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Dade City board schedules special review after unpermitted work at Costner Apartments
Summary
The Dade City Historic Preservation Advisory Board agreed to convene a special meeting (tentatively March 9) to review a permit application and ongoing renovations at 37718 Meridian Avenue (Costner Apartments) after staff said some work began before a permit was filed; the building official and contractor will be asked to attend.
The Dade City Historic Preservation Advisory Board agreed to hold a special meeting to review renovations at 37718 Meridian Avenue, known as the Costner Apartments, after staff reported that some work began before a permit was filed.
Staff told the board the permit application for the rear façade came in Jan. 30 and "we are planning on having the contractor as well as Mike Barthel, our building official, attend the special meeting so that if there are any questions, then they may be better equipped to answer," allowing board members to probe construction and safety details.
Why it matters: the board must determine whether proposed changes are compatible with historic character and whether work done without prior permit raises safety or code concerns. Staff said the scope includes enclosure and stairwell work; board members expressed interest in hearing from the contractor and the building official about structural and fire-safety implications before granting or conditioning any approvals.
Board discussion and next steps: members discussed two proposed dates, March 2 and March 9, both Mondays; after a brief poll members favored March 9 and asked staff to circulate an agenda and materials in advance. Staff said the special meeting will focus on a detailed review of the renovation and that the contractor and building official will be asked to attend to answer technical questions.
Relevant details recorded in the meeting: staff said some work began prior to permit submission, that the permit application was submitted Jan. 30, and that some interior stairwell work raised fire-safety concerns. The board did not take a formal vote to approve or deny any work at the meeting; rather, it scheduled the special review where the board will evaluate the application and any corrective steps.
The board expects to meet at 5:30 p.m. on the agreed date; staff will circulate the agenda and documentation the week before the special meeting.
