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TODAY I'M JOINED BY COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE AND COMMISSIONER BHATT.
TODAY IS MAY 26TH AT OUR LAND USE AND SUSTAINABILITY MEETING.
BEFORE WE PROCEED, WOULD OUR CITY ATTORNEY LIKE TO MAKE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? SURE, I'D BE HAPPY TO.
SO TODAY'S MEETING OF THE LAND USE AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE WILL BE CONDUCTED IN A HYBRID FORMAT WITH THE COMMITTEE PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN THE COMMISSION CHAMBERS AND STAFF MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC APPEARING EITHER IN PERSON VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM.
TO PARTICIPATE VIRTUALLY, THE PUBLIC MAY DIAL 1-888-475-4499 AND ENTER THE WEBINAR ID, WHICH IS 8505-9923-037#, OR LOG INTO THE ZOOM APP AND ENTER THE WEBINAR ID, WHICH IS 8505-9923-037.
ANYONE WISHING TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM MUST CLICK THE RAISE HAND ICON IN THE ZOOM APP OR DIAL STAR 9 IF YOU'RE PARTICIPATING BY PHONE.
TOM, ARE THERE ANY CHANGES TO TODAY'S AGENDA? MR. CHAIR, NO CHANGES TO THE AGENDA TO ANNOUNCE.
IS THERE A MOTION TO SET THE AGENDA? SECOND.
SO LET'S JUMP TO NUMBER THREE.
[3. CONSIDER AMENDMENTS TO THE MIAMI BEACH 2040 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND CITY OF MIAMI BEACH LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS TO ESTABLISH RESIDENTIAL USE INCENTIVES IN PORTIONS OF NORTH BEACH (DUAL REFFERAL TO THE PLANNING BOARD).]
CONSIDER AMENDMENTS TO THE MIAMI BEACH 2040 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.AND CITY OF MIAMI BEACH LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS TO ESTABLISH RESIDENTIAL USE INCENTIVES IN PORTIONS OF NORTH BEACH.
THIS WAS A DUAL REFERRAL TO THE PLANNING BOARD AND BECAUSE THIS PROPOSED REVISION TO THE LDRS INCLUDES INCREASES IN FAR, THE PLANNING BOARD IS REQUIRED TO HAVE TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS.
THEIR FIRST PUBLIC HEARING OCCURRED ON MAY 5TH AND THEY CONTINUED THE ITEM TO THEIR JUNE 2ND MEETING.
A FOLLOW-UP PUBLIC WORKSHOP IS SCHEDULED FOR MAY 28TH, WHICH WOULD OCCUR BEFORE THE SECOND MEETING OF THE PLANNING BOARD ON JUNE 2ND.
AND THE PROPOSAL, THERE'S A GROUP THAT IS GOING TO MAKE A PRESENTATION AS WHILE THIS AFFECTS A LARGER AREA, THERE IS ONE PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNER WHO WANTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT AND WILL MAKE A PRESENTATION.
WHILE SUPPORTIVE OF THE PROPOSED INCREASE IN FAR IN HEIGHT FOR NON-TRANSIENT USES, STAFF DOES HAVE A COUPLE OF CONCERNS WITH THE PROPOSAL.
THE FIRST IS THE PROPOSAL INCLUDES THE ELIMINATION OF ALL SUBTERRANEAN SETBACK REQUIREMENTS.
THE APPLICANT, I BELIEVE, IS GOING TO PRESENT AN AMENDMENT THAT WOULD ONLY REMOVE THE SUBTERRANEAN SETBACK REQUIREMENTS ON THE FRONT AND SIDE ELEVATIONS AND LEAVE THE REQUIRED REAR SETBACK REQUIREMENTS.
STAFF WOULD STILL NOT RECOMMEND IN FAVOR OF THAT BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT SUBTERRANEAN SETBACK REQUIREMENTS ARE ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL ON ALL SIDES OF THE BUILDING AS THEY CAN IMPACT WATER RETENTION, LANDSCAPE, PERVIOUS AREAS, AS WELL AS IMPACTS ON IMMEDIATELY ABUTTING PROPERTIES.
THE OTHER THING WE WOULD RECOMMEND IS THAT THERE IS A PROPOSAL AS PART OF THE INCENTIVES TO LIMIT THE DENSITY TO 75 DWELLING UNITS PER ACRE.
CURRENTLY IN THE RM3 DISTRICT YOU CAN HAVE A MAXIMUM DENSITY OF 150 UNITS PER ACRE.
WE WOULD NOT RECOMMEND REDUCING THE DENSITY WHILE THIS IS ONLY APPLICABLE TO OCEANFRONT PROPERTY WHICH WOULD LIKELY BE DEVELOPED PRIMARILY AS WATERFRONT OR LUXURY.
WE DO BELIEVE THAT THERE SHOULD BE SOME FLEXIBILITY IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO DO A DEVELOPMENT THAT WAS LESS THAN 150 UNITS PER ACRE.
BUT IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF INCENTIVES AND HAVE UP TO 150 DWELLING UNITS, WE, WE BELIEVE THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE THAT LATITUDE.
SO, WITH THOSE CHANGES, WE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THE LAND USE COMMITTEE DISCUSS THE ITEM AND PROVIDE A RECOMMENDATION TO BOTH THE PLANNING BOARD AS WELL AS THE CITY COMMISSION.
COMMISSIONER MATTEO-SALINAS ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD? I KIND OF WANT TO GO INTO THE DETAILS OR LET THE APPLICANT GO INTO THE DETAILS.
YOU KNOW, THIS ITEM IS INTERESTING BECAUSE I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GOING TO BE A COMMUNITY MEETING ON THURSDAY, BUT I HAVE RECEIVED SOME RESIDENT FEEDBACK ABOUT SOME CONCERNS, SO I'M ACTUALLY NOT SURE THE DIRECTION THIS IS.
BUT IS SOMEONE THERE, IS SOMEONE FROM, OKAY, SORT THROUGH THESE CONCERNS FROM STAFF IF YOU GUYS DISCUSS? SO.
TOM, CAN YOU EDUCATE THE PUBLIC, WHAT IS A SUBTERRANEAN SETBACK?
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SO SUBTERRANEAN SETBACK, THERE'S A REQUIREMENT IN OUR CODE THAT ANY LEVELS OF A BUILDING THAT ARE BELOW GRADE, AND SUBTERRANEAN IS DEFINED AS AN AREA OF A PROPERTY THAT IS BELOW SIDEWALK ELEVATION, SO LIKE BELOW GRADE PARKING, FOR INSTANCE.UNDER THE FLORIDA BUILDING CODE, THERE'S LIMITATIONS AS TO WHAT TYPES OF USES CAN BE PROVIDED IN A SUBTERRANEAN AREA, BUT YOU ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE PARKING AND YOU ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE CERTAIN TYPES OF STORAGE.
UNDER OUR CODE, SUBTERRANEAN SETBACKS HAVE TO FOLLOW THE PEDESTAL SETBACKS THAT ARE SPECIFIED, AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS ADEQUATE PERVIOUS AREA AND ADEQUATE WATER RETENTION AREA ON ALL SIDES OF THE PROPERTY.
IF SOMEBODY IS ALLOWED TO HAVE A SUBTERRANEAN PORTION OF THE BUILDING OR PARTIAL SUBTERRANEAN PORTION OF THE BUILDING COME OUT BEYOND THOSE SETBACKS, YOU COULD END UP WITH PROPERTY LINE TO PROPERTY LINE DEVELOPMENT.
SO THAT'S WHY YEARS AGO WHEN THERE WAS A DEBATE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT SUBTERRANEAN AREAS SHOULD EVEN BE PERMITTED, THE COMMISSION WAS VERY CLEAR THAT THEY WANTED AT A MINIMUM IF THERE ARE GOING TO BE SUBTERRANEAN AREAS THAT THOSE MEET THE MINIMUM PEDESTAL SETBACK REQUIREMENTS.
OKAY, WHAT WAS THE OTHER CONCERN? YEAH, THE PROPOSAL HEREIN WOULD LOWER THE MAXIMUM DENSITY IF SOMEBODY TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THESE INCENTIVES.
OUR POINT WAS THAT IF YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NON-TRANSIENT RESIDENTIAL USE INCENTIVES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO AVAIL YOURSELF OF THE CURRENT MAXIMUM DENSITY.
ARE YOU REQUIRED TO MEET THAT? NO, IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO DO A LOWER DENSITY, THEY COULD DO THAT.
THIS WOULD MANDATE, THOUGH, THAT SOMEBODY WOULD HAVE TO MEET THAT LOWER DENSITY.
SO THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS WERE PEOPLE THAT WERE GOING TO DO REALLY LARGE LUXURY-TYPE UNITS.
WE BELIEVE THAT THERE SHOULD BE MORE FLEXIBILITY IF ANOTHER PROPERTY OWNER WANTED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE INCENTIVES AND DO SMALLER UNITS.
THEY COULD GO UP TO THE CURRENT MAXIMUM DENSITY.
CAN YOU CLARIFY, THOUGH, THROUGH THE CHAIR? BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO BE LUXURY BECAUSE THEY'RE ON THE OCEAN.
YOU KNOW SO YOU KNOW IT HOW BIG ARE WE, YOU KNOW, TALKING HERE? BECAUSE, AGAIN, I MEAN, I DON'T THINK THAT PEOPLE NEED SMALL 500-SQUARE-FOOT UNITS EITHER.
SO IF YOU COULD CLARIFY A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SQUARE FOOTAGE.
THE MINIMUM UNIT SIZE IS 550 SQUARE FEET.
THE DENSITY CONSISTS OF THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF RESIDENTIAL UNITS PER ACRE THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE.
SO NOW, IN THE RM3 DISTRICT, IT'S 150 RESIDENTIAL UNITS PER ACRE.
TYPICALLY, AS YOU CORRECTLY STATED, ON THE OCEAN, MOST UNITS ARE LUXURY RESIDENTIAL.
BECAUSE THEY'RE GETTING AN INCENTIVE TO DO ADDITIONAL SQUARE FOOTAGE, THEY HAVE PROPOSED THAT THE DENSITY LIMIT BE LOWERED SO THAT THE UNITS BECOME BIGGER.
WAIT, SO YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO MEET THE DENSITY REQUIREMENT OF 150? CURRENTLY, AS WE SEE.
CURRENTLY, WELL, CURRENTLY YOUR MAXIMUM DENSITY.
SO AS LONG AS YOU DON'T EXCEED 150 UNITS PER ACRE.
WHY WOULD THEY WANT TO CHANGE THE LAW TO? THEY WOULD NEED TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY WANT TO HAVE A LOWER DENSITY.
IN A LOT OF INSTANCES, LUXURY BUILDINGS ARE WELL UNDER 150 UNITS PER ACRE BECAUSE THEY'RE TYPICALLY DOING 02,000 TO 3,000, SOMETIMES LARGER, SQUARE FOOT UNITS.
I WOULD IMAGINE THEY'RE GOING TO BE PROPOSING THE SAME THING HERE, SO THEY WOULD LIKELY BE WELL UNDER 150.
WHAT DOES THAT REQUIRE, A CODE CHANGE? BECAUSE WITHIN THIS RESIDENTIAL INCENTIVE AREA, THEY ARE PROPOSING THAT THE MAXIMUM DENSITY NOT EXCEED 75 UNITS PER ACRE.
SO IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE RESIDENTIAL USE INCENTIVES, THE FAR, THE HEIGHT, YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO MUCH LARGER UNITS.
AND YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO AS MANY UNITS AS YOU COULD OTHERWISE DO.
TOM, SO I'M LOOKING AT THIS MAP, AND I THINK WHEN THIS ITEM HAD FIRST BEEN KICKED AROUND IN DISCUSSIONS A YEAR AGO, IT WAS A MUCH SMALLER AREA MAYBE? WAS IT? WELL, WHEN THEY HAD ORIGINALLY PROPOSED SOMETHING WITHIN THIS AREA, IT WAS LIMITED TO A COUPLE OF PROPERTIES.
