Planning board approves 1,300-sq-ft paver patio at 2707 Hill Street after 4-3 vote

The New Smyrna Beach Planning & Zoning Board voted 4-3 on Sept. 14 to approve Variance V-0013, allowing a roughly 1,300-square-foot paver patio for Palm House Condominium at 2707 Hill Street seaward of the city's coastal construction setback line (CCSL). The vote followed a lengthy staff presentation, questions from board members about drainage and dune impacts, and testimony from the applicant.

City staff presented criteria for CCSL variances and said several elements were not clearly met; staff's assessment concluded it could not recommend approval. "I cannot recommend approval," the staff presenter said, citing concerns that an increased impervious surface could push water onto neighboring properties and weaken protective dune functions. The applicant, Vince Wally, told the board the project had restored dune vegetation previously and described a subsurface collection system: "We were going to do a French drain . . . a StormTech system . . . so we'll hold our own water for that area." Wally said the project would keep the site under the city's impervious-ratio threshold.

Board members pressed for alternatives including reduced paver area, wood or composite decking and larger infiltration capacity. Staff and at least two external reviewers were noted as supportive on limited points: Melanie Kane (FDEP) and Jennifer Winters (Volusia County) were reported as having no objections. In debate, some members said the proposed underground infiltration strategy and a condition limiting net impervious area made the project acceptable; others said the CCSL criteria were not fully demonstrated. The board's approval was made with conditions discussed during deliberations to ensure drainage calculations and engineering review met city standards. The motion passed 4 in favor, 3 opposed.