A recent report concluded that the city could accommodate an additional 7,827 dwelling units and eight million square feet of non-residential development.
In its early days, Miami Beach was nothing more than a spit of shoreline. When growth was challenged, sand was dredged from Biscayne Bay to accommodate more buildings and roads. Today, Miami Beach is limited to how much space it is available to grow – or is it?
Look around the city; one could never imagine more building and growth could be possible. However, a recent report concluded that based on existing zoning, the city could potentially accommodate an additional 7,827 dwelling units, and an additional eight million square feet of non-residential development. Could it become a reality? Not necessarily.
While not all development is bad, Miami Beach officials want to make sure that they are marking the path for a more comprehensive approach to manage the city’s growth and development into the future. Surveys show that the pace of new construction and development, and its impacts to traffic and parking, continue to be a major concern to the community. The growth pains of recent decades and the city’s popularity as a great place to live, work and play has apparently taken its toll.
The City Commission has to now make decisions on which policy options they want to implement moving forward. “Ensuring that we are doing the best we can with the tools provided, we have to look at things holistically to make sure that the city does not become too dense,” said Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera Bower at the conclusion of the growth-management commission workshop held last month.
“The amount of new development that could be accommodated is significant. Given recent trends, much of this new development could be in the form of major development projects,” said Miami Beach Planning Director Jorge Gomez. (Major development projects are defined as non-residential and mixed-use developments of 50,000 square feet of gross floor area or more located within the light industrial district or one of the commercial zoning districts in the city.) Available development capacity for current existing properties makes up the balance of the available growth.
A growth management consultant contracted by the City last year analyzed existing conditions, demographics and development trends and made recommended options for policy and other regulatory changes. The Major Development Project Impact Analysis and Mitigation Study is now guiding City officials in developing a comprehensive planning and regulatory system to evaluate the impacts and then appropriately mitigate major development projects.
The study showed that over the last decade, Miami Beach leaders and voters have made significant strides in creating legislation and reforms in trying to address zoning and growth concerns. Last year, Miami Beach voters overwhelmingly passed a non-binding ballot referendum that supported changes to the Comprehensive Plan that would place annual limits on the construction of new buildings that are 50,000 square feet in size or larger.
The City proceeded to revise its conditional use procedure providing rules and review guidelines for these proposed developments. The conditional use procedure for major development projects is a process designed to help the city consider the range of impacts expected to result from the proposed project and mitigate those impacts.
“As of June 1, 2008, the City has reviewed six major development projects under the revised process, with some success,” said Gomez. “However, there is still more work to be done in regards to growth management issues.”
One of the first steps was to recognize the key impacts on the city likely to result from new major development. With the assistance of the Planning Board, a series of impact areas and associated project goals were identified. They included traffic congestion, parking, neighborhoods compatibility, open space protection, workforce housing and several others.
“We are running out of space to create more roads. We need to focus on transit and other mobility projects. Adding new roadway capacity is very difficult or cost prohibitive,” said Traffic Consultant Joe Corradino at a recent workshop. The City has struggled with traffic congestion for years. Two independent transportation and mobility studies (Municipal Mobility Plan and the Coastal Communities Master Plan) show that creating additional bus circulators within the city and connecting them to other existing bus routes could alleviate some of the traffic congestion. Existing bus routes can be shifted to create a North Beach circulator, similar to the South Beach Local, if Miami-Dade officials move forward with approvals.
According to the 2003 Parking Supply/Demand Analysis, parking shortages exist in various areas and more shortages are expected with new development as available land is lost and more vehicles are added. There are currently several hundred additional parking spaces under construction in high demand areas.
THREE MAJOR AREAS OF RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the consultants’ analysis, the report made the following recommendations.
REGULATORY
APPLICABILITY CHANGES
Apply major development project (MDP) requirements in all zoning districts citywide; expand major development project definition to incorporate building function/character (not just size); exclude desirable features (e.g., roof gardens, public areas, etc.) from MDP floor area totals; establish variable size thresholds for MDPs in different portions of the city; and incorporate higher MDP size triggers for mixed-use structures.
PROCEDURAL CHANGES
Establish MDP process as its own individual review procedure; relocate the MDP provisions to Chapter 118 of the [and Development Regulations; broaden the pre-application requirement to include other city departments (not just the Planning Department); and clarify the roles of the Planning Board and the Design Review Board (DRB)/Historic Preservation Board (HPB) (Planning Board — use/operation; DRB/HPB — design)
SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES
Switch from guidelines to objective standards. Incorporate new design and compatibility standards (facade modulation, height, pedestrian orientation, four-sided architecture, roof form, “step-downs,” contextual bulk requirements, etc.). Include incentives for sustainable development (LEED, green roofs, xeriscaping, energy conservation, food supply protection) and new park/open space standards (open space set- asides, public gathering spaces). Consider new workforce housing requirements (waiver of use & dimensional standards, reduction of parking and landscaping requirements, ombudsman). Revise and broaden transportation requirements; more flexibility in off-street parking standards; new pedestrian circulation provisions; transit- oriented design features required; requirements for employer-sponsored Transportation Demand Management programs; targeted transportation impact analysis (focused within 1/4 mile of a proposed major development project); and mitigation fees tied to local projects and expanded to help fund transit alternatives.
PROGRAMMATIC PARKING & TRANSPORTATION
Continue city initiative on local transit circulators; incorporate park and ride facilities on and off the island; proceed with public parking structure programs; and explore use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).
FUNDING PARKING, WATER/SEWER FEES, SCHOOLS
Broaden the scope of the in-lieu parking fee; utilize a transportation impact fee to help fund transit and support alternative modes of transportation; consider an impact fee for park/ open space acquisition; recalibrate water and sewer fees; and consider voluntary proffers for supplementary school programs.
To read the comprehensive Major Development Project Impact Analysis and Mitigation Study, go to http://web.miamibeachfl.gov/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=31986.
The Miami Beach City Commission and administration will continue to move forward with many of the recommended policies and procedures in the coming months. Some changes may require legislative and/or electoral action while others can be implemented administratively.
–City of Miami Beach
