John’s Island Club got the go-ahead last week from the Indian River Shores Town Council to build a parking garage with special exceptions for building height and setbacks that will give the club an additional 160 parking spaces. Only one town resident spoke in opposition, saying the planned three-story structure was too big.
Members of the town’s zoning board had voted the project down 2-1, denying the club’s request for variances and throwing the decision to the four present members of the council. The council’s fifth member, John’s Island resident James Altieri, was recuperating after back surgery.
In between the zoning board and council meetings, engineers for the club performed a site study to show that the 28,000-square-foot parking garage would not be visible to passers-by outside the community gates.
That information, combined with the fact that there are already buildings higher than 40 feet tall inside John’s Island, seemed to satisfy council members’ concerns. The smaller-than-usual setbacks only abut private roads within the community or other club facilities, not residential lots.
A letter from John’s Island explained that the club needs the parking garage due to growth, with more employees and members driving to the club to use facilities and attend events with multiple generations of their families. That increase in traffic has sometimes forced employees to park far from their workplaces.
Engineer of record Blaine Bergstresser of KMA Engineering in Port St. Lucie presented the plan on behalf of John’s Island Club.
The proposed garage location is “just south of the main entrance into the club,” he said. “You have the clubhouse right there, to the northwest, and then the existing maintenance buildings for the golf course right to the south.”
“The main reason we’re here is we’re requesting a variance from 30 feet to 31.5 feet,” Bergstresser told the council. The decorative corners of the building rise to 38 feet but the town code reads that the point of measurement is the walls of a building, which in the case of the garage are a maximum of 31 feet, 6 inches.
Instead of the standard 25-foot setbacks, which would not be possible on the irregular-shaped parcel now used as a parking lot, the garage will have setbacks ranging from 6 to 18 inches.
“Where the parking garage is going, the only neighbors we have are the golf course to the west, which is the same owner, and then to the east is actually the private right of way for a road that is owned by the POA, which has submitted a letter of support for this project,” Bergstresser said.
The nearest homeowners to the building site were notified and did not object, he said.
After staff members said the applicant had met all the requirements, Mayor Brian Foley said that, while he respected the decision of the three members of the Planning Zoning and Variance Board, the council had new information to go on.
Foley outlined the elements necessary to approve the variances – that the problem requiring a solution was not self-made, that the building is unique to the property, and that compliance with town code as written would present a hardship – and said, in his opinion, the parking garage met all three.
Foley said he initially had concerns about the project, but after conducting an onsite visit, doing a drive-by on A1A to confirm the building would be hidden, and examining the engineer’s plans, he would not block the project.
“In full disclosure, I’m not a member of John’s Island, but I’m lucky to attend some events there when invited. And you know, I’ve seen the problem personally with my own eyes,” Foley added.
Councilman Sam Carroll concurred. “I’ve been a member of John’s Island for 30 years. I appreciate greatly the need for the parking garage,” he said.
Councilman Peter Tedesko asked if granting the variances would create a precedent and Foley said no, explaining that variances are weighed and granted on a case-by-case basis.
Vice Mayor Bob Auwaerter said his questions and concerns were addressed by Foley’s explanation, and the variances were approved 4-0.
