Historic Preservation Board deadlocks on full‑facade porch enclosure at 547 Alcazar Avenue; item continued

The Historic Preservation Board on April 23 did not reach the five‑member affirmative threshold needed to approve a full‑facade enclosure of the front porch at 547 Alcazar Avenue and continued the item for a future hearing.

Staff recommended denial, citing the historic integrity of the porch as a character‑defining feature and concerns that enclosure converts an original exterior space into interior space. "Enclosure of the front open porches are inappropriate to these original features of the building and would recommend denial," staff said, referencing prior hearings on the item.

Owners Karina Lorenzen and Javier Diaz presented a revised design intended to mimic a screened porch with black frames and clear glass, and stressed the reversible nature of the proposed installation. Lorenzen described repeated problems with wildlife entering the porch and interior: "...we later found out they were flying in through the screened in porch... when I was first year in residency ... we were spending our entire furniture budget on rabies shots," she said, urging the board to consider health and safety for her young son and immunocompromised pet.

Board members focused on permanence and precedent: several expressed concern that once the porch is enclosed it becomes interior space and future owners could install air conditioning or otherwise alter character‑defining elements. The city attorney and staff discussed options to flag the original exterior wall in permit records so that future interior alterations would be routed for historic review, and members asked whether the county permit/permit tracking system could be amended to capture that flag.

Miss Spain moved to approve the enclosure with a condition that the original exterior wall and its windows/doors be recorded in the system so future changes require Historic Preservation staff or board review, and Miss Spain's motion was seconded by Mr. Garcia Ponds. The roll call produced four affirmative votes and two negatives (Miss Shield and Miss Dane). Because Coral Gables' quasi‑judicial procedure requires five affirmative votes for approval when five members constitute a quorum, the motion failed and the matter was continued. The chair said applicants may either return with refinements at a later meeting or pursue an appeal to the City Commission.

The board's discussion highlighted competing priorities: the desire to protect and retain an intact historic porch that spans an entire façade versus safety and functional demands of a contemporary household. Staff suggested possible mitigations—recording the original exterior wall in property notes and including conditions restricting AC installation as part of any approval—but no amended motion secured five affirmative votes at this hearing.