Bal Harbour votes 3-2 to narrow design board review for Collins Avenue condos

Bal Harbour’s condo and hotel towers along Collins Avenue could make many changes without going before the village’s Architectural Review Board, under an ordinance the Village Council passed 3-2 on first reading Oct. 28.

Under the current code, a project needs the board’s approval if it can be seen from any public street, place or way. The ordinance applies to the districts fronting Collins Avenue. There, only work visible from Collins or from the public paths along the beach would still need a hearing, according to the village manager’s memo. Other work could be approved by the building official. The council first discussed the change at its August retreat, the memo says.

Vice Mayor David Wolf, Councilman Jeffrey P. Freimark and Mayor Seth E. Salver voted yes. Councilmen Buzzy Sklar and Alejandro Levy voted no, according to the meeting video. Sklar said high-floor residents look down on pool decks, and that some board should keep watch over changes like that.

Village staff said during the meeting that hedges or other plantings would not let a building avoid review, and that work at the rear of the west-side buildings would still go to the board. Staff also raised whether views from 96th Street, the 102nd Street path and the cutwalk should count, which would affect a handful of buildings, and said the question would be addressed before the second reading. The Bal Harbour Shops have their own review process and are not affected, staff said. The ordinance needs a second vote to take effect; the agenda for that meeting has not been posted.

Other votes

• Lobbyist renewed. The council voted unanimously to renew its contract with Groisman, LLC for $8,333 a month through Sept. 30, 2027, with two optional one-year renewals. The firm is led by former Bal Harbour mayor Gabriel Groisman, according to the manager’s memo. Sklar suggested shifting work from the village’s other lobbyist, Ron Book, to Groisman, and Salver asked staff for a list of the village’s automatically renewing contracts.
• Lot split. The council unanimously approved a waiver of plat that turns the two lots at 44 Bal Bay Drive into three single-family lots. Village staff said each new lot meets the minimum width and size the council adopted in May.
• School officer. On the consent agenda, the village approved up to $21,642.33 as its third of the cost of a second school resource officer at Ruth K. Broad K-8 Center, shared with Bay Harbor Islands and Surfside.
• Ideas for staff. Levy proposed holiday camp activities at Waterfront Park for days when school is out, and a visiting ice cream truck. Staff will come back with options.