Riverside Drive north of Sample Road. {Google Maps}
By Bryan Boggiano
Habitat for Humanity’s proposed affordable housing complex is moving closer to reality.
The city’s planning and zoning board discussed further plans for the property at their Monday, November 14 meeting.
This comes after the commission approved portions of the Habitat for Humanity project at their November 9 meeting to develop two separate plots of land north of Riverside Drive and Sample Road.
The northern parcel lies just south and east of NW 37th Street.
It will have seven townhouse units, each with two stories, three bedrooms, an attached one-door garage, an individual driveway, and a sideway connection from Riverside Drive to the front door.
The southern parcel is located roughly on Riverside Drive and NW 35th Court, about 230 feet south of the first plot.
It will have two three-unit townhouse buildings that will have six residential units.
The commission originally discussed the project at their May 18 meeting.
“It’s good to see a property that hasn’t been used [to be] developed in this fashion,” said board member Joe Morera.
Despite the approval, Habitat for Humanity still needs special exceptions from the city commission in order to start the project.
On behalf of Habitat for Humanity, Engineering firm KEITH requested multiple special exceptions to the city’s code to move forward with construction.
In a presentation to the board, Habitat for Humanity CEO and Executive Director Nancy Robin, KEITH’s Planning Technician John Rinaldi, and KEITH’s Vice President Michael Vonder Meulen discussed the exceptions in detail.
They include platting requirements, plot size, front yard size, vehicle parking, a separation distance of vehicle parking areas and buildings, building length, landscaping, buffering, and sidewalks on both parcels of the proposed property.
Habitat for Humanity Special Exceptions |
|||
Code Category |
Code Criteria |
North Property |
South Property |
| Required Townhouse Units (Platting) | 20 Units | 7 Units | 6 Units |
| Plot Size | Minimum Plot Size: 5 acres
Minimum Width: 300 feet Minimum Depth: 300 feet |
Size: 0.53 acres
Width: 230.9 feet. Depth: 100 feet./75 feet. |
Size: 0.53 acres
Width: 212 feet Depth: 100 feet |
| Front Yard Setback | 50 feet, or not less than 25 feet.
or the height of the building |
20 feet | 18.5 feet |
| Prohibition of Vehicular Use Area (Driveways, Roadways, etc.) in Required Yards |
Forbidden within the first 10 feet of front yards |
2 feet | 2 feet |
| Minimum Separation of Any Building from Any Vehicular Use Area |
Separated by at least 10 feet of unpaved landscape |
4.9 feet | 8.7 feet |
| Building Length | Maximum: 160 feet | 164 feet | No Special Exception Filed |
| Minimum Landscaped Open Space | 45% of Total Area | 36.3% | 37.2% |
| Required Perimeter Buffering Adjacent to Abutting Properties |
4-foot-high opaque screen required between plots |
2 feet | 2 feet |
| Sidewalks | Required Between Driveway Reservoir
and the Drive Lane |
None Provided in Front | None Provided in Rear |
| Minimum Distance Between Buildings and Building. Orientation |
Minimum: 20 feet side-to-side separation | No Special Exception Filed | 15 feet |
Board members expressed concerns over property maintenance, limited space for parking and social gatherings, and fencing, but Habitat for Humanity can still change its site plan.
The board voted unanimously in favor of recommending a favorable review to the city commission on both the north and south plots.
The commission will have the final say on Habitat for Humanity’s special exceptions.
“We want this to represent the future and show what other cities can do, too,” Robin said.
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Author Profile
- Bryan has a degree in journalism from the University of Florida and earned his masters in geosciences from Florida International University, where he focused in atmospheric sciences. His interests include weather, entertainment, and municipal government.
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