THERE'S A VACANT LOT THAT'S JUST NORTH OF THE DEAUVILLE SITE.
AND THEY PROPOSED THAT GENERAL AREA.
BECAUSE THEY DID NOT WANT TO FILE A PRIVATE APPLICATION, THEY NEEDED TO EXPAND THE AREA BECAUSE THIS WAS A COMMISSION REFERRAL.
AND SO NOW THEY'VE EXPANDED THE AREA THAT THIS WOULD BE APPLICABLE.
WAIT, WHY DID THEY NEED TO EXPAND IT? BECAUSE IF THEY WANTED IT SPECIFIC TO ONE PROPERTY, IT WOULD HAVE HAD TO BE A PRIVATE APPLICATION FILED TO THE PLANNING BOARD.
LIKE I YOU KNOW THIS IS A WILDLY DISASTROUSLY CONGESTED AREA OF NORTH BEACH.
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IT IS A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION EVERY DAY IN ALL KINDS OF PLACES AND FORUMS AND AMONG ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE.I AM VERY, AS MY COLLEAGUES ON THE DAIS WITH ME, ARE VERY VERY INTERESTED IN FIGURING OUT HOW TO MAKE MORE MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING.
THE REALITY IS THAT LAND USE, THE LAND ACQUISITION COSTS OF OCEANFRONT PROPERTY ARE NOT GOING TO BE AFFORDABLE MISSING MIDDLE WORKFORCE HOUSING.
SO I NORMALLY WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, LET'S KEEP THE DENSITY WHERE IT IS BECAUSE THAT GIVES US FLEXIBILITY TO MOVE FORWARD ON THIS IF SOMEBODY CAME WITH A GREAT PROJECT.
BUT THE REALITY IS THIS IS GOING TO BE ANY REDEVELOPMENT IN THIS BLUE BOX IS GOING TO BE ULTRA LUXURY BY DEFINITION.
I MEAN, ANYBODY WHO LOOKS AT INSTAGRAM WILL SEE PEOPLE POSTING ABOUT HOW NORTH BEACH IS THE LAST.
UNDER DEVELOPED UNDERDEVELOPED UNSPOILED PART OF NORTH BEACH AND PEOPLE ARE NOT COMING TO BUY PROPERTY ON THE OCEAN TO BUILD MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING SO GIVEN THAT THAT'S NOT BENEFIT THEN WHY WOULD WE KEEP THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING MORE DENSE USAGE THERE WHEN WE KNOW THAT TRAFFIC IS AN UNMITIGATED DISASTER AND THAT IS NOT A SLAM TO SAY OR TO WILL, IF ANYBODY'S HERE, IT'S JUST THE FACT OF, I MEAN, YOU GUYS KNOW, YOU SEE IT EVERY DAY.
SO YOU'RE OKAY WITH THE REDUCTION IN DENSITY? THE REDUCTION IN DENSITY I AM OKAY WITH, WHICH IS NOT MY NORMAL MO.
I AM VERY CONCERNED, THOUGH, ABOUT THE SUBTERRANEAN SETBACKS.
I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS WHY YOU THINK THAT'S NECESSARY, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S REALLY A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT, NOT JUST FOR THE REASONS THAT TOM ARTICULATED, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW WE HAVE SUBSIDENCE LIKE THAT IS A FACT OF NATURE THAT IS A THING AND MAYBE NOT ON THESE PROPERTIES YET BUT BUT WE DON'T WANT TO MAKE THINGS WORSE AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT BUILDING BUILDINGS ON SAND WILL IMPACT THE BUILDINGS ADJACENT LIKE AND NOT NECESSARILY BADLY BECAUSE YOU CAN MITIGATE FOR THAT BUT LET'S NOT MAKE A YOU KNOW A COMPLICATED SITUATION WORSE I I DON'T WANT WANT TO GET IN A WAY OF MANAGEABLE, THOUGHTFUL.
PROGRESS WHERE THE OWNERS ARE REALLY MINDFUL OF THE CHARACTER OF PLACE AND I RESPECT THAT ABOUT YOU GUYS I KNOW YOU COULD HAVE PULLED THIS THROUGH YEARS AGO AND HAVEN'T SO IT'S NOT IT'S NOT THAT IT'S JUST LIKE YOU KNOW AT THE END OF THE DAY WE ALL NOBODY WANTS TO SEE ANOTHER BUILDING COME DOWN.
NOBODY WANTS TO SEE UNMITIGATED TRAFFIC AT WORST IT WON'T BE GOOD FOR YOUR RESIDENTS EITHER CASE SO LET'S FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THIS WORK AND TOM IF WHAT IS THE INCREASE IN A FERRETS MATH? THEY ARE PROPOSING TO GO FROM THEIR MAXIMUM FAR CURRENTLY WOULD BE 3.0.
THEY'RE PROPOSING TO GO TO 3.5.
I THINK WE'RE JUST UNDER THE 45,000 SQUARE FEET, SO WE'RE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE 3.0.
THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN THE I THINK WE'RE 2.75 NOW.
AND COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE, WE'RE 2.25.
HOW DO YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT? ALL RIGHT, NICK, LET'S HEAR WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO SAY.
SO THROUGH THE CHAIR, JUST ON THE REVISED ORDINANCE THAT WE PASSED OUT NOW, IT'S A HAPPY MEDIUM OF 100 UNITS AN ACRE.
I THINK THAT ADDRESSES THE REASON THAT WE PROPOSED A LOWER DENSITY WAS PRECISELY THAT IS BECAUSE OF IMPACTS TO WATER AND SEWER TRAFFIC TO TRY TO INCENTIVIZE PEOPLE TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THEIR DENSITY.
OTHERWISE, YOU CAN'T REALLY FORCE PEOPLE TO DO IT ANY OTHER WAY.
SO THIS WOULD ALLOW FOR REDEVELOPMENT TO COME IN AT 100 UNITS AN ACRE.
PLUS THE CODE OFFERS AN 80% BONUS FOR WORKFORCE HOUSING.
SO WE HAVE TO KEEP THAT IN MIND THAT.
IF SOMEBODY REALLY WANTED TO COME IN WITH AN ALTERNATIVE PROPOSAL, SMALLER, MORE MARKET-RATE UNITS OR FAMILY-STYLE UNITS, THERE WOULD BE A PATH FOR THEM TO DO SO.
BUT THE GENERAL INCENTIVE HERE IS TO REDUCE DENSITY AND DO LARGER OCEANFRONT UNITS, WHICH IS WHAT'S MORE LIKELY TO BE DEVELOPED THERE.
IN TERMS OF THE SUBTERRANEAN SETBACKS, WE HAVE PROPOSED A REVISED SET OF SETBACKS FOR THAT, AND WE'LL GET RIGHT INTO IT.
WAIT, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THAT OTHER SLIDE? I'M SORRY, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT, TOO.
YEAH, SO AND THEN TOM COVERED THE BACKGROUND EXTENSIVELY, SO I WASN'T GOING TO GET TOO MUCH INTO IT, BUT I GUESS ONE THING WE WANTED TO NOTE IS THAT WE'RE REALLY JUST BUILDING OFF OF THE EXISTING RESIDENTIAL USE INCREASE PROGRAM.
SO IT WASN'T JUST AN IDEA THAT WE'RE AVOIDING A PRIVATE AMENDMENT APPLICATION IS THAT THE RESIDENTIAL USE INCENTIVE PROGRAM APPLIES EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH UP TO 63RD STREET, BUT JUST EXCLUDES NORTH BEACH.
SO WE FEEL THAT THIS IS A GOOD POLICY TO INCENTIVIZE MULTIPLE PROPERTIES, AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE PROPERTIES THAT HAVE TRANSIENT USE APPROVALS.
YOU ONE BEING OUR CLIENT'S PROPERTY, WHO HAS A FULLY APPROVED CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT AND HPV ORDER FOR A HOTEL.
THE SHERRY FRONTENAC IS AN EXISTING HOTEL THAT COULD BE INCENTIVIZED TO REDEVELOP WITH LOW-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL.
AND THEN THE CASABLANCA CONDOMINIUM, WHICH IS DEVELOPED WITH MANY HOTEL AND SHORT-TERM RENTAL LICENSES, IT'S PRETTY MUCH KNOWN AS A SHORT-TERM RENTAL BUILDING, WOULD BE INCENTIVIZED TO REDEVELOP.
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THOSE THREE BUILDINGS ARE BUILDINGS THAT ARE PROBABLY THE MOST LIKELY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT CURRENTLY OVERBUILT ON THEIR FAR.OTHER BUILDINGS LIKE THE AKOYA.
OR THE CARILLON, WHICH IS NOT QUITE IN OUR ZONE, OR SOME OF THE OTHER BUILDINGS WOULDN'T REALLY HAVE ANY INCENTIVE TO USE THIS PROGRAM BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE MORE FAR THAN WHAT THE CODE ALLOWS.
AND THROUGH THE CHAIR, IF I MIGHT JUST COMMENT JUST FOR THE RECORD, ONE OF THE FRUSTRATIONS THAT WE'RE FACING IN MIAMI BEACH IS, AS YOU MENTIONED, THE CASABLANCA IS KNOWN AS AN STR BUILDING.
AND YET THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE.
IT'S THEIR HOMESTEAD RESIDENCE.
BECAUSE WE ARE PREEMPTED FROM DEALING WITH STRS BY THE STATE, INSTEAD OF BEING ABLE TO KICK OUT THE STRS THAT ARE NOT GOOD OPERATORS OR LIMITING THE NUMBER OF STRS THAT WE HAVE IN THAT BUILDING, THE LIKELIHOOD IS THAT SOMEONE WILL COME IN AND OFFER THEM AN OFFER THAT'S TOO GOOD TO REFUSE, AND IT'S GOING TO BE TORN DOWN, AND IT'S GOING TO BE REDEVELOPED INTO SOME KIND OF LUXURY BUILDING WITH HOPEFULLY SOME NOD TO ITS HISTORIC PROVENANCE, AND THAT IS A CRAPPY OUTCOME.
AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT WHY YOU GUYS ARE HERE, BUT I WANT IT ON THE RECORD BECAUSE I'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN NORTH BEACH WHO ARE VERY UPSET ABOUT THE TREND, AND RIGHTLY SO, THAT THESE RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS ON BOTH SIDES OF COLLINS, ON BOTH SIDES OF INDIAN CREEK, ARE NOW TARGETS.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOTHING BEFORE US TODAY THAT WE CAN DO ABOUT THIS, BUT I JUST WANT TO PUT THIS OUT THERE BECAUSEĀ UNTIL WE ARE ABLE TO CONTROL THE DESTINY OF OUR CITY WITH MANAGING SHORT-TERM RENTALS, AND YES, THERE'S A PLACE FOR THOSE, AND YES, THERE ARE GOOD OPERATORS, BUT THIS KIND OF TAKING OVER THE RONEY PALACE AND THE CASABLANCA AND FORCING OUT RESIDENTS IS GOING TO BE PROBLEMATIC.
SO THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME GET ON MY SOAPBOX ABOUT THAT.
TOM, IS THE CASABLANCA DESIGNATED HISTORIC? YES.
THE BOTH THE IT'S A CONTRIBUTING BUILDING WITHIN THE NORTH SHORE LOCAL STORE BUT THEY CAN GO CAN IT BE TORN DOWN OR IF THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THESE INCENTIVES THEY COULD NOT TEAR IT DOWN THEY COULD NOT KNOW BECAUSE THE THE THESE INCENTIVES ARE PREDICATED UPON THE RETENTION OF A CONTRIBUTING BUILDING SO SHERRY FRONT NECK CASABLANCA THEY WOULD HAVE TO RETAIN THEIR BUILDINGS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE WELL THAT'S SMART SO BUT IF THEY DIDN'T TAKE ADVANTAGE THEY CAN STILL DEMOLISH RIGHT OH YEAH WELL THEY WOULD HAVE TO.
UNDER THE UNSAFE STRUCTURES ACT, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO DEMOLISH IT.
BUT THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THE EXTRA HALF FAR.
BUT THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THE AREA.
