09/29/1985
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STA.TE OF FI.ORIDA
DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS
: GEORGE B. WILLI~S~ )
Appellant~ }
vs. ) CAS! t~o. 85-2701
CITY OF CLEARWATER~ )
Respondent. )
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ORDER
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Pursuant to notice; the Division of Administrative
,Heilrin9s~ by its duly designated Hearing officer; K. N. :Ayers;
held a public hearing in the above-styled ca.se on August, 28~ '
,1985, at ,Clearwater; Florida.
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APPEARANCES
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For Appellant.:
Donald o. McFarland; Esq.
311 South Missouri Avenue
Clearwater; Florida 33516
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Fpr Respondentz,
Frank X. Kowalski; Esq.
Post Office Box 4748
Clearwater; Florida 33318
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By letter dated August 2; 1985; George B. Williams;
Appellant; appeals the deciaion of the Board of Adjustment and
Appeal on Zoning to deny a special exception to expand an
existing Adult Congregate Living Facility from five to ten
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residents.
,At the commencement of the hearing the evidence
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presente~ at the Board hearing was admitted.
Thereafter;
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excoption and Exhibit 2 i. a tranecript of the proceeding_ belore
the 9oft1~d.
FINDINGS OF FACT
1. Appollant owns the property located at 1430
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Palmetto street; Clearwater; Florida.' The area is zoned RS-SO, a
zoning for single family residents. The house located thereon i8
a three-bedroom~ two-bath home with ,a garage and carport.
Appellant proposes to enclose the garage to provide two'
additional bedrooms and a bath.
2. The lot on which this house is sited contains
l3~OOO square feet. The minimum lot size for RS-sO zoning is
s~OOO square feet. The structure exceeds all setback
requirements of the Code. Most of the homes in this neighborhood
have driveways to the garages while Appellant's property has a
circular drive in front of the house.
3. The struct u3= mee~~t. the City of Clearwater IS' fire
code and to be licensed as an Adult Congregate Living Facility
(ACLF) must meet all requirements of the Department of Health and
Rehabilitative Services.
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4. Appellant has a housekeeper on the premises at all
times to prepare the meals and take care of the residents.
,Appellantls son manages the property and 'the sonls wife visits
the premises daily to do the necessary shopping~ take the
, residents to doctor appointments; shopping, or for outings. Only
one automobile remains at the premises on a 24-hour basis. Some
residents do not have any family locally and visitors average one
every two weeks per resident.
5. Use of this property as an ACLF is reasonably
,compatib~e with the neighborhood. Excessive traffic, will not be
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..' gene~ated .?y use ,'of th'is property as requested and the
requi~ements for on-site parking is satisfied.
6. Although an ACLF is a business, it is operated
similar to a home in that business hours are.not such that any
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!,;':.;:,,',).,.'~::., :,,<:provide for in paragraph (g) abo~e of this section.
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disturbance of the neighborhood will occur and insignificant
additional traffic will be generated as a result of gr~nting this
special exception.
7. Neighbors gonarally have no complaints regarding'
the operation of the existing ACLF with a total of. five residents
but strongly oppose any increase in the number of residents. As
grounds for opposing the incroase these witnesses cited expected
decrease in property values, anticipated increase in traffic and
traffic hazards to the elderly residents of the ACLF who may walk
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along the street; excessive numbers of vehicles at the premises
for which off-street parking is not available; a general dislike
for any business activity conducted in the neighborhood; their
,opinion that an ACLF is incompatible with the neighborhood, and
that Appellant will reap a financial bonanza if the special
exception is granted. No statistical evidence was presented to
support any of these contentions.
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CONCLUSIONS OF LAW
The Division of Administrative Hearings has juris-
diction over the parties to; and subject matter of; these
proceedings.
Special exceptions are provided for in the City of
Clearwater Building and Zoning RegUlations. Section 131.043
provides for special exceptions for ACLF's in RS-50 zoning.
Section l3l.0l6(h)(18) specifically relates to
congregate and group care facilities and establishes a permitted
density of 10 to 15 residents on a lot area not leso than 8;000
squarafeet~ off-street parking requirement of two spaces for the
first six residents and one additional space for each six
additional residentsT and a requirement that such use be
reasonab:lycompatible for the surrounding neighborhood as
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That the use will be reasonably
compatible with surrounding U8ftS in
it. function, its hours of operation,
the type and amount ot traffic to be
generated, and building size and set-
backs, it. relation to land values;
and other factors that may be used
to meaaure compatibility.
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Here, the Appellant has met all of the zoning oode
requirements such as lot size; parking~ setbacks, traffic
generation; and only compatibility with the neighborhood i.
really contested. By authorizing Level I group care facilities
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in areas zoned RS-50~ the zoning code has determined such use to
be compatible with the zoning. In Rural New Town; Inc. v. Palm
Beach County~ 315 So.2d 478 (Fla. 4th DCA 1975)~ the court
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statedz
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In the case of a special exception;
where the applicant has otherwise com-
plied with those conditions set forth
in the zoning code; the burden is upon
the zoning authority to demonstrate
by competen~ substantial evidence that
the special exception is contrary to
the public interest. Yokley on Zoning;
Vol. 2, p.l24. A special exception is
a permitted use to Which the applicant
is entitled unless the zoning authority
determines according to the standards
in the zon:l.ng ordinance that such use
would adversely affect the pUblic
interest. Berlant v. Zoning Hearing
Bd. of Lower Merion Tp.; 1971,
2 Pa. Cmwlth, 583, 279 A. '2d 400.
See also Turner v. Hammond; 1973,
270 Md. 41; 310 A. 2d 543.
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Once the ordinance criteria, were established; it was
tllO Boardls duty to grant the special exc'9ption unless the Board
" also determined (as it did not) that such use would adversely
.'affect th~ public interest. Odham v. Peterson; 398 So. 2d 875
(Fla. 5th DCA 1981).
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\~~\/,V":,'\:~',~::::': :,,':: '>":;:':" ...'.~o" credible e~i~e~ce was' submitted to the Board or. ~~
<";:,; \:'" "':", ' this' hearinq to show that qrantinq the special.' except.ion ,wQuld-:, , _,'"
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adversely affect the public interest.
Appellant; followinq the ,Board hearing and again at
, this hearing, stated that no more than eight residents would be
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h?,U8e'cS" at the tacility 'if the special exception i. granted.
''...It-impolled limitation will be made a part 6't Uiia order.
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ORDERED that George B. Williamll be granted a .pecial
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Living Facility at 1430 .. ..
exception to operate an Adult Care
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. c~ , Palmetto Stree't, Palm Torrace Sub. Unit l~ Lot 5; Clearwater,
Florida, having a maximum of eight residentll.
DONE 'AND ORDERED this
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day of'September, 1985,
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,at Tallahassee ~ Florida."
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Hearing 0 ficer
Division of Administrative
Oakland Building
2009 Apalachee Parkway
Tallahassee~ Florida 32301
904/488-9675
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Hearings'
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FILED with the Clerk of the
Di~1sion of Administrative
Hearings this 1.t1 day of
september; 198~
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"Copies' furnished to:
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" Frank Kowalski, Esq.
Acting City Attorney
Post Office 'Box 4748
'Clearwater;, Florida 33518
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Donald o. McFarland, Esq.
, ,311 ,South Missouri Avenue
Clear~ater; Florida'335l6
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Lucille Williams
Ci ty Clerk ,
Post Office Box 4748
'i Clearwater, Florida 33518
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