The Tamarac Planning Board on Wednesday failed to approve a variance request from the developer of the Woodlands residential project seeking higher lot-coverage limits for new model homes, producing a 2-2 tie that means the matter will go to the City Commission without a favorable planning-board recommendation.

Christina Balenke, attorney for Thirteenth Floor (the developer), said the applicant seeks to add 14 new model home types and increase maximum home sizes to respond to market demand for more bedrooms and covered outdoor living spaces. "Who wants to sit out on a patio without some form of coverage?" Balenke asked while describing how porches and covered terraces count toward lot coverage under the city's code.

The variance petition asked relief from the code's lot-coverage limits for multiple pods within the Woodlands project: up to 53.2% in Pod A, up to 54.9% in Pods B, C, D and F, 53% in Pod G, and 46.8% in Pod H, compared with the 44% maximum set by an earlier administrative adjustment and the 40% otherwise permitted. The requested relief would apply to 242 of 335 lots (about 72.2% of the lots), according to staff.

Robert Johnson, senior planner for Community Development, summarized the project history: the Woodlands master plan covers about 276.48 acres with nine residential pods and 16 open-space pods; a development agreement and earlier approvals authorized 335 single-family homes and preserved approximately 160 acres of open space. Staff characterized the change to 14 additional models as a site-plan minor modification rather than a significant amendment to the development agreement.

Residents who spoke at the quasi-judicial hearing urged denial. Jeffrey Shapiro said increased bedrooms and patios could raise vehicle counts and traffic within the community and reduce yards, affecting drainage. "If you go ahead and you add... now we're talking 3 or 4 [cars]... it's gonna affect traffic," Shapiro said. Eileen Lieberman, president of Section 4 of the Woodlands, said the developer promised the community the project would meet the existing code and argued the change represents "a second bite at the apple." She also told the board the green space per lot would fall from 1,280 square feet under earlier commitments to about 620 square feet with the higher lot coverage.

Sergio Lazaroff Fitzpatrick, a nearby homeowner, said loss of backyard green space would affect his family's quality of life; he said he bought after the development received prior approvals and cited promises made by the developer. Residents also submitted written opposition and expressed concern about using Northwest 60th Avenue as an entrance/exit.

In response to questions from the board, the applicant and staff said the lots will meet minimum setback requirements, that two-story homes are confined to Pod G per the development agreement, and that drainage is being reviewed by Broward County through required master-drainage permits. Staff said traffic analysis for the development is based on the total number of single-family homes and uses standard ITE rates rather than a bedroom-by-bedroom split; the development agreement requires off-site roadway improvements, including turn lanes and related intersection work.

Planning board members were divided on whether the circumstances cited by the applicant constituted an exceptional hardship tied to the land rather than conditions created by the developer. A motion to approve the variance, moved and seconded, failed on a 2-2 vote (Nicole Claire and Sejean Bell Clark voted no; Jacques Moise and Mara English voted yes). With no affirmative recommendation, staff said the application will proceed to the City Commission for final action at its Oct. 22 meeting.

The board's discussion and the resident opposition will be part of the record the City Commission reviews before making a final decision.