AND ALSO, DON'T WE HAVE REPLICATION LAWS? IF THEY DO, IF IT'S UNSAFE, DIDN'T WE PASS SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TO REPLICATE? THERE IS A PRESUMPTION OF REPLICATION.
HOWEVER, THERE MAY BE SOME LIMITATIONS UNDER STATE LAW THAT WE WOULD HAVE IN TERMS OF REQUIRING THAT.
BUT WE DO HAVE UNDER OUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION REGULATIONS.
I DO NOT WANT ANYONE TO TAKE AWAY THE MESSAGE THAT THIS IS A WAY TO GET AROUND THINGS.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE DEAUVILLE.
WE HAD, AND NOT ITS CURRENT SITUATION NOW, WE ARE PAST THAT, BUT THE HISTORIC BUILDING WAS MANAGED INTO THE GROUND BY ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS, AND THEY...
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE CASABLANCA, RIGHT? NO, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE DEAUVILLE.
AND THERE WAS AN UNSAFE STRUCTURES THAT WAS QUESTIONABLE.
WE CAN TALK ALL DAY ABOUT THAT.
I KNOW YOU GUYS WERE HERE AS PART OF THAT AND WE TOURED THE BUILDING AND THERE WERE OTHER EXPERTS BROUGHT IN AND WE WENT TO BORA.
THERE'S A WHOLE DRAMA ABOUT IT AND SO WHATEVER, IT'S DONE.
BUT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO ROOM FOR THAT TO HAPPEN IN THE CITY AGAIN.
IF THERE IS ACTUALLY AN UNSAFE STRUCTURE, THAT'S ONE THING.
BUT THIS NONSENSE OF, THERE'S FALLING AND WE CAN'T FIX IT IS ABSOLUTE ABJECT NONSENSE.
AND SO AGAIN FOR PEOPLE LISTENING THIS IS NOT A CARTE BLANCHE FOR PEOPLE TO TRY TO WORK THEIR WAY AROUND ALL OF THESE THINGS BECAUSE JUST BECAUSE THERE'S A PRESUMPTION OF REPLICATION IN THE LAWS THERE ARE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRIED TO WORK AROUND IT AND WE ARE NOT HERE.
I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK FOR MY COLLEAGUES I AM NOT HERE FOR THAT AT ALL.
SO YES, THERE ARE PROTECTIONS IN THE LAWS, AND YES, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO FIND THEIR WAY AROUND THEM, AND SO LET'S NOT PUT THAT OUT THERE.
BUT I ALSO WANT TO PUT ON THE RECORD, I AGREE WITH YOU, COMMISSIONER BHATT, BUT IF THEY DEMOLISH THE CASABLANCA, THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS ORDINANCE, CORRECT, TOM? CORRECT.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE TOOK THE EXISTING FRAMEWORK OF THE PROGRAM AND TRIED TO EXTEND IT RATHER THAN COME UP WITH SOMETHING NEW.
DID YOU HAVE ANY MORE OF YOUR PRESENTATION? YES, SO JUST TO GO THROUGH THE HPV SETBACKS.
WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS COMPLIANT SETBACKS ON THE FRONT AND THE SIDE INTERIOR SETBACKS.
WHAT WE'RE SUGGESTING IS THAT THE HPV BE ALLOWED TO GRANT A WAIVER OF SIDE INTERIOR SETBACKS ONLY ON THE SIDE OF A PROPERTY THAT DOES NOT ABUT AN EXISTING BUILDING.
SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT THIS WORKS OUT HERE IS THAT FOR OUR CLIENT'S PROPERTY, IT WOULD BE ABUTTING THE DEAUVILLE SITE, WHICH IS A VACANT SITE.
THE DEAUVILLE NORTH BEACH OCEANFRONT OVERLAY LEGISLATION ALSO PERMITS THE DEAUVILLE
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TO SEEK A WAIVER OF SUBTERRANEAN SETBACKS.SO THERE'S SUBTERRANEAN SETBACK.
ABUTTING OUR PROPERTY LINE IS GOING TO BE TWO FEET OR LESS AND WE'RE WHAT WE'RE REQUESTING IS TO BE ABLE TO REQUEST FROM THE HVB A WAIVER TO ALLOW OUR SUBTERRANEAN SETBACK ONLY ON THAT SIDE THAT ABUTS THE DEAUVILLE TO ESSENTIALLY MIMIC THE SAME CONDITION ALL OTHER AREAS OF THE PROPERTY WOULD COMPLY SO THE FRONT WOULD BE COMPLIANT WITH SETBACKS THE OTHER INTERIOR SIDE FACING THE STERLING WOULD COMPLY WITH INTERIOR SIDE SETBACKS AND THE REAR WERE ASKING FOR A SLIGHT REDUCTION IN THE REAR SETBACK BUT WE COULD REDESIGN AND COMPLY WITH THE REAR SETBACK IF NECESSARY IN EXCHANGE FOR ALLOWING OF THIS WAIVER WE WOULD PROVIDE ADDITIONAL STORMWATER MITIGATION WITHIN THE PROPERTY IN THE FORM OF BIOSWALES, RAIN GARDENS, CISTERNS, THESE TYPES OF ADDITIONAL CAPACITY ENHANCEMENTS THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY REQUIRED BY THE CODE BUT WOULD BE REQUIRED.
AND IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY THIS WAIVER TO THE HPB, WE'VE ADDED LANGUAGE THAT WE WOULD BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A TECHNICAL REPORT FROM OUR CIVIL ENGINEER SHOWING AND CALCULATING THE ACTUAL MEASURED QUANTIFIED DIFFERENCE, THE ADDITIONAL STORMWATER.
WE'VE SPOKEN WITH OUR CIVIL ENGINEER, WALTER LUGO, AND HE SUGGESTED THAT WE CAN DESIGN THIS PROPERTY.
TO ACCOMMODATE DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF STORMWATER THAT IT WOULD NORMALLY BE REQUIRED TO ACCOMMODATE UNDER THE CODE.
TOM, SO THE SETBACK CURRENTLY IS 10 FEET? YES.
THEY WANT TO HAVE A POSSIBLE HPV WAIVER TO TWO? THIS IS WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE, TOM.
I MEAN, I DON'T THINK IT'S JUST, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THE SETBACKS ARE NOT NECESSARILY JUST FOR...
FOR MITIGATION STORMWATER MITIGATION IT'S ALSO FOR AESTHETICS IT'S AESTHETICS IT'S TO GET UH AN ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF PERVIOUS OPEN LANDSCAPING AND TO PROVIDE A BUFFER FROM NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES SO THROUGH THE CHAIR REALLY QUICKLY SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU IT'S JUST ONE OF THE REASONS AND WE PLAYED WITH THE IDEA OF BRINGING THIS UP AND BRINGING UP A PODIUM PEDESTAL AND GETTING RID OF THIS SUBTERRANEAN PARKING AND WHAT WAS REALLY DISCUSSED WITH THE STERLING, OR THE NEIGHBOR MOST IMPACTED BY THIS, WAS THAT THEY REALLY DON'T WANT A POOL DECK THAT'S UP IN THE AIR NEXT TO THEIR BUILDING.
ULTIMATELY IT CREATES THIS ACTIVATED SPACE IN THE ORIGINAL DESIGN.
YOU SEE IT HERE THAT IS THEIR UNITS ARE GOING TO LOOK OVER THIS POOL DECK THAT GETS CREATED WHEN YOU DO AN ABOVE-GROUND PARKING PEDESTAL.
SO BECAUSE OF THE NARROWNESS OF THIS SITE IT JUST ALLOWS FOR US A LITTLE BIT OF FLEXIBILITY TO SUB UNDERGROUND THE PARKING, CREATE GREATER VIEW CORRIDORS.
OF COURSE, WE KNOW THAT THE DEAUVILLE, IT HISTORICALLY CAME UP TO THE PROPERTY LINE, AND THE NEW DEAUVILLE, THE BUILDING, IS NOT COMING ALL THE WAY TO THE PROPERTY LINE, BUT THEIR LOADING AREA AND THEIR BEACH ACCESS PATH ARE.
SO IT CREATES A VERY TIGHT SQUEEZE FOR OUR PARKING PODIUM.
SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS SOLVE FOR THAT, CREATE A LIGHTER DESIGN THAT UNDERGROUNDS THE PARKING.
BUT IN ORDER TO UNDERGROUND THE PARKING, WE NEED A LITTLE BIT OF FLEXIBILITY TO CREATE A WORKABLE SUBTERRANEAN GARAGE, AND I THINK WE'RE ACHIEVING THAT BY JUST ALLOWING FOR A WAIVER AGAINST THE SOUTH SIDE BACK.
WHERE THE DEAUVILLE IS GOING TO BE DOING THE EXACT SAME THING.
TOM, SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT THIS IS THEN THIS ENTIRE DISTRICT CAN APPLY TO THESE SETBACKS, RIGHT? WELL, I HAVEN'T SEEN HOW THEY WOULD REVISE THEIR TEXT, BUT UNLESS THEY WROTE IT IN A WAY WHERE IT WOULD ONLY APPLY TO THIS PROPERTY, THEN THE RULES WOULD APPLY TO ANY PROPERTY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS.
I MEAN, THAT SEEMS LIKE A PROBLEM.
SO THROUGH THE CHAIR, WE DID ADDRESS THAT BY JUST SAYING IF YOU'RE ADJACENT TO AN EXISTING BUILDING, YOU CANNOT SEEK THAT WAIVER.
SO THERE'S ONLY THREE OR FOUR PROPERTIES IN THIS DISTRICT THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO SEEK THIS.
SO IT WOULD BE OUR PROPERTY, THE SHERRY FRONTENAC THAT ABUTS THE DOEVILLE, AND THE TWO PROPERTIES THAT ABUT ALLISON PARK.
AT SOME POINT, THOSE PROPERTIES, GOD FORBID, MIGHT BECOME EMPTY LOTS, RIGHT? BECAUSE AN EXISTING BUILDING IS ONLY EXISTING WHILE IT'S STILL STANDING.
SOMEBODY PURCHASES IT AND DECIDES, AND THE RESIDENTS ACCEPT THE BUYOUTS, AND THEN IT'S AN EMPTY LOT, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT CHANGE A LITTLE BIT.
LIKE, I'M SURE I'M NOT GETTING THIS EXACTLY RIGHT, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SOLVE FOR WITH THE LANGUAGE, AND I DO APPRECIATE THAT, BUT I DON'T THINK IT IS IRONCLAD.
I THINK, AND I'M NOT A LAWYER, I DON'T PLAY ONE ON TV, BUT TO ME IT FEELS LIKE IT'S NOT GETTING THERE YET.
MR. CHAIRMAN, CAN I MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS? SO, COMMISSIONER BHATT, IF YOU START AT THE SOUTH, THAT'S A PARK, SO THAT WILL ALWAYS REMAIN IN PLACE.
IT'S NO BUILDING THERE, SO WE WOULD BE ABLE TO ASK FOR A WAIVER ON THE NORTH AND SOUTH SIDES OF THE PARKING LOT OF THE PARK.
AND THEN YOU GO NORTH FROM THERE TO THE SHERRY FRONTENAC, AND AS NICK TOLD YOU EARLIER, THE DOVAL OVERLAY PERMITS THE DOVAL TO ASK FOR A ZERO SETBACK WAIVER FOR ITS SUBTERRANEAN GARAGE.
[00:25:01]
THERE'S NO BUILDING THERE.SO IT WOULD BE THE NORTH SIDE OF THE SHERRY FRONTENAC PROPERTY, AND THEN IT'S THE SOUTH SIDE OF OUR PROPERTY.
BUT, MIKE, MICHAEL, I'VE NEVER CALLED YOU MIKE IN MY LIFE.
MICHAEL, THAT IS CURRENTLY UNOCCUPIED, BUT THEY COULD DEVELOP IT.
IT'S THAT LITTLE PARKING LOT THING, RIGHT? RIGHT.
I THINK IT'S HIGHLY UNLIKELY, BUT IT'S POSSIBLE IN THE FUTURE.
AND TO THE CHAIR, THE LANGUAGE IS SAYING AN EXISTING BUILDING EXISTING ON JANUARY 1ST, 2026.
I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN IF A LOT WERE TO BECOME VACANT, THEN NOW YOU'RE OPEN THE DOOR TO ALLOW SOMEBODY TO SEEK THAT WAIVER.
BUT OF COURSE, THE CONCERN ABOUT IMPACTING AN EXISTING BUILDING IS LESSER.
WHEN THAT EXISTING BUILDING IS NO LONGER THERE, SO AND YEAH, JUST ONE MORE THING, BUT THIS IS BUT THEY STILL NEED TO GET A WAIVER FROM HPB IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S AUTOMATIC RIGHT SETBACK RIGHT RIGHT, BUT DOESN'T HPB HAVE MORE MORE PURVIEW ON HOW IT LOOKS AS OPPOSED TO THE FUNCTIONALITY IN THE LIKE WHAT'S THERE? I MEAN, I KNOW IT'S THE RIGHT BOARD TO GO TO BUT ARE THEY GONNA GET INTO THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE STRUCTURAL SAFETY AND ALL THOSE THINGS? THE HPV DOES HAVE AUTHORITY TO GRANT WAIVERS WHEN THE CODE SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZES IT, AND IT WOULD ONLY BE ON A DESIGN REGULATION, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, A SETBACK.
AND FOR YOU GUYS, THE GARAGE IS CURRENTLY PROPOSED TO HOUSE HOW MANY CARS, WHICH IS WHY YOU NEED THE SETBACK? SO I CAN SHOW YOU HERE THE...
ONE LEVEL OF THE GARAGE WOULD BE ABOUT 53 SPACES, AND THEN THEY MAY NEED TO OUR REQUIREMENT IS ABOUT 66, SO WE MAY NEED TO GO DOWN ONE MORE LEVEL, PERHAPS NOT A FULL ADDITIONAL LEVEL, JUST TO ROUND OUT THE PARKING REQUIREMENT.
OKAY, SO YOU WANT TO HAVE 66 SPACES.
YOU WILL DEFINITELY NEED TO GO DOWN, BECAUSE I'M NOT GREAT AT MATH, BUT I KNOW 66 IS BIGGER THAN 53, SO YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO GO INTO ANOTHER LEVEL.
SO IF YOU ARE ALREADY GOING TO GO INTO A SECOND LEVEL, JUST SPLIT THE FOOTPRINT DIFFERENTLY AND YOU DON'T NEED THE SETBACKS.
PERHAPS WE MAY NOT NEED THE SETBACK FOR THE SECOND LEVEL, BUT WITH THE RAMP, IF YOU SEE, IT'S JUST VERY DIFFICULT TO MAKE IT ALL FIT WITHIN THE SETBACKS WITH THE RAMPING AND THE REQUIREMENTS TO CONSTRUCT IT.
WE'RE ACTUALLY PLAYING AROUND WITH THIS PLAN TO TRY TO SEE IF WE CAN FIT ALL 66 ON ONE LEVEL.
IN LARGE PART DEPENDS IF WE CAN GET SOME RELIEF ON THE REAR SETBACK THERE'S POSSIBILITIES THAT WE CAN REARRANGE THIS AND FIT ALL OF OUR REQUIRED PARKING IT ALSO DEPENDS ON THE FINAL UNIT COUNT IF THEY BRING DOWN THE UNIT COUNT AND YOU KNOW THERE'S THERE'S A MATH TO BE PLAYED THERE AS TO WHETHER YOU CAN JUST DO ONE LEVEL OBVIOUSLY THE COST OF SUBTERRANEAN PARKING IS EXORBITANT.
SO IF WE CAN TRY TO LIMIT IT TO ONE LEVEL WE REALLY ARE GOING TO TRY TO LIMIT IT HOW MANY OF THE 66 ARE FOR OWNERS VERSUS GUESTS? TEN PERCENT IS GUEST PARKING.
SO THE DEAUVILLE GARAGE WILL BE OPEN WITHIN A MONTH, AND THEY HAVE MORE SPACES THAN THEY NEED.
AND COULD A SOLUTION BE THAT THE GUEST PARKING GOES TO THE DEAUVILLE GARAGE? I THINK WE'D HAVE TO AMEND THE CODE TO MAKE THAT ALLOWED BECAUSE WE ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE GUEST PARKING ON-SITE NOW.
BY CODE? YEAH, OR COVENANTED ON-SITE.
YEAH, LET'S I THINK, LOOK, I DON'T WANT TO MOVE TOO FAR FROM THE INTENT OF THIS.
THE INTENT IS TO HAVE MORE RESIDENTIAL HOUSING, DECREASE DENSITY FOR TRAFFIC AND INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES, ESPECIALLY IN NORTH BEACH.
AND I'M OKAY WITH THIS SETBACK REQUIREMENT BECAUSE ULTIMATELY IT'S GOING TO GO TO THE HPV.
AND I THINK, GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE HPV DOES PRETTY GOOD WORK.
WHEN IT'S LOOKING AT AESTHETICS FROM THE CITY'S PERSPECTIVE, SO I'M OKAY WITH THIS.
COMMISSIONER MATTEO-SALINAS THIS IS YOUR ITEM, SO HOW DO YOU FEEL? I MEAN, I'M OKAY WITH IT.
IF YOU WANT TO MOVE IT, MOVE THIS ALONG, WE CAN DISCUSS FURTHER AT THE CITY COMMISSION.
I THINK THAT'S A GREAT, YEAH, I CAN'T MAKE THE MOTION, THOUGH, RIGHT, BECAUSE I'M NOT ON THE COMMITTEE.
OKAY, SO SOMEONE ELSE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE IT.
I DON'T THINK THE CHAIR CAN MAKE A MOTION.
I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT THE MOTION WOULD BE TO SEND IT TO THE PLANNING BOARD AND THE COMMISSION WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION.
AND JUST TO CONFIRM, THE RECOMMENDATION FROM LAND USE WOULD BE THAT THE SETBACK WAIVER APPLICABILITY WOULD ONLY BE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE SITE AND WOULD NOT APPLY TO THE FRONT, THE REAR, OR THE OTHER SIDE, AND THAT YOU WOULD BE OKAY WITH THEIR PROPOSAL TO LIMIT THE DENSITY TO 75 UNITS PER ACRE.
[00:30:02]
THROUGH THE CHAIR CAN WE USE OUR REVISED ORDINANCE WITH 100 UNITS AN ACRE AS A HOBBY MEDIUM COMPROMISE AND THE SETBACKS THAT WE'VE PROPOSED? WE RECOMMENDED 150 SO THE COMMITTEE IS OKAY WITH 100? YOU COULD SAY 100.WE'RE KIND OF HONESTLY INDIFFERENT ON THE DENSITY WE'RE JUST TRYING TO REDUCE IMPACT IT DOESN'T AFFECT OUR PROJECT.
PUT AGAINST IT, AND YOU KNOW YOU'VE GOT PLENTY OF TIME TO KEEP TWEAKING THIS SO YOU KNOW IT'S JUST TO MOVE IT TO ANOTHER PLACE.
NICK, DID YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING? OKAY SO WE HAVE MOTION SECOND AS AMENDED AND DID YOU VOTE AGAINST THE COMMISSIONER BHATT SO IT'S TWO TO ONE COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE AS FAR AS IN FAVOR COMMISSIONER BHATT AGAINST OKAY AND THAT'S JUST PRETTY QUIET I DON'T KNOW GOT TO GET THROUGH THIS.
COMMISSIONER BHATT WHAT SETBACK ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH? I THINK THEY NEED TO KEEP WORKING ON THIS TO FIND A SOLUTION THAT DOESN'T.
I KNOW THAT DEAUVILLE HAS THE THING, BUT I DON'T WANT TO USE THAT PRECEDENT AS A PRECEDENT IN THIS WHOLE SECTION.
SO I JUST WANT THEM TO KEEP WORKING AT IT TO FIND A BETTER SOLUTION.
AND I HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT THEY WILL.
SO IT'S NOT KILLING THE PROJECT, IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW.
WELL, DO YOU WANT TO JUST KEEP IT AT LANEY'S THEN? I MEAN, YOU'VE GOT TWO MORE, YOU'VE GOT A PUBLIC MEETING COMING UP THIS WEEK.
YOU'RE GOING TO PLANNING BOARD, YOU'RE COMING, WHERE'S THE NEXT PLACE THAT YOU'RE COMING TO? AFTER THEIR PUBLIC MEETING, THEY WOULD BE GOING BACK TO THE PLANNING BOARD.
THEY'RE SCHEDULED TO GO BACK TO THE PLANNING BOARD ON JUNE 2ND.
IF THE PLANNING BOARD TRANSMITS THE ORDINANCE TO THE COMMISSION ON JUNE 2ND.
FIRST READING WOULD LIKELY BE IN JULY.
IS THAT ENOUGH TIME TO TRY TO FIGURE THIS OUT? AND YOU GUYS WILL FIGURE THIS OUT SO THAT I'M NOT, LIKE, LOSING SLEEP OVER A BUILDING FALLING DOWN NEXT DOOR TO YOURS? BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS THAT.
SO WE'RE GOOD, RIGHT? IT'S ALREADY BEEN VERY GOOD.
SO IT DOESN'T COME BACK TO LAND USE? IT JUST GOES TO THE PLANNING BOARD AND THEN THE COMMISSION MEETING? CORRECT.
NEXT TIME YOU SEE IT, IT'LL BE FIRST READING LIKELY IN JULY.
BUT DOES IT STOP AT PLANNING BOARD FIRST? YES.
NOW THAT WE'RE ON THE TOPIC OF REDUCING TRANSIENT USE TO RESIDENTIAL USES, LET'S CALL IT NUMBER ONE.
[1. DISCUSS LDR AMENDMENTS PERTAINING TO THE WASHINGTON AVENUE RESIDENTIAL PLAN]
DISCUSS LDR AMENDMENTS PERTAINING TO THE WASHINGTON AVENUE RESIDENTIAL PLAN.OKAY, TOM, YOU WANT TO BRING US UP TO SPEED? SURE.
AS THE COMMITTEE MAY RECALL, A VERY COMPREHENSIVE ORDINANCE THAT WOULD INCREASE FAR IN HEIGHT TO INCENTIVIZE NON-TRANSIENT RESIDENTIAL USES ALONG THE WASHINGTON AVENUE CORRIDOR, WHICH WENT THROUGH A VERY LENGTHY PLANNING BOARD PROCESS AS WELL AS THE LAND USE COMMITTEE.
WENT BEFORE THE CITY COMMISSION FOR FIRST READING ON FEBRUARY 5TH OF THIS YEAR 2026.
AFTER A LENGTHY DISCUSSION THE COMMITTEE REFERRED THE ITEM BACK TO THE LAND USE AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FOR ADDITIONAL DISCUSSIONS AFTER FIRST READING ON FEBRUARY 5TH IN CONSULTATION WITH THE ITEM SPONSOR THERE WERE SOME AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE WHICH ARE INCLUDED IN THE REVISED ORDINANCE FOR THIS DISCUSSION IN THIS REGARD, THE MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT FOR NON-TRANSIENT RESIDENTIAL HAS BEEN REDUCED FROM 100 FEET TO 75 FEET.
ADDITIONALLY, THE SETBACK REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN MODIFIED TO MOVE THE BUILDINGS FURTHER AWAY FROM PROPERTIES THAT ARE CLOSER TO FLAMINGO PARK ON THE WEST SIDE OF WASHINGTON AVENUE.
WE'VE ALSO INCLUDED A MAXIMUM UNIT SIZE REQUIREMENT.
AND THESE CHANGES ARE MEMORIALIZED IN THE REVISED ORDINANCE REGARDING HIKES AND SETBACKS FOR DISCUSSION AT THE LAND USE COMMITTEE.
THE ADMINISTRATION REMAINS HIGHLY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL, AND WE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THE LAND USE COMMITTEE ENDORSE THE PROPOSED MODIFICATIONS AND SEND IT BACK TO THE CITY COMMISSION WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION.
