FIle Ref. #201
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FROM THE DESK OF
JAN ET GA V ARRETE
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
June 2, 2')00
To: Cathy Colonese
Robert Parcher
Jorge Gomez
Christina Cuervo
This item is important as it sets forth the city's
acceptance of raising the finish floor elevation for
SSDI based on expense and liability/risk i~ relation
to the parking for the Marina. Please be sure to
keep as part of SSDI Concept Plan approval.
C: Murray Dubbin
West Side Partners, Ltd.
404 Washington Avenue, Suite 120
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
305 532 2519
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Via Hand Delivery
December 2, 1999
Mr. Sergio Rodriguez
City Manager
City of Miami Beach,
1700 Convention Center Drive, 4th Floor
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
Re: SSDI North - Concept Plan
Dear Mr. Rodriguez:
This letter, with your signed acknowledgement, shall serve to document a non-
substantial change to the 1998 Concept Plan which was approved by the City
Commission on September 23, 1998.
On the 23rd day of September, 1998, the City Commission considered approval of
the Portofino "Concept Plan" for the parcels commonly known as SSDI North and SSDI
South. During negotiations regarding the "Concept Plan", one design suggestion made
by staff and outside consultants indicated a preference for the two buildings to be located
on the SSDI North site to be separated by a significant view corridor or spacing between
the buildings. This separation would prevent the "wall effect" of both the towers and the
parking structure that was required for the amount of square footage to be located on the
parcel, as well as separating the towers themselves.
The Porto fino consultants final "Concept Plan" provided for an approximate 200'
separation between the towers to be located on the site. In addition, the staff suggested,
and the final "Concept Plan" showed, that the parking structure would be lowered below
street level to a level of +2 NGVD, while the sidewalk itself was a approximately +5
NGVD elevation. This design would have allowed a better street level separation
between the two elements of the parking garages that will serve the towers on the site.
However, this configuration would have still had a driveway access in the separation
between the two towers that would start at the street/sidewalk and slope upwards, toward
the Bay, until it reached an elevation of approximately + 11. Thus, from street level, the
pedestrian ground level view from approximately 4th Street, would have been partially
obscured by the driveway entrance into the site as it elevated towards the Bay.
Mr. Sergio Rodriguez
Page Two
December 2, 1999
At the time the "Concept Plan" presentation to the Design Review Board and the
City Commission, Portofino's representative indicated that the parking garage design
presented was dependent on the approval of the City's Building Department or Building
Official, since the lowered elevation of the garage might not be in compliance with
certain provisions of Federal Emergency Management Agency regulations governing
excavations of parking garages below grade. Thus, Portofino clearly indicated that
without a favorable interpretation by the City's building official, the proposed design
would not be feasible and that the plans would have to be modified to raise the parking
garage back up to grade level.
Since the time of the approval of the "Concept Plan", Porto fino and the staff have
worked with the Building Official to attempt to technically design the garage in such a
way that the FEMA guidelines could be met with the below grade garage. However, the
Building Official has indicated that the proposed design cannot be accomplished and still
be in compliance with the applicable FEMA regulations without dry floodproofing the
entire garage. Moreover, since the ground floor of the garage structure is to be used for
marina parking, the Building Official was concerned about flooding if the garage was
located below grade. According to the Building Official, the non-compliance with FEMA
standards could have posed a problem in obtaining proper insurance and could have been
an additional liability for the City.
As a result, the Planning Director has reviewed revised plans that raises the
parking garage up to grade level, while still allowing a visual separation of the parking
garage. Effectively, the garage now rises from sidewalk gradually toward the bay and
reaches a maximum height of + 14 at the highest point of the driveway, compared to the
+ 11 elevation shown on the originally approved "Concept Plan". Revised elevation and
sight line studies that indicates that the modified "Concept Plan" does not constitute a
substantial modification to the approved "Concept Plan" and, therefore, may be
administratively approved by staff.
Also, the Marina Operator has confirmed that this change is acceptable to him and
had in fact expressed concern about the previous design and its potential drainage and
liability problems.
To complete the documentation and acceptance of this non-substantial change by
the City and Redevelopment Agency, please sign three (3) originals of this document and
Mr. Sergio Rodriguez
Page Three
December 2, 1999
return two to me. I will forward one original to the Design Review Board so it will be on
file for the property/project and keep one for my files. If you should have any questions,
please contact me at my office 305 532 2519.
Sincerely,
By:
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Agreed and Accepted this /Pj day of December, 1999.
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cc: Murray Dubbin, Esq., City Attorney
Robert Parcher, City Clerk
Christina Cuervo, Assistant City Manager
Janet Gavarrete, Assistant City Manager
Jorge Gomez, Planning Director
Philip Azan, Building Director
Julio Grave de Peralta, Public Works Director