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03/02/2009 BUILDING/FLOOD BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT AND APPEALS MEETING MINUTES CITY OF CLEARWATER March 3, 2009 Present: John H. Logan, Jr. Chair Edward H. Walker, Jr. Board Member Pankaj Shah Board Member – arrived 2:36 p.m. Gary Richter Board Member Absent: Arthur Shand Board Member Also Present: Kevin Garriott Building Official Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter The Chair called the meeting to order at 2:12 p.m. at the Municipal Services Building. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 2 - Approval of Minutes: Member Walker moved to approve the minutes of the regular Building/Flood Board of Adjustment and Appeals meeting of December 10, 2008, as submitted in written summation to each board member. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 3 – Continued Requests: - None. 4 – New Request: 4.1 Case: MIS2009-01013 - 23106 US Highway 19 North, Agent Name - Larry D Craighead – Architect. Request: To allow refrigeration equipment 2 feet 0 inches above roof at Wal-Mart Stores East L.P. at 23106 US Highway 19 North. LOEHMANN'S PLAZA REPLAT PT OF LOT 1 LYING IN SEC'S 6 & 7 DESC BEG NW COR OF LOT 1 TH S89DE 310.72 FT TH CUR LT RAD 470 FT ARC 247.19 FT CB N76DE 244.35 FT TH N61DE 147.05 FT TH CUR RT RAD 475 FT ARC 183.5 FT CB N72DE 182.37 FT TH S01DW 195.53 FT TH S89DE 165 FT TH S01DW 110 FT TH N89DW 192.4 FT TH S01DW 55.01 FT TH S17DE 47.9 FT TH S01DW 110.04 FT TH S89DE 27.49 FT TH S01DW 226.64 FT TH S58DW 722.03 FT TH N32DW 150 FT TH N89DW 171.85 FT TH N01DE 596.8 FT TH N01DE 216.55 FT TO POB CONT 16.51AC(C) In his November 10, 2008 letter, Wal-Mart Realty Facilities Roofing Manager Michael Strouse said Wal-Mart roof maintenance contractors maintain roofs underneath rooftop refrigeration equipment mounted 24 inches above roofs. He said Wal-Mart roofs are typically single-ply membrane systems and relatively easy to maintain. He said locating rooftop equipment 48 inches above the roof, as required per Table 1509.7 of the Florida Building Code, would create a hazardous situation for contractors maintaining refrigeration equipment as they would need to work off platforms or catwalks that would get in the way of pulling pumps, coils, etc. He said mounting refrigeration equipment 24 inches above the roof provides sufficient clearance to maintain the roof and safely work on the equipment without using catwalks, platforms, or ladders. Building - Flood 2009-03-02 1 Building Official Kevin Garriott said he was not authorized to approve this request. This requirement was added this decade to the Florida Building Code. Representative Charles Jordan reviewed the request for the Wal-Mart at 23106 US Highway 19 North. He said State code allows local jurisdictions to grant exceptions; Pinellas County and the City of Lakeland approved similar variances. He said refrigerant equipment requires airflow from below and cannot be curb mounted. He said ground mounted equipment is not an option as it would be too big and not aesthetic. Discussion ensued. It was commented that two feet of clearance is sufficient to maintain a single-ply roof and would allow easier access to refrigeration equipment for maintenance. Member Walker moved that in consideration of the building’s single ply membrane roof system, the Building/Flood Board of Adjustment and Appeals approves the request to permit the lowest portion of the beam, supporting only refrigeration equipment, to be mounted two (2) feet above a single ply membrane roof only at the Wal-Mart at 23106 US Highway 19 North location only. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 4.2 Case: MIS2009-01014 - 300 N. Osceola, Agent Name – James Bond – Church of Scientology – Request that the first floor slab, beams and supporting stemwalls, currently below the Base Flood Elevation to remain at 300 N Osceola Avenue. BELVEDERE APTS CO-OP APT 1 B The application stated that the first floor slab, beams, and supporting stemwalls in the structure at 300 N. Osceola are below BFE (Base Flood Elevation). The existing lowest living floor level is below the latest flood elevation and will be abandoned and opened up for exterior space. To renovate the building, the owners request that the original construction components remain. The building, otherwise, will be brought into compliance with current FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) flood zone requirements. Engineering analysis has determined that removing the first floor slab, beams, and supporting stemwalls would reduce lateral building stability. The engineering designers have determined that these structural elements could be retrofitted to resist additional loads imposed by wave force