An ordinance relating to temporary construction parking and maintenance standards on Key Biscayne unanimously passed on first reading at last week’s Village Council meeting, but not without plenty of discussion and a hold to ask industry experts how their vehicles should be regulated.
This ordinance stems from construction vehicles parking in the streets or even on the swales for a temporary time.
“Right now, we require a pre-construction meeting,” Building, Zoning and Planning Director Jeremy Calleros Gauger said.
That means putting gravel on swales to alleviate damage as they park and keeping the trucks from parking on the street.
“What we are proposing is to extend (this) to adjacent properties, two vehicles per adjacent property,” Calleros Gauger said, regarding homes that are significantly undergoing renovation or rebuilding, in most cases.
Construction companies in the Village also are held accountable for damages to the primary residence, but as of now, not to the adjacent properties. “Now we do,” with this regulation, he said.
Councilmember Michael Bracken said the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park has provided off-site parking in the past for such vehicles.
“I see this as a huge burden on the neighbor … and regulating it and post-restoration … sounds like a nightmare,” he said. “(If the off-site parking and transportation) adds $20,000 to the cost of a new house, so (let) it be.”
Vice Mayor Oscar Sardiñas said the Village is a little more complex than other municipalities because of the small residential streets. He did note that some trucks would need to park closely since their supplies are in there.
Bracken asked for a deferral (before the first reading as amended passed) and would prefer to ask officials at Interscope Construction or other industry experts how they would want the truck regulations to be handled in a fair manner.
“I want to take the burden off the neighbors,” he said.
Councilmember Frank Caplan, however, said, “The existing conditions are what they are. I don’t see any way to avoid the burden on the neighbors, we’re in a dense community, neighbors have a right to build, and there is spillover.”
Councilmember Nancy Stoner said she would like to see a procedure in place to get an agreement from the neighbor(s) to make sure their property has been properly restored.
Village Manager Steve Williamson said, “It’s one of the issues we have (with the much smaller areas and swales) … remember, this is a public right-of-way, so it’s not (technically) on their property. Just wanted to be clear.”