Ordinance No 8157-10 CDB Staff ReportFINAL1
CDB Meeting Date: April 20, 2010
Case Number: Amendments to Beach by Design
Ordinance No.: 8157-10
Agenda Item: E.1.
CITY OF CLEARWATER
PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
REQUEST: Amendments to Beach by Design: A Preliminary Design for Clearwater
Beach and Design Guidelines
INITIATED BY: City of Clearwater Planning & Development Department
BACKGROUND:
In 2001, the City adopted Beach by Design: A Preliminary Design for Clearwater Beach and
Design Guidelines. This special area plan sets forth a series of revitalization strategies for
Clearwater Beach and established character districts to regulate land use, location of uses and,
generally, the scale of development.
In 2008, the City of Clearwater established the Hotel Density Reserve in Beach by Design to
incentivize hotel development on Clearwater Beach. Later in October 2009, the City Council
expressed concerns about the probable use of the Hotel Density Reserve by properties along
Coronado Drive and the potential to create a canyon effect. Council requested the Planning and
Development Department staff to study the potential hotel development along Coronado Drive to
determine if design standards should be revised to create view corridors and minimize building
bulk and massing.
Staff prepared the study, which included a design exercise for four sites of various size,
configuration and location along Coronado Drive. The study recommendations called for
building stepbacks for future development along Coronado Drive to reduce building massing. It
also showed that meaningful view corridors could not be created along Coronado Drive since
few parcels are laid out in a rectangular pattern. Rather, parcels tend to be L-shaped such that
buildings would not likely be sited in a parallel manner so as to allow view corridors between
buildings.
Based on the study conclusions, Council directed staff to develop design standards for building
stepbacks along Coronado Drive.
ANALYSIS:
The proposal amends Beach by Design Section VII, Design Guidelines; Subsection D. Setbacks
to provide building stepbacks along Coronado Drive. Unlike the other streets running parallel to
Coronado Drive, development occurs along both sides of this street. Amongst the previous
developments along Coronado Drive the criteria of stepbacks was not considered. This has
Community Development Board – April 20, 2010
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resulted in buildings with a larger mass having been constructed close to the street. These
proposed stepbacks will help reduce the building mass along this street and will make for a
pedestrian friendly scale.
The proposed amendment establishes a required building stepback with a minimum depth of
fifteen feet at a height of not more than twenty-five feet, when the maximum front setback is
provided as required by the Community Development Code. Flexibility in this setback is
discouraged but if flexibility is requested, it will result in changing the measurements for these
stepbacks. As the building gets closer to the street, the maximum height at which the stepback is
provided is reduced and the stepback is increased. To avoid the monotonous streetscape,
additional stepbacks may be required. The configuration of these stepbacks is required to be
different from its neighboring buildings, including those across a right-of-way. Also to add
variety in the streetscape, the stepbacks shall span in a range of 75% to 100% of the façade
width.
Attached with this staff report is the proposed Ordinance No. 8157-10, which amends Beach by
Design as per the above. Within the ordinance, text that is underlined indicates proposed
language and text containing strikethroughs indicate deletions.
CONSISTENCY WITH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:
Community Development Code (CDC) Section 4-601 sets forth the procedures and criteria for
reviewing text amendments. All text amendments must comply with the following:
The purpose of Beach by Design: A Preliminary Design for Clearwater Beach is to guide
redevelopment activities within the Clearwater Beach Community Redevelopment District. One
major strategy included in the Plan is the redevelopment along Gulfview Boulevard and
Coronado Drive. The proposed amendments to Beach by Design do not change the focus of this
Plan. While the amendments recognize changed conditions, they maintain consistency with the
City’s long range planning policies for Clearwater Beach as specified in the Clearwater
Comprehensive Plan and as enumerated below.
1.The proposed amendment is consistent with and furthers the goals, policies and objectives of
the Comprehensive Plan.
Below is a selected list of goals, objectives and policies from the Clearwater Comprehensive
Plan that are furthered by the proposed amendments to Beach by Design:
Goal A.6 The City of Clearwater shall utilize innovative and flexible planning and
engineering practices, and urban design standards in order to protect historic
resources, ensure neighborhood preservation, redevelop blighted areas, and
encourage infill development.
Objective A.6.1 The redevelopment of blighted, substandard, inefficient and/or obsolete
areas shall be a high priority and promoted through the implementation of
redevelopment and special area plans, the construction of catalytic private
projects, city investment, and continued emphasis on property maintenance
standards.
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Objective A.6.6 Tourism is a substantial element of the City’s economic base and as such
the City shall continue to support the maintenance and enhancement of this
important economic sector.
Policy A.6.6.1 The City supports and encourages the continued development and
redevelopment of overnight accommodation uses.
Establishing stepback criteria would improve the streetscape along Coronado Drive by reducing
the building mass and creating architectural variety and façade articulation. This is an
implementation of a good urban design practice. This will ensure an attractive environment and
visual appeal to citizens and tourists and make the corridor pedestrian friendly.
2.The proposed amendment furthers the purposes of the Community Development Code and
other City ordinances and actions designed to implement the Plan.
The proposed amendment to Beach by Design will further the purposes of the Community
Development Code in that it will be consistent with the following purposes set forth in CDC
Section 1-103:
Allowing property owners to enhance the value of their property through innovative and
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creative redevelopment (CDC Section 1-103.B.1).
Ensuring that development and redevelopment will not have a negative impact on the
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value of surrounding properties and wherever practicable promoting development and
redevelopment which will enhance the value of surrounding properties (CDC Section 1-
103.B.2).
Provide for adequate light, air and privacy; secure safety from fire, flood and other
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damage; prevent overcrowding of the land and undue congestion of population; and
improve the quality of life for the citizens of the city (CDC Section 1-103.E1).
Provide for open spaces through efficient project design and layout that addresses
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appropriate relationships between buildings on the project site and adjoining properties,
including public rights-of-way and other public places (CDC Section 1-103.E6).
The stepback criteria will be a part of innovative and creative architecture of the buildings along
Coronado Drive. The stepbacks will provide open spaces at different levels in the buildings and
will avoid the street from being cloister phobic from the street environment point of view.
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION:
The proposed amendment to Beach by Design: A Preliminary Design for Clearwater Beach and
Design Guidelines is consistent with and furthers the goals of the Clearwater Comprehensive
Plan and the purposes of the Community Development Code. Further, the proposed amendment
will assist in improving the streetscape and reducing the massing along Coronado Drive. The
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APPROVAL
Planning & Development Department recommends of Ordinance No. 8157-10 that
amends Beach by Design: A Preliminary Design for Clearwater Beach and Design Guidelines.
Prepared by Planning & Development Department Staff: _____________________________
Priyanka Thatte, Urban Designer
ATTACHMENT:
?Ordinance No. 8157-10
Community Development Board – April 20, 2010
Beach by Design
Amendments to – Page 4