The applicant, Greenlight Studios Acquest TX, LLC, is requesting a major urban code conditional use approval in accordance with Section 3.01.06 of the City of Stuart Land Development Code. The applicant is the owner of the property, located at 313 and 315 Osceola Street, on the St. Lucie River and if granted, the conditional use would allow deviations from the Urban Code, Chapter 3 of the City of Stuart’s Land Development Code, including the approval of density up to 24 units per acre, and parking garages under the building envelop.
The property is currently vacant but was once developed property. Some impervious surface area remains from the previous development. Staff considers this application infill development. The stormwater features and related utility easements have been planned for in the development of the property.
The applicant is required to request a Major Urban Code Conditional use due to the following deviations from the Urban Code:
A. Density: The code allows 15 units per acre by right in the Urban District. The applicant is requesting 14 units on a .58-acre site, which equates to 24 units per acre. The City Commission may review development up to 30 units per acre as a conditional use approval.
The proposed density of 24 units per acre is proportional to the adjacent uses and other multi-family developments downtown (on Seminole Street). The applicant is providing for new, quality housing in compliance with all other sections of the Urban Waterfront code, except for parking under the building envelop.
STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE DEVIATION FROM CODE – 24 units per acre is consistent with the density approved in the downtown.
B. Parking within the building envelope: The applicant is meeting and exceeding the required parking for the 14 units, by providing 14 two car garages underneath the building. The City Commission may review this departure from the urban code via conditional use approval.
Staff notes that this variance request allows the building to be constructed as 4 stories above the garage. The first floor (or Finished Floor Elevation) of the residential units will be at 13’6”, or 18” above the crown of the road. Building height by definition is measured from the maximum required finished floor elevation. Because the garages located under the building envelop can be constructed below this elevation, the overall height of the building is not the measured height used to restrict the residential portion of the building. The total height of the building is 55’ to the midpoint of the mansard roof. However, subtracting the 13’6” finished floor elevation leaves a building height of 41’6”. Due to the residential nature of the building, the code allows for the building to be 45’ in height and four stories.
STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE DEVIATION FROM CODE – Staff finds that the proposed building provides quality pedestrian scale architecture along the street front and will conceal the required parking from sight of the public right of way. This meets the intent of diminishing the presence of parking and allows the applicant to provide the 10-foot vista on either side of the property.
On September 1, 2020, the CRB voted to approve the Resolution with three additional or modified conditions. 1) The modification of the existing HOA conditional language to remove the ability to form more than one and a Master Association. Staff has modified condition #13 to only allow a single condominium association. 2) Adding to a condition that the condominium association shall be responsible for maintenance of all common areas, including the stormwater exfiltration system. Staff has modified condition #13 to include the responsibility of the Association is to maintain the common areas, including stormwater exfiltration. 3) add a condition requiring the applicant provide a boardwalk easement. Staff has added condition #7, which requires the applicant to do so. This condition is similar to the condition placed on Sailfish Cove this year, with the exception that the easement is not in exchange of reduced parking for retail areas.