Florida City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XII
Architectural Review Board
§ 119-46 Architectural Review Board.
A.
Findings and purpose. The Village Board hereby finds that excessive uniformity, dissimilarity, inappropriate or poor quality of design in the exterior appearance of buildings or other structures erected or altered can adversely affect the desirability of the immediate and neighboring areas and, by doing so, impair the benefits of occupancy of existing property in such areas, impair the stability in value of both improved and unimproved properties in such areas, prevent the most appropriate development and use of such areas. It is the purpose of this section to prevent these and other potentially harmful effects resulting from unattractive exterior appearance of buildings and other structures erected or altered and thus to promote the public health, safety and welfare, to conserve the value of buildings, to encourage the most appropriate use of land and to protect and improve the physical and visual appearance of the Village of Florida. It is further the purpose of this section is to preserve the village and historic yet rural character of Florida and to allow a variety of architectural styles and character while discouraging excessive dissimilarity, inappropriateness or poor quality of design in the exterior appearance of buildings erected or altered.
B.
Architectural review powers shall be granted to the Planning Board to be applied during the review of site plans and residential subdivisions. The proposed regulations shall read as follows:
(1)
Composition. The Planning Board of the Village of Florida shall act as the Architectural Review Board (ARB) for the purpose of this chapter.
(2)
Responsibility. The ARB shall review and approve the following:
(a)
Every development proposal involving construction of five or more dwelling units.
(b)
All subdivisions in excess of five lots where housing designs were unknown and not reviewed by the ARB during the subdivision approval process shall be referred to the ARB by the Code Enforcement Officer prior to the issuance of a building permit.
(c)
Any construction, alterations, repairs or additions that require a building permit within the RO, CS, GC, and IP zoning districts.
(d)
Sign permit for the RO, CS, and GC zoning districts.
(e)
Any construction, alterations, repairs or additions that would affect the character of a neighborhood as determined by the Code Enforcement Officer or is a state or national registered structure, building, or historic district.
(f)
Every application requiring site plan review by the Planning Board.
(g)
Demolition of any building.
(3)
Advisory consultants; responsibilities. The Planning Board is hereby authorized and empowered to retain an architect, landscape architect, or other such expert as it deems desirable or necessary to advise on specific applications. The Board shall restrict its considerations to a reasonable and professional review of the proposal and plans, leaving full responsibility for the design and development to the applicant. The Board shall not design or assist in the design of any buildings or structures submitted for recommendations.
(4)
Applications. Applications for review by the ARB shall be made concurrent with application for final subdivision or site plan approval, as the case may be, and prior to the issuance of a building permit. Said application shall meet the requirements of § 119-41 of this chapter and shall further provide:
(a)
The name and address of the applicant.
(b)
Any plan submitted to the Planning Board in connection with the application.
(c)
Architectural data, including plans and elevations, full narrative description of materials, samples, color swatches of all exterior materials, including roofing, trim, siding, windows, doors, lighting fixtures, sidewalk and paving materials to be used; gross building area; height, width and depth. Building permits, renderings, elevations or other information applicable to existing on-site or adjacent buildings, if applicable.
(d)
Three-dimensional sketch or rendering illustrating significant aspects of construction and exterior design, when deemed necessary and requested by the Planning Board, at a scale deemed appropriate for review by same.
(e)
Topographic or any other pertinent data as may be required by the architectural review board.
(5)
Time frame and decision. All timeframes for a decision shall run concurrent with the decision timeframes for any site plan, subdivision or special use permit. The Planning Board may approve; conditionally approve subject to specific modifications; or disapprove any application, where the Board finds that the building for which the permit is applied would, if erected, be detrimental to the desirability, property values or development of the surrounding area or region as to provoke one or more of the harmful effects set forth in subsection A above.
(6)
Standards. In reviewing the plan, the Board shall give consideration to:
(a)
The architectural value and significance of the structure and its relationship to the surrounding area.
(b)
The general appropriateness of the exterior design, arrangement, texture and materials proposed to be used.
(c)
Where new construction, alterations, repairs or additions are undertaken, they shall be consistent with the architectural style of existing buildings or the architectural style of the surrounding area, if deemed appropriate by the Planning Board. The Planning Board shall specifically consider whether on-site or adjacent buildings are historic, and whether the above shall be consistent with same.
(d)
Excessive dissimilarity or inappropriateness in relation to any other structure, existing or for which a permit has been issued, in respect to one or more of the following features: cubical content, gross floor area, building area or height of roof or other significant design features, such as materials or style of architectural design.
(e)
Excessive similarity to any other structure existing, or for which a permit has been issued, in respect to one or more of the following features of exterior design and appearance: apparently identical front, side or other elevations visible from the street, substantially identical size and arrangement of either doors, windows, porticoes or other openings or breaks in the elevation facing the street, including reverse arrangement; or other significant identical features of design, such as, but not limited to, material, roof line, height or other design elements.
(f)
New structures should be constructed to a height visually compatible with the buildings and environment to which they are visually related.
(g)
The gross volume of any new structure should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment to which it is visually related.
(h)
In the elevations of a building, the proportion between the width and height in the facades should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment to which they are visually related.
(i)
The proportions and relationships between doors and windows in the facades should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment to which they are visually related.
(j)
The rhythm of solids to voids, created by window, door and other openings in the facade, should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment to which it is visually related.
(k)
The existing rhythm created by existing building masses and spaces between them should be preserved, insofar as practicable.
(l)
The materials and texture used in the facades should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment to which they are visually related.
(m)
The design of the roof should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment to which it is visually related.
(n)
The landscape plan should be sensitive to the individual building and to its occupants and their needs. Further, the landscape treatment should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment to which it is visually related.
(o)
Architectural details should be incorporated as necessary to relate the new with the old and to preserve and enhance the inherent characteristics of the area.
(p)
The setback of the buildings from the street or property line and the other yard setbacks should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment to which they are visually related.
(7)
Design guidelines. The Planning Board, in furtherance of the requirements of the purposes of this section, shall be empowered to enact and adopt by resolution and amend, modify or supplement written rules and regulations constituting specific criteria for consideration under its architectural review powers herein granted.
(8)
Substantial change of approved plans. Any substantial change in siting or in the exterior appearance of any approved project may be subject to review and reconsideration by the Planning Board at the discretion of the appropriate referring agency or the Planning Board.
(9)
Within the CS and RO District along Main Street, the existing, predominantly Victorian era architecture shall be retained, and all new or remodeled structures shall be designed to maintain the character and appearance of the era in which most of these buildings were erected.