SO, TOM, RIGHT NOW THE INCENTIVE STILL IS TO BUILD HOTELS ON WASHINGTON AVENUE, CORRECT?
[00:35:01]
CORRECT.DOES THAT REMAIN IN PLACE? YES, THE HYDE INCENTIVE.
AND HOW MANY HOTELS HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THIS ON WASHINGTON AVENUE SINCE THE INCENTIVE FOR HOTELS? THREE, THE MOXIE, THE GOOD TIME, AND THE ANGLERS.
AND THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER HOTEL COMING ON WASHINGTON AVENUE, CORRECT? YES, THE HADDON HALL DEVELOPMENT, AND THEY WERE INCENTIVIZED BY THIS AS WELL.
WHY? THE REASON THAT WE'RE HIGHLY SUPPORTIVE IS THAT IN OUR EXPERIENCE, IN ORDER TO CHANGE THE...
IN ORDER TO CHANGE AN AREA FOR THE POSITIVE, TO ACTIVATE AN AREA, TO GO FROM AN AREA THAT IS CURRENTLY LACKING IN TERMS OF ADEQUATE TYPES OF COMMERCIAL USES, IS TO INTRODUCE A MIXED-USE COMPONENT, A TRUE MIXED-USE COMPONENT.
IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE, WASHINGTON AVENUE HAS PERMITTED RESIDENTIAL USES AS AN ALLOWABLE USE WITHOUT ANY INCENTIVES, AS OF RIGHT, SINCE AT LEAST 1989.
AND IN FACT, THERE'S ACTUALLY A 0.5 FAR BONUS TO DO RESIDENTIAL IN ADDITION TO THE 0.5 BONUS THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE FOR HOTELS.
BUT NOBODY HAS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
IN OUR EXPERIENCE, IN ORDER TO JUMPSTART AND TRULY INCENTIVIZE MIXED USE BY ADDING RESIDENTIAL, YOU WOULD NEED TO INCREASE THE FAR.
IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE, WE BELIEVE THAT THE PROPOSED INCREASE IN FAR WOULD STRIKE A CAREFUL BALANCE BETWEEN PRESERVING THE SCALE, CHARACTER, AND CONTEXT OF WASHINGTON AVENUE AND PROVIDING ENOUGH OF AN INCENTIVE FOR DEVELOPERS TO CONSIDER INVESTING THE MONEY TO DEVELOP A RESIDENTIAL PROJECT.
THERE ARE ALSO A NUMBER OF GUARDRAILS WITHIN THE ORDINANCE THAT WOULD NOT ALLOW IT TO GET OUT OF CONTROL, AND THESE INCLUDE THINGS SUCH AS LIMITING THE APPLICABILITY OF THE ORDINANCE TO NO LATER THAN 2032 UNLESS THE COMMISSION EXTENDS IT.
SO THAT WAY, IF THESE REGULATIONS ARE PUT IN PLACE, SOMEBODY WOULD HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT, GET A BUILDING PERMIT AND BUILD IT, AND THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO JUST SIT ON A DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL AND HOPE TO SELL IT IN 10 YEARS.
IF THE ORDINANCE IS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF AND PEOPLE BEGIN TO BUILD, WHICH IS WHAT THE INTENT OF VIDEOS.
THEN THE COMMISSION COULD JUST SIMPLY LET IT SUNSET IF THEY FELT THAT TOO MANY PROJECTS WERE BEING PROPOSED.
IF THERE WAS A CAREFUL BALANCE, THE COMMISSION COULD THEN DECIDE IN 2032 OR BEFORE WHETHER TO EXTEND IT OR NOT.
AND LET'S JUST GO BACK A LITTLE BIT IN HISTORY FOR WHEN THE HOTEL INCENTIVE WAS GIVEN.
YOU IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THROUGH OUR DISCUSSIONS, YOU ADVISED AGAINST THAT, AND YOU ADVISED FOR MORE RESIDENTIAL AT THE TIME.
AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME? THE WASHINGTON AVENUE COMMITTEE MET FOR ABOUT A YEAR, AND THEY DEBATED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE COMMITTEE FELT THAT WASHINGTON AVENUE WAS BETTER SUITED AS A COMMERCIAL DISTRICT, CATERING TOWARD NIGHTLIFE AND CATERING TOWARD HOTELS.
AND THEY DIDN'T THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO INCENTIVIZE RESIDENTIAL BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO MUCH OF A CONFLICT.
WE HAD RECOMMENDED THAT THE INCENTIVE BE FOR RESIDENTIAL BECAUSE THAT WOULD ESTABLISH MORE OF A TRUE MIXED-USE, LIVE-WORK-PLAY TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT THAT WE'VE SEEN THE SUCCESS OF IN OTHER AREAS OF THE CITY.
THE COMMITTEE DIDN'T RECOMMEND IT FOR THAT, AND THEN THE COMMISSION ENDED UP...
VOTING ON THE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT THAT INCLUDED THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND IF SOMEONE WERE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS, WOULD IT BE ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE TO, FOR EXAMPLE, LIVE LOCAL? YES.
IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF A LIVE LOCAL ACT PROJECT, WASHINGTON AVENUE IS AN ELIGIBLE AREA FOR A LIVE LOCAL ACT.
AND SO IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO BUILD.
BETWEEN 300 FEET AND POTENTIALLY UP TO 500 FEET, DEPENDING UPON THEIR THREE-QUARTER RADIUS FROM DISTRICTS THAT ALLOW A HIGHER HEIGHT, THEY COULD DO THAT WITHOUT ANY PUBLIC HEARINGS.
THIS PROVIDES AN ALTERNATIVE BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T GO TO THE SAME HEIGHT OR THE SAME FAR, IT DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME REQUIREMENT FOR MANDATORY 40% WORK FOR WORKFORCE OR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
[00:40:01]
WOULD BE A GOOD INCENTIVE BECAUSE IT WOULD GIVE PEOPLE FAR MORE OPTIONS.IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO DO AN ALL WORKFORCE AND AFFORDABLE PROJECT, THEY COULD DO THAT.
BUT IF THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT AND THEY WANTED IT TO BE MORE THE ATTAINABLE MODEL WHERE THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO COMMIT THEMSELVES TO WORKFORCE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THEN THIS WOULD BE A GOOD INCENTIVE AND A GOOD ALTERNATIVE TO POTENTIALLY UTILIZING A LIVE LOCAL ACT REGULATIONS.
TOM, ARE THERE TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS AND APPLICANTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY DISCUSSING AND SHOWING YOU LIVE LOCAL PROPOSALS FOR WASHINGTON AVENUE BETWEEN 300 AND 500 FEET? THEY ARE SICK OF US DRAGGING OUR FEET AND GETTING NOTHING DONE.
AND IF YOU COULD CLARIFY THAT THESE ARE NOT THE TYPICAL PEOPLE IN OUR CITY THAT JUST THROW A BUNCH OF LIVE LOCAL APPLICATIONS AND THROW STUFF AGAINST THE WALL HOPING TO THREATEN US, PLEASE CONFIRM THAT THESE ARE VERY SERIOUS GROUPS THAT HAVE NOT DONE BUSINESS IN OUR CITY BEFORE AND HAVE BUILT AND ARE BUILDING LIVE LOCAL PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
I'M AWARE OF ONE FOR SURE, AND BOTH MYSELF AND MEMBERS OF MY STAFF HAVE HAD MULTIPLE MEETINGS WITH THE GROUP.
THAT IS CONSIDERING A PROJECT AT THE CORNER OF 16TH AND WASHINGTON.
AND INITIALLY THEY HAD PROPOSED SOMETHING THAT WAS IN LINE WITH WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED UNDER THESE INCENTIVES.
AND MORE RECENTLY THEY'VE COME TO US WITH A POTENTIAL PROPOSAL FOR A LIVE LOCAL PROJECT, WHICH GOES MUCH HIGHER AND HAS A MUCH BIGGER BUILDING FOOTPRINT.
AND IN MY ESTIMATION, THEY APPEAR LIKE THEY WOULD BE READY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH EITHER OPTION.
TOM, HOW TALL WOULD A LIVE LOCAL PROJECT ON 12TH AND WASHINGTON BE ABLE TO AVAIL THEMSELVES? IF THEY'RE WITHIN THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE OF 7TH AND ALTON, WHICH I BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE, THEY COULD GO UP TO 519 FEET.
SO I'LL TELL YOU, THERE'S A LIVE LOCAL PROJECT THAT WILL GO FORWARD ON THAT SITE, THE RISHI KAPOOR SITE.
IT'S BY A GROUP THAT HASN'T DONE BUSINESS IN THE CITY AND IS AS SERIOUS AS IT COMES.
AND THEY'RE SICK OF US DRAGGING OUR FEET.
THEY WAITED TO SEE IF SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN, AND IT HASN'T.
AND THEY'RE GOING TO GO AND PUT A 500-FOOT BUILDING ON WASHINGTON AVENUE.
IT SHOULD HAVE ALL OF OUR NAMES ON THE PLAQUE OUT FRONT.
SO I THINK THE REASON I BROUGHT THIS ITEM FORWARD.
I'LL START WITH ONE IS AN AFFORDABILITY CRISIS.
WE HAVE A SITUATION NOT JUST UNIQUE TO MIAMI BEACH, BUT TO DADE COUNTY THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT JUST CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE.
AND IN FACT, IT'S GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE THE COUNTY IS CONSIDERING EXTENDING THE UDB TO DEVELOP IN THE EVERGLADES.
THAT'S HOW SERIOUS IT IS WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING.
WE JUST SIMPLY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH HOUSING.
AND FOR THE LONGEST TIME, MIAMI BEACH HAS BEEN VERY DIFFICULT WHEN IT COMES TO INCENTIVIZING THE RIGHT TYPE OF HOUSING.
WE, NOT WE, BUT THROUGH THE YEARS, THE COMMISSION HAS CERTAINLY GREEN-LIGHTED MANY LUXURY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS.
AND FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, WE DON'T REALLY BUILD ANY MORE HOUSING THAT CATERS TO THAT MISSING MIDDLE OF PEOPLE WHO MAKE MORE THAN THEY WOULD QUALIFY FOR GOVERNMENT HOUSING, BUT THEY CAN'T AFFORD A $2 TO $3 MILLION PLUS NEW CONSTRUCTION UNIT FOR RESIDENTIAL.
AND THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT.
IT'S BECAUSE LAND COST HAS GONE UP, CONSTRUCTION COST HAS GONE UP, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, OUR ZONING CODE HASN'T CHANGED SINCE 1989.
IN 1989, I WAS JUST LIKE FIVE YEARS OLD WHEN THIS WAS PASSED, AND WE UNFORTUNATELY HAVE NOT CAUGHT UP TO MODERN DAY.
YOU KNOW, MIAMI BEACH CAN CONTINUE TO APPROVE THESE ONE-OFF PROJECTS.
I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH ANY MORE DEVELOPERS COMING TO ME FOR A SPOT ZONE.
I WANT TO HAVE REAL URBAN PLANNING THAT ADDRESSES A CORRIDOR THAT, IN MY OPINION, IS STRUGGLING WITH VACANT STOREFRONTS AND UNSAVORY BUSINESSES.
[00:45:04]
HAVE REAL URBAN PLANNING, OUR PLANNING DIRECTOR IS FULLY SUPPORTIVE, AND ADDRESS THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMPONENT, I THINK THIS IS A WIN-WIN.SO I'D LIKE TO HEAR WHAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE TO SAY, COMMISSIONER BHATT AND COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE, AND COMMISSIONER MATTEO-SALINAS.