action and continue to meet the intent of FEMA requirements. In his January 29, 2009, letter to the board, Mohan Engineering, Inc. President George Mohan stated that his firm had completed a structural analysis of the subject building, located in a VE zone, to determine the feasibility of updating the structure to meet Florida Building Code Level II building alteration requirements. He recommended that the existing first floor slab, supporting beams, and stemwalls located below BFE be allowed to remain in place, where typically there is nothing allowed below the BFE other than structural piles or break-away walls. He said some break-away walls would be added from the first floor slab to the second floor slab. He said existing exterior stemwalls, approximately six-feet in height above grade at the west water side, would be reinforced to resist horizontal loads imposed by hydrostatic water pressure and dynamic wave forces. The engineer stated this enforcement would consist of retrofitting fill cells in the existing masonry wall and adding a horizontal concrete beam on the opposite side of the water. The load would be transferred to existing columns, which would be reinforced with buttresses supported by new piles. Mr. Mohan said this would provide for the greatest level of protection for the existing foundation system and overall stability of the structure. Building - Flood 2009-03-02 2 Mr. Mohan opined that these actions would meet the intent of FEMA guidelines, which is to allow for the natural flow of water and wave action, while allowing for the maximum safety of the existing structure. He said if the existing slab, beams, and stem walls below BFE were removed, the building would be less structurally stable. He said significant repairs to the structural elements also would be required; all columns from grade to the second floor would require repairs. He said existing pile caps within the crawl space below the first floor slab are above grade. He said if exterior stemwalls were removed and water allowed to flow into the crawl space, these pile caps would be susceptible to scour, significantly weakening the foundation system. Dawn Gunter and Paul Dziadosz of Gensler, the design architects, Van Wagner and George Mohan of Mohan Engineering, Inc., and Joe Burdette of The Consus Group, LLC represented the property owners for the request. Mr. Dziadosz said the structure, built in 1957, has seven stories and is in good condition. He said the first floor would be used only for building access; living units would be vacated. He said the new first living level floor would be above BFE. He said the site features a 26-foot slope from water to parking lot level. Ms. Gunter said the area by the retaining wall cannot be regraded due to its location in a VE15 zone. Mr. Wagner said more piles would be added to reinforce the walls. Leaving the concrete slab in place would act as a diaphragm and provide lateral capacity for resisting wave action. Mr. Mohan said there will be free flow for the water and nothing would hinder the flow of water over the access floor. Ms. Gunter said the design would help waves ramp upward. She explained that the hill varies from 3 foot 6 inches at the seawall to 26 feet above sea level at the top. She said the existing seawall would be reinforced and extended. The parking lot is at the higher elevation. Mr. Garriott said the proposed system is reasonable and seems to be thoroughly analyzed and solidly engineered. Until recently, the building was zoned A. The applicant proposes to add structural components to existing pilings. The first floor of a new building would be required to meet BFE requirements; fill could not be added. The seawall cannot be raised. Discussion ensued. Concern was expressed that waves could go around the building. Mr. Wagner said the design will not obstruct wave action but will reinforce the building and redirect water vertically, up the slope, not horizontally. The grade of the site extends 30 feet in depth. Mr. Mohan said the applicant owns the adjacent property. Mr. Garriott said except for very extreme cases, water would not wash around the building due to the site’s steep grade. The foundation would be fortified. Member Richter moved that the Building/Flood Board of Adjustment and Appeals approves the request and grants a variance to accept the structural modifications submitted to allow the first floor slab, beams, and stem walls below BFE to remain for structural reasons based on the submitted engineering analysis and design. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Building - Flood 2009-03-02 3 5 - Other Business: - None. 6 - Adiourn -, / eeting adjourned at 3:11 p.m. Building - Flood 2009-03-02 Ch B i ng/Flood Board of Adjustment & Appeals 4