A building permit requested by the owner of the AMI Plaza may not come easy.
Mike Hynds, manager of the Murphy Property Group that owns the plaza, submitted an application to the Holmes Beach building department in September 2015 to extend the one-story building to a second-floor and add three residential units.
The application, under review by building official Jim McGuinness, has since been amended. A final application was delivered Jan. 5 to city officials.
According to a March 29 report from city planner Bill Brisson, the biggest obstacle to the project is the increased parking needs for the residential units.
According to city code, off-street parking spaces are required for the units. If the units are residential, three parking spaces are needed, one for each unit. If the units are utilized as resort housing, more parking spaces — one per bedroom — are required.
The site plan indicates three parking spaces on the east side of the building for use by the three units that extend into the right of way on Gulf Drive. Because the spaces are nonconforming — extending into the right of way — they don’t meet the city off-street parking requirement.
The code also requires locating the parking spaces on the same lot or parcel as the units, meaning Hynds would need to locate parking spaces on the property that are not already dedicated to the existing commercial businesses.
The parking issue and proposed construction will go before commissioners for discussion at a workshop.
Also a question for commissioners is whether the restaurant at AMI Plaza, Lobstahs Restaurant, 5337 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, is grandfathered based on parking requirements in effect when the restaurant was licensed in 2010.
City requirements in 2010 mandated one parking space per five restaurant seats. The current requirement is one parking space per three restaurant seats, a reduction in on-site parking, and could free up parking for the proposed residential units.
While the mixed-use overlay zoning district for the plaza allows for both residential and vacation rentals of less than one month, Hynds also will have to disclose the size and use of the units before the application can be approved.
Commissioners will next meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach.