Commission approves lot‑width waiver for 504 NW 8th Ave after contested public hearing

The City Commission on April 7 approved a lot‑width waiver that will allow a petitioner to plat a single lot at 504 Northwest 8th Avenue despite the parcel not meeting the R1A minimum lot‑width standard.

Attorney Christopher Bernardo, speaking for the petitioner, said the parcel is a long‑standing leftover/unplatted remnant created when earlier road and subdivision work left the lot without a recorded lot of record. He told commissioners his client had undertaken neighborhood outreach and supplied more than 30 letters of support. "We're remedying his access problem. We're giving him an easement to the road," Bernardo said, explaining that the plat also secures vehicular access for the adjacent property at 508 NW 8th Ave.

Neighbors opposed the waiver in person at the hearing. Francine Isaac, who lives nearby, said the petition was "flawed" and warned of drainage and precedent concerns: "We feel the variance is not a minor deviation," she told the commission. Other residents said the parcel had been maintained by neighbors for decades and urged the city to consider turning the space over to the Delray Lakes association instead of allowing a lot split.

City planning and engineering staff reviewed the parcel’s history and zoning constraints and said the proposed lot would be physically consistent with nearby lots in depth and area even if it does not meet the R1A minimum width standard; staff recommended conditioned approval. Staff also noted that any new house would be required to meet current drainage and building‑code standards.

After testimony, the commission voted to approve the waiver and directed that the resulting development follow Lake Ida overlay design standards to ensure the house, if built, conforms to neighborhood design expectations. The clerk recorded a unanimous roll‑call vote in favor of the resolution (Deputy Vice Mayor Mark, Commissioner Malikica, Commissioner Cassell, Vice Mayor Burns, Mayor Carney each voted yes). The decision resolves a long‑running title/access problem for the property, but some neighbors said they will continue monitoring construction and drainage implications.

The plat will be processed administratively following the commission’s waiver decision; the commission did not approve specific building plans.