HEARING WHAT THE RESIDENTS SAID AND I KNOW WE HAD A VERY HEATED PRODUCTIVE SUNSHINE MEETING TIME AGO SO I APPRECIATE THESE CHANGES AND I WE ALL SHARE AS WE'VE ALREADY DISCUSSED THE DESIRE THE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING A COUPLE QUESTIONS TOM I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THIS AT ONE POINT I DON'T I JUST DON'T REMEMBER WHERE WE NETTED OUT OF AGGREGATION IS THERE A MAXIMUM NUMBER OF LOTS THAT CAN BE AGGREGATED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS? YES CURRENTLY UNDER THE REGULATIONS THE MINIMUM UNIT SIZE IS 13,000 BUT THERE IS NO MAXIMUM SO IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO AGGREGATE AN ENTIRE BLOCK THEY COULD AGGREGATE AN ENTIRE BLOCK BUT THERE'S A MINIMUM AND THE REASON WE ESTABLISHED A MINIMUM WAS TO ENSURE THAT IT WOULD BE UM A HOUSING PROJECT THAT WAS NOT GEARED TOWARD LARGER BOUTIQUE LUXURY UNITS SO 13 THOUSAND SQUARE FEET IS APPROXIMATELY LIKE WHAT AN EIGHTH OF TWO LOTS TWO LOTS YEAH SO UM AND THAT'S THAT'S THE MINIMUM.
RIGHT, SO I WOULD LIKE TO TOSS OUT TO THE GROUP PUTTING TOGETHER, PUTTING IN A MAXIMUM LOT AGGREGATION SO THAT WE DON'T END UP WITH A MONOLITHIC BLOCK.
I REMEMBER YEARS AGO WE TALKED ABOUT LOT AGGREGATION ON SINGLE FAMILY HOMES WHEN WE WERE TRYING TO INCENTIVIZE DIFFERENT KINDS OF DEVELOPMENT, AND IT WAS A HOT TOPIC.
AND WE DID END UP PUTTING IN, I THINK IT WAS A THREE LOT AGGREGATION THAT SERVED THE COMMUNITY WELL BECAUSE YOU COULD INCENTIVIZE DIFFERENT KINDS OF...
BUILDING WITHOUT TAKING OVER AND REALLY CHANGING THE CHARACTER OF A NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO CHAT ABOUT WITH THE GROUP.
AND THEN ALSO, HAS THERE BEEN FURTHER CONVERSATION WITH THE AFFECTED NEIGHBORS OF FLAMINGO PARK? LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR FIRST POINT.
AND THEN, WELL, JUST THE OTHER THING, WHERE DOES THIS STOP AFTER HERE, JUST SO I CAN UNDERSTAND? SO CURRENTLY THIS ITEM IS PENDING AT FIRST READING BEFORE THE COMMISSION.
SO DEPENDING UPON THE RECOMMENDATION AND THE ACTION BY THIS BOARD, IT COULD GO BACK TO THE COMMISSION FOR FIRST READING UNLESS YOU WANTED TO HAVE ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION AT A FUTURE LAND USE MEETING.
SO LET'S GO BACK TO THE FIRST POINT YOU BROUGHT UP, COMMISSIONER BHATT, A LOT OF AGGREGATION.
YOU KNOW, THERE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF A SHORT.
MODERATE HOUSING THAT WAS BUILT ON WASHINGTON BACK, I THINK, IN 2010 WAS THE COSMOPOLITAN.
AND IT IS ONE OF THE BEST SUCCESS STORIES OF ATTAINABLE HOUSING MIAMI BEACH HAS.
AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THE COSMOPOLITAN...
IT WAS SOUTH OF FIFTH, IT WAS NOT OCEANFRONT, IT TOOK UP THE WHOLE BLOCK ON WASHINGTON AVENUE, AND IT WAS ONE OF THE CATALYSTS THAT REALLY BROUGHT SOUTH OF FIFTH TO LIFE.
AND NOT ONLY THAT, IF YOU ALSO THINK ABOUT IT, IT WAS ALSO THE BIRTHPLACE OF A BILLION DOLLAR COMPANY THAT WE HAVE TODAY, PURA VIDA.
AND JUST THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A SECOND, BECAUSE THAT MIXED USE WAS SO SUCCESSFUL.
IN TERMS OF HOUSING AND STARTING A BUSINESS, THAT EVERYONE FROM AROUND THE WORLD WAS GOING THERE BECAUSE IT WAS SUCCESSFUL.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I'M A LITTLE CAUTIOUS TO PUT A CAP ON THE LOT.
I MEAN, I WOULD BE OKAY WITH PUTTING MULTIPLE BLOCKS, BUT THE COSMOPOLITAN WAS SUCH A SUCCESS STORY.
SO TO CLARIFY, I FORGOT ABOUT THE COSMOPOLITAN.
I MEAN EVEN THE ROXY IS BETTER THAN THE GOOD TIME HOTEL.
AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE MERITS OF THEIR BUSINESS UNITS OR WHAT THEIR USE IS.
I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT THE PRESENCE ON THE STREET BLOCK.
AND FOR THE RECORD, I AM A HUGE FAN OF MIXED-USE.
I MEAN EVERY SERIOUS CITY IN THE WORLD, YOU KNOW, IT'S PART OF THE CHARM.
LIKE YOU GET YOUR BAGELS DOWNSTAIRS, YOU WALK UP YOUR THIRD FLOOR WALK UP OR YOU'RE IN THE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER, ARUNDY SMALL IN PARIS, AND YOU'VE GOT THE STORES THAT HAVE BEEN THERE SINCE YOU KNOW,
[00:50:01]
MARIE ANTOINETTE WAS BEHEADED.LIKE, IT'S NOT RECOMMENDING ANYBODY GETTING BEHEADED, FOR THE RECORD.
I DON'T WANT MY WORDS TO BE MISCONSTRUED.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S PART OF THE CHARM OF LIVING IN THE CITY, RIGHT? IF WE WANTED TO LIVE IN THE SUBURBS, WE'D BE LIVING IN THE SUBURBS.
SO I HAVE NO ISSUE WITH THE GOAL OF THIS.
I MEAN, I THINK WE'VE ALL BEEN UNITED ON THIS GOAL FOR A LONG TIME.
I JUST THINK IT'S A LITTLE UNFAIR TO COMPARE WHAT HAPPENED AT THE GOOD TIME.
NO, THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE.
SO IF IT'S NOT LAW OF AGGREGATION, IS THERE SOME KIND OF PROVISION THAT IT NEEDS ANOTHER REVIEW OR SOME KIND OF CONVERSATION SO THAT BEFORE, LIKE I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT THING IS.
I GUESS MAYBE THE REVIEW IS WHAT HAPPENS IN THE DRB OR, TOM, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE WOULD JUST MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT BUILDING SOVIET-ERA HULAGS.
I THINK THERE'S A VERY ROBUST HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD REVIEW PROCESS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS.
AND I THINK IF WE WERE DEALING WITH EMPTY BLOCKS, THEN I THINK A LOT OF AGGREGATION LIMIT.
BUT SINCE WE'RE DEALING WITH BLOCKS THAT ARE ALL BUILT OUT WITH ZERO LOT LINES, WE HAVE A ROBUST ENOUGH HPV PROCESS WHERE THE HPV CAN CONTROL BOTH THE MOVEMENT OF BUILDINGS AS WELL AS THE SEPARATION OF BUILDINGS.
AND THEY HAVE DONE THAT IN THE PAST WHERE WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH LARGER LOTS, THEY'VE REQUIRED SEPARATION IN BUILDINGS SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE THOSE MONOLITHS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AND I THINK THAT WITH OUR CURRENT HPV PROCESS, THEY HAVE THAT AND THAT FLEXIBILITY IS ALSO IMPORTANT BECAUSE THERE ALSO ARE A NUMBER OF CONTRIBUTING BUILDINGS ALONG WASHINGTON AVENUE THAT YOU WOULD WANT THE FLEXIBILITY TO BUILD AROUND SO THAT YOU MAINTAIN THAT CONTRIBUTING BUILDING AND THEN HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY OF PUTTING THE NEW MASS SOMEWHERE ELSE AWAY FROM THE CONTRIBUTING BUILDING.
CAN I ASK THE CHAIR, AND THIS GOES AGAINST WHAT I JUST SAID ABOUT SITTING AROUND DRAGGING OUR FEET, BUT ESPECIALLY WITH THESE PROPOSED CHANGES THAT YOU READ IN TODAY.
WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND IS THAT WE BUY IN COMPREHENSIVELY ABOUT JUST THE GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO.
BUT THE LAST THING IN THE WORLD I WANT TO DO IS HAVE POLICY CHANGE THAT SERVES AS NO CATALYST BECAUSE IT'S NOT FEASIBLE, RIGHT? SO WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST ACTUALLY IS IF IT'S THE WILL OF THIS BODY AFTER DISCUSSION, HAVE ANOTHER MEETING THAT TALKS TO SOME OF THE PROPERTY OWNERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOP IT AND SAY, WE'RE LEAVING IT TO YOU TO ATTEMPT TO THREAD A NEEDLE.
YOU NEED TO TELL US WHAT WORKS, THAT IS ENOUGH OF A CATALYST THAT GETS DONE, BUT IS MINIMALIST ENOUGH THAT IS POLITICALLY FEASIBLE.
SO IF WE PASS, OK, 75 FEET, BUT IT NEEDS THIS PARKING X, Y, AND THAT'S JUST NOT REALISTIC.
WE'VE WASTED OUR ONE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO.
AND WE'RE JUST KIND OF, WITH RESPECT, FLYING BY THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS, THROWING SOME OF THESE THINGS UP.
WE SHOULD ACTUALLY TRY AND TALK TO THE PROPERTY OWNERS TO SAY, HELP US THREAD THIS NEEDLE OF CREATING A CATALYST THAT WILL DELIVER A PURA VIDA-ESQUE ENVIRONMENT WITH THE COSMOPOLITAN.
WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN? BUT IF YOU TRY AND BE A PIG, YOU TRY AND BE A HOG, AND DO TOO MUCH, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE PERSONALLY NOR POLITICALLY PALATABLE.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THE CHAIR WOULD HUMOR ME.
I DID CREATE A LITTLE PRESENTATION OVER THE WEEKEND IN A SIMPLISTIC FASHION THAT I'LL SPEED THROUGH, IF WE COULD JUST SEE, BECAUSE WE DO A LOT OF TALKING UP HERE.
RIGHT, AND SOMETIMES WE FORGET WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE, WHERE WE'RE AT.
SO IF YOU COULD JUST HUMOR ME MAYBE FOR TWO MINUTES TO JUST KIND OF GO THROUGH THIS.
I'M GOING TO GET A LITTLE JEALOUS.
ESSENTIALLY IT'S, OKAY, WHY ARE WE DOING THIS, RIGHT? IT'S NOT BECAUSE DEVELOPMENT AND NOT THIS.
ONE OF THE REASONS IS HOUSING IS OUT OF CONTROL IN OUR CITY, RIGHT? RENTS HAVE GONE IN A NON-LUXURY FROM $2,500 TO $5,500 PER MONTH.
AND WHY IS THAT? IT'S SIMPLE ECONOMICS, RIGHT? SUPPLY AND DEMAND.
BECAUSE OF THE EFFORTS OF A LOT OF US AND THE CRAZINESS IN SOME OTHER PLACES, MIAMI AND MIAMI BEACH HAVE BECOME A MUCH MORE ATTRACTIVE PLACE TO LIVE.
SO AS YOU INCREASE SUPPLY, I'M SORRY, AS YOU INCREASE DEMAND AND SUPPLY IS STATIC, THAT'S GOING TO SHOOT UP YOUR PRICES.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE SAW.
[00:55:02]
OF THE THINGS THAT IS LOST ON A LOT OF PEOPLE IS WE HAVEN'T ADDED ANY HOUSING INVENTORY.AT ALL THAT IS NOT LUXURY ON THE WATER.
TOM, YOU SENT ME THE ACTUAL NUMBERS.
IN THE PAST 12 YEARS, WE'VE ADDED THOUSANDS OF HOTEL ROOMS, THOUSANDS.
WE HAVE ADDED LESS THAN 200 IN 12 YEARS, NON-WATERFRONT MULTIFAMILY HOUSING UNITS.
AND FULL DISCLOSURE, I USE FIVE PARK AS WATERFRONT, OKAY? SO INCLUDING THAT AS WATERFRONT IS DEBATABLE.
