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I <br />Another area in which the MED district differs from other <br />zoning districts is the use of a floor area ratio (FAR) to <br />control hospital height limits. While the building height <br />limit in the district is 35 feet (as in most other zoning <br />districts), buildings used as hospitals may exceed this limit <br />if they can meet a strict floor area ratio (FAR). The FAR <br />relates building bulk to lot area while giving some freedom <br />from traditional controls over height. The FAR ensures that <br />the higher a building is, the more land area that will be <br />required. The FAR was proposed because of the necessity for <br />hospitals to expand vertically instead of horizontally in <br />two-level buildings. <br />RECOr-21ENDATION <br />Based on the preceding analysis, including the recommendation <br />of the Planning and Zoning Commission, staff recommends that <br />the Board of County Commissioners adopt the MED, Medical <br />District, as an amendment to the County's Zoning Ordinance. <br />Commissioner Lyons expressed his displeasure with the <br />height they are talking about at the present hospital, and <br />he did not want to be a party to making it easy for somebody <br />to have a high building. <br />Commissioner Wodtke did not have any problem with the <br />hospital height since it is a public building and intended <br />for public service; further he did not believe it would be <br />feasible for them to have 100-150 rooms and limit the <br />building to three stories. <br />Chairman Scurlock's main concern was with making the <br />definition tight enough to_prevent every structure in the <br />node calling itself a hospital. <br />Planning Director Keating believed staff can provide a <br />satisfactory definition and noted the reason they took this <br />tack was that we have the given of Indian River Hospital <br />being constructed to accommodate the additional stories they <br />are planning. <br />Commissioner Lyons continued to stress that he wanted <br />some height limitation, and Chairman Scurlock inquired how <br />this would apply to private nursing facilities. <br />Planning Director Keating explained that they will tie <br />the -definition of hospital to the state accreditation so <br />that only a facility with the state certificate of <br />MAY 2 1984 <br />74 cc� <br />ROOK 56'. PAGE 873 <br />