The Bradenton Beach Planning and Zoning Board plans to recommend changes that would limit the size of new homes in relation to the size of the lot and encourage bungalow-style architecture in the R-1 and R-2 residential districts.
The board has been meeting weekly to revise the land development code and comprehensive plan to enhance the aesthetic character of the city and limit the construction of large homes.
During a Dec. 21 meeting, board members unanimously agreed to recommend to the city commission that the maximum lot size could not exceed 5,000 square feet, instead of the current 7,500 square feet maximum.
However, existing properties exceeding 5,000 square feet would be grandfathered under the new code.
Under the proposed changes, lots could be combined but the buildable size would be constrained to a maximum 5,000 square feet.
At a Dec. 28 meeting, P&Z Chair John Burns said if someone bought three lots and built three four-bedroom homes — one per lot — the population density would be higher than if that person built one large home.
City planner Allan Garrett agreed, but said the proposed recommendation is an incentive to build smaller houses in keeping with the city’s vision, not to decrease population density.
The board also agreed to recommend to the commission that a structure cannot exceed 40 percent of the property’s total square footage.
On a 5,000-square-foot lot, this would allow for a 2,000-square-foot house. Additional, non-climate-controlled spaces, including porches and lanais, would not be included in the habitable living area.
“If this goes through, you can build as large of a home as you could prior to the code change, but you will have less air-conditioned space,” Garrett said during the Dec. 28 meeting. “They may still be short-term rentals, but with more porches and more setbacks, they will look better in the community.”
Burns said according to the National Association of Homebuilders, the average single-family home contains 2,700 square feet of habitable space.
During public comment, former Commissioner Jan Vosburgh said most lots in Bradenton Beach are small and don’t allow for a house that size.
At the Dec. 21 meeting, the board discussed limiting the size of the second level of living space in a new structure to create more architectural variation.
“If we are trying to make the architecture look more like cottages, the way to do that is to not put a box on top of a box,” P&Z member Reed Mapes said.
At the Dec. 28 meeting, P&Z member John Metz said he thinks once people start seeing new cottage-style houses being constructed, “they will embrace the aesthetic.”
Garrett said the height restrictions on buildings on Anna Maria Island raised its desirability, “because we are different from places like Siesta Key that have big condos.”
P&Z member Patty Shay said, “People who live here are going to like it, it’s the developers that are going to rumble and grumble.”
Garrett responded to Shay, saying when a similar restriction was passed in Anna Maria, residents and developers embraced the change.
P&Z member Jim Lynch said he agreed with Metz and Shay, but he is concerned with the number of building permits filed for large homes that will likely become vacation rentals. “Is this really what is happening?” Lynch asked Garrett. “Do people just want more bang for their buck?”
Garrett responded, saying there is about a 50 percent split between large vacation houses and smaller single-family homes being built in Bradenton Beach.
“Fifty percent is a lot on a small island — that’s scary,” Shay said. “That’s why this is so important.”
“The question is: do we want a family island or a rental island? That’s what all of this gets boiled down to,” Mapes said.
At the Dec. 28 meeting, the board reached a consensus to recommend to the city commission that the maximum living area of a structure be limited to 40 percent of the lot size, and the second level of living area cannot exceed 60 percent of the first living level. Additionally, the maximum habitable area cannot exceed 2,000 square feet on any lot, no matter the size.
The recommendation passed 4-1, with Burns voting no.
The board also continued discussion on the definitions of floor-area ratio and habitable-area ratio and agreed that Garrett should draft an outline of proposed changes for review by the P&Z.
The next P&Z meeting will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, at Bradenton Beach City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.
BB commission sets workshops
Bradenton Beach commissioners will hold a series of workshops on the planning and zoning board’s recommendations for a proposed transient public lodging establishment ordinance.
The ordinance would replace the quality-of-life ordinance and would allow “transient use of residential property” — similar to vacation-rental ordinances in Anna Maria and Holmes Beach — upon issuance of a license from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, a city business tax receipt and a yet-to-be-enacted city TPLE license.
The QOL ordinance restricts the number of people who can stay overnight in a rental — two guests per bedroom plus two people — but it lacks the ability for police to enforce occupancy. It was adopted but not put into effect.
The first city commission TPLE workshop will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, at Bradenton Beach City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.
— ChrisAnn Silver Esformes