BUT THAT IS ULTRA LUXURY AND IT WAS DESIGNED NOT TO BE ATTAINABLE HOUSING.
MULTI-FAMILY UNIT HOUSING UNITS IN OUR CITY.
THAT'S LESS THAN ONE LITTLE BUILDING IN WYNWOOD, RIGHT? AND WHILE THIS ISN'T SCIENTIFIC, I WOULD GUARANTEE WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD MORE MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING UNITS TAKEN OFF ONLINE IN FAVOR OF TRANSIENT USAGES, YOU KNOW, IN COLLINS PARK, SOME OF THOSE OLDER NEIGHBORHOODS.
THE SHOCKING FACT THAT WE'VE STARTED QUOTING, MIAMI BEACH IS THE ONLY CITY IN ALL OF FLORIDA THAT HAS LOST FULL-TIME RESIDENTS.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CHARACTER, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT ARCHITECTURE, IT'S ABOUT THE SUBSTANCE, NOT JUST THE STYLE.
AND THAT'S REFLECTIVE IN OUR ECONOMY AND THE TYPES OF BUSINESSES THAT ARE IN OUR CITY, WHY THERE ARE SOUVENIR SHOPS AND VAPE SHOPS.
AND NOW, AS OF THIS WEEKEND, ON WASHINGTON AVENUE, AFTER WHAT ESPANOLA WAY HAS DONE TO MAKE IT ONE OF THE COOLEST STREETS IN OUR CITY, IN OUR REGION.
YOU KNOW WHAT IS OPENING UP RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET? FRENCH MONTANA LIQUID GOLD.
HE OWNS A RECORD COMPANY CALLED THE COKE BOYS.
OKAY? ALL THE HARD WORK WE'RE DOING.
THE OWNER OF A RECORD COMPANY CALLED THE COKE BOYS, AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SODA, HAS HIS SIGNS IN THE WINDOW ACROSS THE STREET.
RIGHT NEXT TO THE NEW CHICKEN AND FROZEN DAUGHERTY STORE.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF WASHINGTON AVENUE.
THERE'S ALSO A PAWN SHOP THAT OPENED UP ON WASHINGTON AVENUE.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CHARACTERS, NOT JUST ABOUT ARCHITECTURE, RIGHT? IMAGINE IF ANY OF US WERE RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION AND WE WERE MEETING SOMEBODY, WE WERE MEETING CHANNEL 6 AND WANTED TO DO AN INTERVIEW ABOUT WHAT WE'RE PROUD OF.
WOULD WE TELL THEM TO MEET US ON WASHINGTON AVENUE, RIGHT? IF YOU'RE MEETING WITH FAMILIES AND TRYING TO SELL THEM ON OUR CITY, WOULD YOU TAKE THEM TO WASHINGTON AVENUE? I WOULDN'T TAKE MY OWN FAMILY.
I'M EMBARRASSED, RIGHT? SO THE RESULT IS PEOPLE CAN'T LIVE IN OUR CITY ANYMORE.
WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT, OH MY GOSH, WE NEED AFFORDABLE HOUSING BECAUSE...
THE POOREST IN OUR SOCIETY CAN'T LIVE HERE.
MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE CAN'T LIVE HERE, OKAY? SEGAFREDO, WHY THEY SHUT DOWN? NOT BECAUSE OF A GREEDY LANDLORD OR HIGH RENTS.
THE CITY WENT TO THEM AND SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE'LL GIVE YOU A REVENUE SHARE.
DON'T PAY US RENT BECAUSE I STILL CAN'T MAKE IT WORK, RIGHT? BECAUSE THERE'S NO RESIDENTS THAT SUPPORT THOSE TYPES OF BUSINESSES, OKAY? SO WHAT THIS IS NOT, THIS ISN'T SOME DEVELOPER GIVEAWAY.
LIVE LOCAL IS A DEVELOPER GIVEAWAY.
THE SPONSOR OF THE BILL, I BEGGED FOR A CHANGE THE DAY THAT IT WAS GOING BECAUSE I KNEW WHEN I SAW IT WRITTEN, I KNEW EXACTLY THE DEVELOPER THAT WRITTEN THAT AMENDMENT.
AND I ASKED FOR AN EXCEPTION TO THAT AND WE DIDN'T GET IT.
YOU KNOW WHAT? BECAUSE BILLION DOLLAR DEVELOPERS ARE A LOT MORE STRONG, STRONGER THAN US.
SO WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING THAT IS FOR US, NOT DEVELOPER DRIVEN, RIGHT? THAT IS THE SOLUTION.
PJ, IF WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT ONE.
BUT THAT'S WHY TALLAHASSEE STEPPED IN.
THAT'S WHY TALLAHASSEE STEPPED IN.
AND THESE LAWS, THESE ARE THE ONES THAT THREATEN THE CHARACTER OF OUR CITY.
500-FOOT TOWERS, 300-FOOT TOWERS THAT WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER.
THAT IS WHAT THREATENS OUR CITY.
RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT THREATENS THE HISTORIC NATURE, THE LOW-SCALE DENSITY, THE LIVABILITY OF MIAMI BEACH.
RIGHT? THAT IS THE THREAT TO MIAMI BEACH.
WE CAN DO BETTER IF WE CAN CONTROL THAT.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS, THIS ISN'T, OH MY GOSH, LET'S REDEVELOP.
CREATING A CITY THAT WE WANT TO SEE.
IF LIVE LOCAL WASN'T EVEN THE ALTERNATIVE, I'D STILL SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? WASHINGTON AVENUE IS NOT
[01:00:02]
ACCEPTABLE IN OUR CITY.LET'S CREATE WHAT WE WANT TO SEE.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CHANGING ZONING, IF YOU HAD TO HAVE A ONE-SENTENCE DEFINITION OF WHAT ZONING IS, IT'S CREATING THE CITY YOU WANT TO SEE.
SO WHY WOULD WE NOT PASS ZONING THAT CREATES THE CITY THAT WE WANT TO SEE? I DON'T WANT TO SEE FRENCH MONTANA'S COKE BOYS ON WASHINGTON AVENUE.
I DON'T WANT TO SEE FROZEN DAIGERTIES.
I DON'T WANT TO SEE TACO BELL CANTINA SERVING FROZEN MARGARITAS WITH ALCOHOL.
BRAWLS OUTSIDE OF NIGHTCLUBS AT VENDOME.
I NO LONGER WANT TO A MOTHER'S DAY SUNDAY.
GO TO WASHINGTON AVENUE AT 9 A.M.
TO MEET WITH THE NEWS, TALKING ABOUT A BOUNCER THAT WAS EXECUTED AFTER BEING SHOT IN THE HEAD.
THAT'S HOW I SPENT MY MOTHER'S DAY TWO YEARS AGO.
WE CAN PASS ZONING, CREATING THE CITY THAT WE WANT TO SEE.
IT'S NOT SMOKE SHOPS, VAPE SHOPS.
IT'S A LIVABLE, WALKABLE, VIBRANT AREA WITH CORNER CAFES LIKE IN PARIS, LIKE PURA VIDA.
FOCUSED ON THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS WE ALL TALK ABOUT.
AND PERHAPS IT'S THE CATALYST, PERHAPS IT'S SECONDARY, BUT IT ALSO PROVIDES A DIGNIFIED LIVING FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN PRICED OUT OF OUR CITY.
SO IT'S OUR CHOICE, IT'S OUR FUTURE.
WE CAN DRAG OUR FEET, OR PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET FED UP OF THAT.
THEY'RE GOING TO OPEN THE COKE BOYS LIQUID GOLD, OR THEY'RE GOING TO SUBMIT A LIVE LOCAL APPLICATION FOR 300 FEET OR 500 FEET.
AND IF YOU COULD HUMOR ME ON ONE MORE SLIDE, RIGHT? THE ONLY WAY, I KNOW GOVERNMENT WANTS TO BE THE END-ALL, BE-ALL SOLUTION AND PUT OUR FINGERS ON ANYTHING.
IF DEMAND STAYS CONSTANT OR RISES, THE ONLY THING THAT CAN BE DONE TO BRING DOWN PRICES IS MORE SUPPLY.
IT IS THE MOST BASIC ECONOMIC PRINCIPLE THAT THERE IS.
BUT THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT HOUSING.
IT'S ABOUT CREATING A STRONGER LOCAL ECONOMY SO THOSE BUSINESSES CAN BE SUPPORTED.
DEROCCO, EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE SUSHI PLACE ON LINCOLN ROAD, HE SAID IT IN THE NEWSPAPER IN MIAMI NEW TIMES.
HE SAID THE CROWD THAT I HAD THAT WOULD COME TO MY HAPPY HOURS NO LONGER EXISTED IN MIAMI BEACH.
IT'S GREAT FOR CHEESECAKE FACTORY.
IT'S NOT GREAT FOR BOOKS AND BOOKS, RIGHT? BETTER RETAIL.
YOU WALK DOWN WASHINGTON AVE, SOUVENIR STORE, SOUVENIR STORE, VAPE SHOP, TOBACCO SHOP.
WHY IS THAT? I DON'T BLAME STORES.
THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY RESPONDING TO THE ECOSYSTEM THAT WE'VE LET FORM AROUND IT.
THIS ISN'T ABOUT TOTALLY DISRUPTING THE CHARACTER.
THIS IS ABOUT RESTORING, RIGHT? THIS IS ABOUT RESTORING.
STORING THE CHARACTER WE WANT TO SEE.
I HAVE NO INTEREST IN PRESERVING SOMETHING WE'RE NOT PROUD OF.
I HAVE A SIGNIFICANT INTEREST IN HELPING CRAFT SOMETHING THAT IN 30 YEARS FROM NOW, PEOPLE WANT TO PRESERVE BECAUSE OF HOW SPECIAL THAT IT IS.
THIS ALSO PROVIDES PUBLIC SAFETY.
MORE RESIDENTS HAVE A MORE VESTED INTEREST IN LOOKING AFTER THE COMMUNITY.
THERE'S MORE EYEBALLS ALWAYS ON THE STREET.
WE HAVE PROBLEMATIC AREAS IN OUR CITY THAT CONTINUE TO BE A HOTBED AND A MAGNET FOR TROUBLE.
AND THEY ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, RUN DOWN BLADED COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS.
THERE'S A REASON WHY THERE'S NOT A LOT OF NOT A LOT OF CRIME OUTSIDE OF PURA VIDA.
AND IT'S GOOD FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT.
WE ALSO CAN MASTER PLAN THE PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY.
WE CAN HAVE LUSH GREEN ENVIRONMENTS THAT GO ALONG WITH THIS.
I'M NOT INTERESTED IN THE CONCRETE CANYON.
I KNOW NONE OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE AS WELL.
SO WE CAN DICTATE, WE CAN DRIVE WHAT IS GOING TO BE IN THE PUBLIC RIGHTS OF A WAY AROUND THAT.
THIS CAN BE A GEM, RIGHT? IF WE HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE VISION THAT WE GET RIGHT, AND THE SLATE IS BLANK, THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF THIS.
IT'S ACTUALLY ONE OF THE REASONS WHY LINCOLN ROAD PROBABLY WON'T WORK, BECAUSE THAT ACTUALLY PERFORMS WELL ENOUGH.
IT IS VERY HARD TO PROVIDE A CATALYST FOR CHANGE.
WE'RE LUCKY WE DON'T NEED TO PROVIDE A 300-FOOT OR A 200-FOOT CATALYST TO REDEVELOP A SMOKE SHOP, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE A BLANK SLATE.
IT'S NOT ALL GOING TO HAPPEN ALL AT ONCE BECAUSE THESE PLACES HAVE LEASES, SO WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT, OH, MY GOSH, THERE'S GOING TO BE SO MUCH CHANGE.
IT'S NOT THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS, RIGHT?
[01:05:01]
MORE VALUE, MORE STABILITY, MORE WALKABILITY.THINK ABOUT HOW MANY COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES ARE ON WASHINGTON AVENUE.
SO ANY OF THEM THAT ARE BEING SUPPORTED, BY DEFINITION, PEOPLE HAVE TO DRIVE TO.
