Planning board approves 305 Oak Street site plan after elevation review

The Planning and Zoning Board of the Town of Melbourne Beach on Dec. 2 approved the site plan for 305 Oak Street after staff clarified how finished floor elevations and building height were measured.

Town Planner Corey O'Gorman explained during the meeting that the code requires a minimum finished floor elevation of 16 feet and that the plan for 305 Oak Street provides a finished floor elevation of 18 feet. "The minimum finished floor elevation is 16. The finished floor elevation that's provided is 18," O'Gorman said, and he walked the board through how the overall building height is calculated from grade versus finished floor elevation. He noted the staff report had incorrectly listed the height as 22 feet but that the plans show 26.5 feet measured from grade and about 24.5 feet measured from the finished floor, which he said is consistent with the applicable code amendments.

Board members also confirmed landscaping concerns identified in earlier reviews had been addressed. An unidentified reviewer told the board the applicant supplied a complete landscaping plan and recommended acceptance. Another participant noted as an example that, under a previous interpretation, a homeowner might have been required to plant 27 oak trees; the board said the submitted plan satisfied current requirements.

A motion to accept the 305 Oak Street site plan was made and seconded; the board voted in favor by voice vote.

The board did not record individual vote tallies in the transcript. The planner said he would appear at meetings when necessary to address future site-plan questions and the town will continue to follow the measurement and height rules in the cited code sections.