§ 70-299. Results of single-family development survey.

(a)

1994 Architectural Style Survey. Based on district neighborhood characteristics, five design districts were established: Gulf Stream Core, Ocean West, Beachfront, North/South, and Place au Soleil. These districts were carefully inventoried to establish a factual basis for development regulations and guidelines appropriate to their existing character. The district characteristics noted in this section were compiled in the following manner:

(1)

Lot Size. Existing subdivision plats were reviewed and the lot size of all existing lots was calculated by Urban Design Studio.

(2)

Building Size and Number of Stories. R.E.D.I. Map microfiche files were reviewed and the number of stories of all homes and total floor area (available for 60 percent) were recorded by design district.

(3)

Architectural Style. A field review and style determination of all existing single-family homes was conducted during June 1994.

(4)

Floor Area Ratio (FAR). Based on the data collected above, Urban Design Studio calculated existing FARs for each district. Although FARs for all lots were not calculated due to data availability, data for a minimum of 50 percent of the lots in each district was available.

(5)

Lot Coverage. Lot coverage is calculated based on the first floor area of a building only. Because R.E.D.I. Map data does not identify the first floor area of two-story buildings, only one-story buildings were used in the analysis. It could easily be assumed, however, that while two-story buildings may have a greater total floor area, the first floor lot coverage of two-story buildings would typically be equal to or less than that of one-story buildings.

(b)

1997 Architectural Style Survey.

(1)

The architectural survey conducted in 1994 was based on historical sites surveys, records from the Florida Master Site File, field investigations, and a comprehensive geographic windshield survey of all existing homes in the town. This initial research and documentation provided the necessary foundation to develop and implement the original Gulf Stream Design Manual. Since the initial adoption of the Gulf Stream Design Manual in 1995, careful consideration and evaluation have been given to this regulating document. A running list of issues needing further clarification or additional details was complied by staff and is addressed in this chapter, a revised edition of the manual.

(2)

Given the additional amount of architectural detail and complexity of plans being submitted, the architectural review and planning board requested a more in depth architectural survey conducted in early 1997. A thematic architectural survey was conducted and recorded for both Spanish-Mediterranean and Gulf Stream-Bermuda style houses. These particular styles are considered predominant and preferred within the town and receive specific design consideration in this chapter. The methodology of conducting this survey was logical and consisted of four important steps:

a.

The historic literature and the previous architectural survey were re-examined to identify potential candidates for inclusion into the Spanish-Mediterranean or the Gulf Stream-Bermuda categories.

b.

The Gulf Stream Design Manual (especially article VII) was used to further define those styles of architecture and place a hierarchy on design elements. Each style was evaluated independently. This was an important step to insure that major defining elements counted more than minor ones and a fair evaluation of the overall style could be determined. Based on the categories established in article VII, Predominant Architectural Styles, a point system of 100 was assigned to each style that evaluated all the characteristic elements. In turn, this ultimately determined, if a particular house was classified under one of the two styles or not.

c.

Field investigation and photo documentation were conducted and recorded. After all properties were evaluated and tabulated, a cut off point was established for each architectural style. Spanish Mediterranean style homes receiving 60 points or above or Gulf Stream-Bermuda style homes receiving 70 points or above, were classified as their respective style. The variation of the cut off point is primarily due to the number and weight of major character defining elements associated with each style. Because this analysis dealt with specific parameters as set forth in article VII, the number of houses classified decreased in both catagories.

d.

A composite map was produced illustrating Spanish Mediterranean, Gulf Stream-Bermuda, and other styles of architecture for immediate identification and application of design standards as outlined in this chapter. This map appears at the beginning of article VII.

(Ord. No. 00-1, § 26, 3-10-00)

DISTRICT CHARACTERISTICS STATISTICAL SUMMARY

	Design Districts
	Gulf Stream Core	Ocean West	Beachfront	Fringe	Place Au Soleil
Total Lots	123	28	42	36	95
Typical Lot Size	16,500	40,000+	varies	20-40,000	13-15,000
Typical Building Size	3,500	4,000-6,500	varies	4,000-6,000	3,000
Typical Number of Stories	1 (84%)	1 (53%)	2 (63%)	1 (66%)	1 (84%)
Predominant Architecture	Gulf Stream-Bermuda	Gulf Stream-Bermuda	Mediterranean Revival	Diverse	Gulf Stream-Bermuda
FLOOR AREA RATIO (FAR)
Typical Existing FARs	0-.10     0% .11-.20     46% .21-.30     43% .31 +     10% (63 of 123lots surveyed)	0-.10     77% .11-.20     18% .21-.30     4% .31 +     0% (22 of 28 lots surveyed)	0-.10     26% .11-.20     48% .21-.30     15% .31 +     11% (27 of 42 lots surveyed)	0-.10     22% .11-.20     39% .21-.30     33% .31 +     6% (18 of 36lots surveyed)	0-.10     0% .11-.20     22% .21-.30     60% .31 +     17% (63 of 95 lots surveyed)
LOT COVERAGE
Typical 1 story Lot Coverage (percentage)	0-25     75% 25-30     17% 30 +     8% (72 of 123 lots surveyed)	0-25     100% (14 of 28 lots surveyed)	0-25     90% 25-30     10% (10 of 42 lots surveyed)	0-25     82% 25-30     12% 30 +     6% (17 of 36 lots surveyed)	0-25     66% 25-30     21% 30 +     12% (57 of 95 lots surveyed)