by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
At its March 4 meeting, the Sanibel Planning Commission, after much discussion, voted unanimously to instruct Planning Department staff to come back to the Commission’s next meeting on March 25 with a draft resolution with language that will provide an additional exception to height limitations for resiliency and for parking under a principal structure to allow the height of the lowest habitable floor, up to a height of 10 feet above existing grade and exceed the height limitations established by code proportionally without deviation or variance approval.
At its March 25 meeting, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to pass such a resolution to send to City Council to codify an exception to height standards for resiliency from future storm surge up to a height of 10 feet above existing grade that would not require a variance application.
This standard would be administered in the review of a short-form development permit application, providing notice to adjacent property owners, as with any application for new construction or expansion/addition to an existing structure.