Historic and Architectural Preservation Board Meeting - July 9, 2026
Historic and Architectural Preservation Board Meeting - July 9, 2026
The Venice Historic and Architectural Preservation Board (HAPB) met on July 9, 2026, in Council Chambers. The board approved minutes from the previous meeting, reviewed a pre-application for a residential renovation at 401 Nassau Street South, and discussed proposed code changes for façade color requirements. Staff provided updates on grants, personnel, and other preservation matters.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the minutes from the June 11, 2026 meeting: Motion made and seconded, all members voted aye, minutes passed unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No general audience participation.
Discussion Items
- Pre-Application for 401 Nassau St S: Applicant Jordan Allison presented preliminary plans to renovate and expand an existing mid-century ranch home into a Venice Historic Preservation (VHP) style residence at the corner of Nassau and Turin. Key discussion points included the existing street-facing garage, a proposed future carport in the rear, consistency of window styles and salvaged historic windows, roof pitch and tile matching, and integration of the west and north elevations. Board members offered guidance: consider offsetting the garage or converting it to living space, ensure architectural consistency across all elevations, use salvaged windows but maintain similar fenestration, and consider adding an arched feature on the west side to mirror the main entry. No formal vote was taken; the applicant will submit complete plans for a future board meeting.
- Discussion of Code Changes for Color Requirements: Staff presented proposed redline changes to the façade color code, including removing percentage requirements (75% body, 20% secondary, 5% trim) and subjective descriptors like "pastels" and "earth tones." Board members debated the need for a minimum color requirement. Some argued that mandating at least two colors (body and a secondary) provides predictability and preserves VHP character, while others warned that strict percentages could limit creativity and run afoul of SB 180 (restricting new stringent regulations). After discussion, consensus emerged to: (1) require at least two colors (body and secondary) with a maximum of 80% body color; (2) allow trim as an optional third color (no percentage specified); (3) move detailed percentage guidelines to the design alternative section for flexibility. Staff will refine the language and bring a draft to the September 10, 2026 meeting for a vote.
Staff Comments
- Historical Resources Manager Harry Klinkhammer: Announced the Florida Freedom Tour traveling exhibit at the Venice History Museum on July 23, 2026 from 9 AM to 4 PM. Provided grant updates: the Edgewood and Seaboard survey grant received a 30-day extension to the end of July to address state comments; the Gulf Shores and Golden Beach small matching grant for FY27 is funded—awaiting contract execution; the Venezia Park survey grant application for FY28 was submitted this week, with expanded boundaries to cover the entire Venetian Park section (not just the historic district), and will be ranked in fall. Also introduced new administrative assistant Laura Augustus Thomas, starting July 14, 2026, splitting time between Planning & Zoning and Historical Resources.
- Pavilion Restoration Inquiry: A board member asked about the historic pavilion roof repair. Staff replied that due to budget constraints, Public Works plans a less expensive repair (approximately $150,000) to extend the roof’s life by roughly five years, with a major replacement deferred to a future fiscal year.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes from June 11, 2026 approved unanimously.
- Pre-application review: Board provided guidance; applicant will submit a formal application for board review (targeting September meeting).
- Code changes: Staff to revise the color ordinance language incorporating a maximum 80% body color with a mandatory secondary color; design alternative section to note percentage flexibility. Draft to be presented for a vote in September 2026.
- Staff updates received and noted.
Meeting Transcript
All right. We'll call to order the July 9th meeting of the architectural historic and architectural review board. We'll have a roll call. Attendance, please. Yes, Chair B. Here. Miss Trammell. Present. Miss Moore. Present. Mr. Stecketty. Here. Mr. Watkins. Mr. Green. And Mr. Barrick. Here. All right, very good. All right. Well, before you we have the uh uh the minutes, approval of the minutes uh for June 11th, 2026. Are there any uh revisions or adjustments or additions? If not, I would attend uh entertain a motion. I move to approve the minutes. I'll second. Second, all right. Greg seconds it all in favor, aye. Aye. Opposed. All right, the minutes pass. Um is there any general audience participation today? No, there is not. Thank you, Amanda. All right, we'll go ahead and move into new business. Uh we have a pre-application for 401 Nassau Street South. Um, our staff member is Nicole Tremblay, senior planner, and the applicant is Jordan Allison. Good morning, Miss Trembley. Good morning. All right, so we've got a pre-application meeting here. Um you guys actually saw this property not in its current state, but in its state before it was most recently painted. Um just during discussion at I believe our last meeting. But they have come forward with a proposal. They do not have full plans yet, so you've got kind of a rough sketch to look at, but this will be more of a discussion. They they would like to get a lot of feedback from you all. Um so this is 401 Nassau Street, and it's not a 20s house, but they're going, they're kind of moving towards the VHP style. So that's part of why they they need your feedback. Okay. So um we haven't really reviewed this for code compliance because there's not much to review to the code yet.
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