Board/Committee Agenda Item

MEETING DATE:  7/11/2017

SUBJECT:  Certificate of Appropriateness: A request by Allen and Rebecca Bates, applicants and property owners, for construction of a new single-family residence on a vacant parcel, located at 14285 NW 148th Place. Tax Parcel No. 03640-000-000 (Quasi-Judicial Hearing)

PREPARED BY:  Chelsea Bakaitis, CRA Coordinator

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Staff recommends that the Planning & Zoning Board approve the Certificate of Appropriateness upon making the following motion:

Based upon the competent substantial evidence presented at this hearing, the presentation before this Board, and Staff's recommendation, this Board finds the application to be consistent with the City of Alachua Comprehensive Plan and in compliance with the Land Development Regulations and approves the application for a Certificate of Appropriateness.

Summary

This application is a request by Allen and Rebecca Bates, applicant and property owner for the approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness for the construction of a new single-family residence.

Section 3.7.2(A) of the City’s Land Development Regulations (LDRs) establishes the standards for the Historic Overlay District. The general purposes of the Historic Overlay District are as follows:

•  to protect the beauty of the City and improve the quality of its environment through identification, recognition, conservation, maintenance, and enhancement of the City’s historic and architectural resources;
• to protect designated land and buildings or structures having historic and architectural significance;
• to stabilize and improve property values;
• to foster civic pride; and,
• to encourage redevelopment in the City’s downtown.

Section 3.7.2(A)(2)(a) of the LDRs establishes the City of Alachua Downtown Historic District, which includes all lots within an area bounded by NW 145th Avenue, NW 145th Terrace, NW 148th Place, and NW 138th Terrace.

Section 3.7.2(A)(5) of the LDRs states, “[o]nce land, buildings, or structures are classified within an Historic Overlay District, no demolition, new construction, addition, or alteration of exterior architectural features shall occur within the district without the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness in accordance with Section 2.4.6, Certificate of Appropriateness.”

The subject property is ±0.48 acres in area, and is located at 14285 NW 148^th Place, two blocks south of the City of Alachua Municipal Complex and Downtown Park, and two blocks west of Main Street. The lot is currently undeveloped.

As part of the application package, the applicant has submitted pictures of the existing lot. The applicant has provided construction drawings and specifications of the proposed structure, as well as a site plan depicting the proposed location of the structure on the property. Pictures have also been submitted of the structures on nearby properties to demonstrate that the proposed building is consistent with the character of nearby structures.