Board approves 6-foot masonry wall at 425 Atlantic Boulevard citing surrounding conditions

The Atlantic Beach Local Planning Board approved a variance to allow a 6-foot masonry wall along Atlantic Boulevard at 425 Atlantic Boulevard, the Hotel Palms site.

Peyton Jameson, City of Atlantic Beach principal planner and environmental coordinator, presented ZVAR 26425 and said the site lies on Atlantic Boulevard, an FDOT-classified "urban general" arterial with heavy pedestrian and vehicle use. Jameson showed a street view of the existing 4-foot fence and a rendering of the proposed 6-foot masonry wall and explained that no permit had been submitted because the variance was required first.

Chair disclosed an ex parte contact with the property owner and said the substance of the contact was disclosed to the record. Neighbor Melinda LaRose (399 Ahern), who said she had stayed at a nearby room, spoke in favor of the taller wall for safety reasons, noting evening activity around the pool and picnic areas: “It makes you very uneasy if you're there in the nighttime.”

Board members said surrounding conditions (adjacent sidewalk, pool/recreational area, parking that backs onto Sherry Drive) and the hotel's sleeping use differentiate the property from, for example, a daytime-only restaurant. Members praised the proposed rendering and supported a 6-foot wall based on surrounding conditions and the property's circumstances.

A motion to grant the variance (ground 2: surrounding conditions) was made, seconded and approved by the board.

Staff also clarified that current landscaping code was triggered by renovations exceeding 20% of a property's value and that the applicant has not yet submitted a landscape revision; board members and neighbors raised questions about landscaping in front of the proposed wall and about large delivery trucks on Atlantic Boulevard, which staff advised would be addressed by elected officials and police rather than the land-use board.