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Board approves Certificate of Appropriateness for new home at 711 South Palmway despite height concerns
Summary
The Historic Resources Preservation Board approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new single-family house at 711 South Palmway, allowing demolition of a non-contributing structure in a flood zone and approving a contemporary Monterey-style design despite staff concerns that the proposed height would be out of context.
Anne Hamilton, Senior Preservation Planner, presented a request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new single-family residence at 711 South Palmway, a non-contributing resource in the South Palm Park Historic District. Hamilton said a 2024 ordinance permits demolition of non-contributing structures in flood zones and that the application otherwise met requirements, but staff recommended lowering the proposed height by one foot so the two-story contemporary Monterey-style house would better fit the surrounding single-story context.
Agents for the applicant, Renbert Gordon and Boutros Bernard, told the board they agreed with staff conditions except the requested one-foot reduction. Gordon said reducing the height further "would be a deal breaker" because the design depends on nine-foot ceilings on both levels; staff noted the finished floor elevation would be 2.5 feet higher than the neighboring property and that the side wall would be approximately 22.5 feet, the maximum shown and within code allowances. Board members asked about streetscape scale and the absence of a flood plain elevation on the submitted drawings; staff confirmed site grading and a step up into the structure are planned.
Board member Edmond LeBlanc moved to approve HRPB 25-00100049 with staff-recommended conditions except the first condition; Laura Devlin seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
