A proposal to build a new structure to house generators the U.S. Secret Service considers pivotal to security at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club is heading back for review by a Palm Beach board.
The item is on the April 22 agenda for the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which meets at 9:30 a.m. in council chambers at Town Hall, 360 S. County Road.
This will be the proposed building’s second appearance before the commission. The board first reviewed the project at its March 18 meeting, when commissioners voted to defer a decision while asking for several changes to the design. The Town Council on March 4 approved a special exception and site plan for the structure.
Mar-a-Lago has asked to build a 763-square-foot single-story building to house two large 400-kilowatt generators. The Secret Service said in a letter to the town that the generators are needed to provide continuous power for security and surveillance systems at the president’s primary residence.
Mar-a-Lago “relies heavily on uninterrupted electrical power to maintain essential security systems, including surveillance cameras, alarm zones, access control readers, lighting and communications equipment, all of which must operate uninterrupted and be continuously monitored by the (Secret Service),” Matthew W. Plant, the agency’s deputy special agent in charge, wrote in the letter.
The commission asked architect Rick Gonzalez of REG Architects to revise the design of the windows on the building’s east side, remove a crest over the building’s main entrance and redesign the roof and an overhang above the door.
Commissioners also requested that the intake and exhaust louvers be redesigned to resemble shutters and that their color be changed from brown to off-white. The front door would have four-paned windows instead of five-paned.
A Mar-a-Lago representative told the commission that the building also would provide backup power for club operations. The existing generators at Mar-a-Lago are smaller and temporary, and located on the north side of the property close to neighboring homes, he said.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission’s design approval is required because Palm Beach declared Mar-a-Lago a landmark in 1979.
The meeting is open to the public or can be viewed online at TownofPalmBeach.com.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Plans for building at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago head back to Palm Beach board
Reporting by Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
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