) and elected Charlotte Burry as chair and Joe Zarcuzzi as vice chair.

Details and board rationale

Parking reduction (PNZ 2511100001): Scott Riali, Development Services, described the subject site west of SE Ninth Avenue as containing two buildings with 41 dwelling units (39 one-bedroom, two two-bedroom) and an original certificate of occupancy issued Jan. 10, 1974 showing 62 spaces under the older 1.5-spaces-per-unit requirement. An administrative adjustment in 2018 had reduced spaces to 56. The applicant requested a further reduction to 51 spaces to expand a dumpster enclosure, add green space and improve truck circulation; staff did not object given the unit mix and the applicant’s supporting narrative. Mario Sotelongo, Code Compliance Director, confirmed there are several active code-enforcement cases on the property and said fines are accruing; staff recommended the variance be conditioned on resolving those violations. The board found competent substantial evidence and approved the variance subject to staff’s three conditions.

Temporary RV during construction (PNZ 2515000002): Scott Riali said the applicant had permits for demolition and new construction and had previously received a temporary-use permit in 2023 that expired. The property is over 25,000 square feet; the applicant said she and family will occupy the RV while supervising construction and expects final completion in January 2026. Staff recommended conditioning the permit on current RV registration, connection to city utilities (no generator), and compliance with the noise code; the board voted to approve with an explicit amendment requiring outstanding violations be resolved.

Temporary outdoor storage at 1126 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (PNZ 205151): Scott Riali explained the site’s recent history — formerly a gas station/repair site — and said the applicant proposed using the eastern half of the lot behind existing fencing for outdoor storage for up to one year while the owner seeks a buyer or pursues redevelopment. Staff recommended several conditions; during discussion staff agreed to strike the hard-surface requirement for the temporary permit and to modify screening-height conditions consistent with recent code amendments. Some board members expressed concern about the lack of a clear short-term plan given three years of previous use and about potential groundwater impacts from vehicle storage on non-paved surfaces; the applicant said the site is monitored for prior contamination and that the storage is presently screened by a fence. The permit was approved with modified conditions; one board member voted no.

Landscape-strip variance for 2201 LLC (PNZ 205111000003): The applicant (Brian Herbert of Gallo Herbert Architects and owner Paul Knapp) presented a proposal to construct a new building behind an existing retail structure. To accommodate right-of-way dedication and protect a large on-site tree requested to be preserved by the city arborist, the applicant asked to reduce the west-side perimeter landscape strip from the 10-foot minimum to roughly 5.5 feet. Staff did not oppose; the board approved the variance with standard permit conditions and language noting the variance could be nullified if the city engineer later finds the dedication unnecessary.

Mechanical-equipment screening waiver for grain silos (PNZ 2511000004): For McNabb Building Venture LLC, project representatives described two 40-foot grain silos for a brewery. The zoning code requires screening that extends 6 inches above mechanical equipment; staff and the applicant said that level of screening would be impractical for 40-foot silos and would prevent truck access necessary to unload spent grain for recycling. The board approved a waiver with conditions requiring permits and substantial compliance with the submitted plan.

Procedure update and elections: The board approved a rules-of-procedure update aligning its bylaws with recent code changes (notably increasing alternate members from three to six). The board then elected Charlotte Burry as chair and Joe Zarcuzzi as vice chair.

What the approvals require next

Several approvals were conditional. Typical next steps required by staff include securing building and site-plan permits, resolving active code-enforcement cases when specified in motions, and complying with dimensional and screening standards where exemptions were granted only as part of the specific variance or temporary permit. The outdoor-storage temporary permit explicitly requires the applicant to pursue formal redevelopment approvals (site plan, platting or a special exception) if the use will persist beyond the temporary period.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this report spoke during agenda items; direct procedural excerpts and statements are recorded in board minutes and staff reports.