Board approves draft changes to allow accessory structures on corner lots, adds screening requirement

The Planning & Advisory Board recommended changes to the city code to allow accessory structures (sheds, gazebos and similar) to be placed in certain secondary/front-yard areas on corner lots while preserving setback and permitting rules for permanent structures.

Planner Carl said the proposal opens parts of the 'red' secondary yard for accessory structures but maintains setback distances and engineered design requirements for anything larger than 100 square feet. "We allow pools out there. We allow fences out there, but we don't allow an accessory structure," Carl said when describing current rules; the draft would permit accessory structures subject to permitting and engineering standards to guard against hurricane uplift and other hazards.

Board members and residents debated sightlines for neighbors, the possibility that a shed could be visible from an adjacent front yard, and whether screening or a required fence should be added. One member suggested adding required screening consistent with other parts of the code; another noted that prefabricated sheds often include stamped certification that can be used for permitting. The motion to recommend the accessory-structure changes with added screening carried on an aye vote.

What happens next: staff will forward the recommended language to council and include required screening language consistent with other code sections; permitting thresholds and engineering signoffs remain in the draft.