Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission denies downtown drive-through variance for planned bank
Summary
Flagler Beach commissioners denied a variance request to allow a one‑lane drive‑through for a proposed bank in the downtown mixed‑use overlay, finding the applicant did not meet variance criteria including special conditions peculiar to the lot and consistency with the walkable downtown design guidelines.
The City Commission voted to deny a variance (PVAR26-001) for a one-way drive-through proposed by Barwick Bank & Company for a downtown mixed‑use parcel. Planning staff and the Planning & Architectural Board had recommended denial because the applicant did not demonstrate special conditions and circumstances peculiar to the property that would justify making an exception to the Land Development Code.
Applicant Jim Bang, vice chairman of Barwick Bank, told the commission the drive-through would serve customers with mobility limitations and improve deposit-night-drop and bank operations. Planning staff noted the applicant concurrently submitted a site plan without a drive-through that is proceeding through technical review.
Commissioner discussion focused on the variance criteria; several commissioners said they could not find the required special circumstances and that granting a drive-through would be inconsistent with the city's pedestrian-oriented downtown design. The motion to deny cited variance criteria 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6; the commission voted 4–0 to deny the request.