THAT IS WHY OUR TRAFFIC IS SO BAD.
IT'S THE SAME ALONG ALTON ROAD.
SO BY DEFINITION, PEOPLE HAVE TO DRIVE TO THEM.
I WANT TO SEE A VIBRANT NEIGHBORHOOD.
THIS ISN'T ABOUT DEVELOPMENT TO ME.
IF I COULD MAKE ALL OF THESE GOALS HAPPEN.
BY KEEPING IT AS IS? I'D LOVE TO, BUT WE CAN'T.
SO LET'S CREATE THE CITY THAT WE WANT TO SEE.
AND THAT'S WHY, THANK YOU, PJ, RESPECTFULLY, I THINK THE BEST BET IS IF WE CAN BUY COMPREHENSIVELY INTO THE SOAPBOX THAT I JUST GOT ON.
BUT SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE'LL SIT DOWN WITH SOME PROPERTY OWNERS, AND TOM CAN BE INCLUDED, SO IT'S ALL OUT IN THE OPEN.
LET'S GET, OKAY, THIS PARKING'S GOING TO WORK.
THIS SETBACK IS GOING TO WORK.
BECAUSE THERE'S NO SENSE GOING THROUGH THIS AGITA AND THEN PASSING SOMETHING THAT JUST DOESN'T WORK.
SO LET'S GET IT RIGHT, BUT LET'S BE SWIFT, AND LET'S DO IT WITH CONVICTION.
THE COMMUNITY REACTS TO THE TONE THAT WE SET.
IF WE DO THIS KIND OF BITING OUR TEETH, OH, MY, OKAY, FINE.
IF WE SAT HERE AND ALL BOUGHT INTO THIS AND SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? THIS ISN'T ABOUT THE...
DEVELOPMENT OR THIS ISN'T ABOUT THIS PART OF THE PROBLEM IS I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO ANY OF THESE PROPERTY OWNERS ARE AS I KNOW MOST OF YOU SO THIS ISN'T SOME DEVELOPER DRIVEN GIVEAWAY RIGHT IF WE WOULD SIT THERE AND GO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS GOING TO BE OUR LASTING LEGACY AND WE ARE SO FREAKING PROUD OF THIS IT'S UNREAL BECAUSE AN AREA THAT NO MATTER WHO YOU ASK NO MATTER WHO YOU ASK STAND OUTSIDE OF WHOLE FOODS TALK TO A VISITOR THAT'S HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME UNIFORMLY THEY WOULD SAY, WHAT THE HELL IS WASHINGTON AVENUE? WE GET TO CREATE OUR LASTING LEGACY HERE, RIGHT? OUR LASTING LEGACY.
THIS COULD BE THE MOST IMPACTFUL CATALYST FOR MIAMI BEACH, FOR AFFORDABILITY, FOR THE DIGNITY OF PEOPLE LIVING HERE, FOR THE VIBRANCY OF OUR CITY.
AND CREATING SOMETHING THAT IS WORTHY ENOUGH, THE COMMISSION'S 30 YEARS FROM NOW.
WANT TO PRESERVE WHAT WE'VE CREATED.
COMMISSIONER, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
APPRECIATE YOU PUTTING THAT TOGETHER AND REALLY BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT IT.
I THINK WE BOTH SHARE THAT SENTIMENT.
AND I THINK YOU HIT IT ON THE HEAD, RIGHT? LET'S REALLY PLAN OUT WHAT A CITY WE WANT, INSTEAD OF THE OTHER WAY AROUND WHERE A DEVELOPER COMES TO US SAYING THIS IS HOW WE WANT, THIS IS MY VISION FOR FOR THIS PARTICULAR BLOCK OR NEIGHBORHOOD, I WANT TO CREATE A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT MY KIDS CAN LIVE IN THE NEXT, YOU KNOW, OUR KIDS, ALL OF OUR KIDS CAN LIVE IN THE NEXT, ALL OF OUR KIDS CAN LIVE IN THE NEXT 20, 30 YEARS.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, SOMETHING THAT THEY COULD PROBABLY AFFORD BY THEMSELVES AND NOT HAVE TO COME TO US FOR, YOU KNOW, TO BORROW MONEY TO OR US.
TO PAY THEIR RENT WHERE IT'S AFFORDABLE.
AND SIMILAR TO WHAT SOUTH OF FIFTH WAS WHEN IT WAS BUILT 10, 20 YEARS AGO.
AND BY THE WAY, THE REASON SOUTH OF FIFTH IS SO EXPENSIVE ALSO NOW, AT LEAST IN THE INFILL, IS BECAUSE YOU JUST DON'T MAKE ANY MORE OF THAT INFILL, NEW CONSTRUCTION THAT PEOPLE REALLY WANT AND ARE SOUGHT AFTER.
AND I BELIEVE WE DISCUSSED THIS WITH COMMISSIONER VAUGHN, IS WE HAVE THAT MOVE UP.
I THINK YOU'RE THE ONE WHO BROUGHT THAT FORWARD OR EXPLAIN IT IS RIGHT NOW PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN FLAMINGO PARK THEY CAN MOVE UP TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF A NEW CONSTRUCTION AND IT PROVIDES MORE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE THAT DO WANT TO LIVE TO THE BEACH AND WHO CAN NOW MOVE INTO FLAMINGO PARK BECAUSE THE PEOPLE LIVING IN FLAMINGO PARK HAVE NOW MOVED UP AND SO IN COMMISSION, IF I COULD ALSO ADD JUST ONE POINT TO THAT, BECAUSE I'M GOING THROUGH WITH MY OWN FAMILY RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? TAKE SOMEBODY LIKE MY DAUGHTER'S MOTHER.
SHE WANTS TO OR NEEDS TO MOVE TO MIAMI BEACH.
AND SHE GOES, OKAY, MY BUDGET IS $4,000 A MONTH, RIGHT? AND HOUSING LIKE THIS ISN'T AVAILABLE? WELL, THEY'RE GOING TO GO AND BID UP THE PRICE OF FLAMINGO PARK.
[01:10:02]
HAS BECOME SO EXPENSIVE.IF YOU LOOK AT TWO TWOS THERE.
YOU'RE TALKING, AND I JUST DID THIS ANALYSIS I'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS, TWO RENTALS IN FLAMINGO PARK, 700 SQUARE FEET.
THEY'RE ACTUALLY TWO ONE UNITS GOING IN THE $3,000 PER MONTH RANGE.
SIX OR 700 SQUARE FEET, TWO BEDROOMS, ONE BATH, AND IT PROBABLY WASN'T EVEN REALLY MEANT FOR TWO BEDROOMS. RIGHT NOW, $3,200, $3,300 PER MONTH.
BUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, PEOPLE LIKE MY DAUGHTER'S MOM ARE GOING TO COME IN AND GO, I NEED TO LIVE IN MIAMI BEACH WHERE MY DAUGHTER'S GROWING UP OR I JUST REALLY WANT TO LIVE HERE.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? THERE'S NO HOUSING.
LIKE GET THE COSMOPOLITAN AVAILABLE ANYMORE.
SO I'M GOING TO GO AND RENT IN FLAMINGO PARK.
AND THAT'S GOING TO DISPLACE THE PEOPLE THAT CAN'T BID WITH HER, THAT FORCE THAT DOWNWARD.
COMMISSIONER MATTEO-SALINAS, DID YOU WANT TO ADD? YEAH, A COUPLE THINGS.
I, COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE, APPRECIATE WHAT YOU STATED ABOUT MEETING WITH SOME DEVELOPERS BECAUSE I AGREE WITH YOU.
YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT HAVE IN OUR MIND, WE WANT THIS, WE WANT THE COURTS, WE WANT THE COSMOPOLITAN, BUT IS THAT REALISTIC? AND THEN, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I WORRY THAT THE LEGISLATION, IT HAS A MINIMUM, WELL, OUR MINIMUM UNIT SIZE IS ALREADY, WHAT IS IT, TOM, 500? 550.
SO THIS IS LOWERING IT TO 500 SQUARE FEET PER RESIDENTIAL UNIT AND THEN IT CAPS IT AT 01,300.
I MEAN, IF WE HAVE PEOPLE LIKE YOUR DAUGHTER'S MOTHER, AND I HAVE FRIENDS AS WELL, THAT HAVE A KID OR TWO, THAT WANT A TWO-BEDROOM THAT'S NOT 600 SQUARE FEET.
SO, AND I CAN GUARANTEE YOU EVERY UNIT IN THE COSMOPOLITAN IS BIGGER THAN 1,300 SQUARE FEET.
TOM, WHAT'S THE AVERAGE? THEY WOULD GO FROM ONE BEDROOM IS ABOUT 700.
UP TO YOUR TWO BEDROOMS PROBABLY 1300 IF YOU WANTED THREE BEDROOMS, THEY'D BE SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THAT I THOUGHT THE TWO BEDROOMS WERE 1800 BUT I COULD BE WRONG ON THAT BUT JUST TO THAT POINT THE REASON WE CAPPED IT AND AND THIS WASN'T AN ARBITRARY CAP THIS IS WHAT OUR PLANNING DIRECTOR SUGGESTED IS TO REALLY LUXURY EXACTLY I'M SORRY LISTEN AND BY THE WAY, WE JUST THE REASON WHY WE PUT A CAP ON THE MAXIMUM UNIT SIZE IS TO PREVENT ULTRA LUXURY ON WASHINGTON, WHICH BY THE WAY WE JUST APPROVED, RIGHT, TO MOVE FORWARD ON THE OCEANFRONT.
BUT THIS IS TWO BLOCKS FROM THE OCEAN.
SO I THINK, WHICH, SO MY POINT IS...
RIGHT, CORRECT, WHICH IS WHY IT WON'T BE LUXURY.
BUT IT'S CLOSE ENOUGH, RIGHT? BUT AT ANY RATE, YOU KNOW...
AT A CERTAIN HEIGHT, IT DOES BECOME LUXURY BECAUSE YOU ARE LOOKING, OVERLOOKING THE OCEAN.
BUT I'M JUST WORRIED THAT WHATEVER THE HEIGHT IS, THE UNITS WILL BE TOO SMALL TO ACTUALLY HAVE...
WHAT WE NEED FOR FAMILIES TO THRIVE HERE, FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GROW A FAMILY.
YOU KNOW, WE NEED MORE, AND WE ALL KNOW THIS.
WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TWO BEDROOMS OR THREE BEDROOMS. WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH EVEN SIZABLE ONE BEDROOMS. SO I JUST WANT TO BE CAREFUL THAT WE MAY WANT SOMETHING, BUT WE MIGHT GET SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
BECAUSE IF WE GET A BUNCH OF 500, 550, 600 UNITS STUDIOS, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THE TYPE OF WASHINGTON AVENUE WHERE WE HAVE FAMILIES WALKING AROUND.
SO I WANT TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT THAT, WHICH IS WHY I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU SAID.
LET'S TALK TO THESE DEVELOPERS TO SAY, IS THIS EVEN FEASIBLE? I DON'T KNOW BECAUSE I'M NOT A DEVELOPER OR AN ARCHITECT.
NICK, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU.
WOULD IT BE FEASIBLE TO CREATE A CRA IN WASHINGTON AVENUE AREA? WHAT DO WE DO? WE SAY IT'S BLIGHTED, AND THEN WE CAN CREATE A CRA? I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE COUNTY I'VE HAD MANY GOOD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COUNTY.
WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THE STATE IS TRYING TO END CRAS, UNFORTUNATELY, AND THEN THE COUNTY, THEY WOULDN'T GIVE IT TO THEM.
IN FACT, ONE OF THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS SAYS, WE NEED ANOTHER CRA, LIKE WE NEEDED A HOLE IN OUR HEAD.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
BUT LOOK, I DO UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERN WITH FAMILIES.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S NOT JUST FOR FAMILIES, IT'S ALSO FOR SCHOOL TEACHERS, RIGHT? FOR NURSES.
BUT WE DO NEED A MIX ALSO FOR FAMILIES.
SO IT CAN'T JUST BE 500 FOR A FAMILY.
CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, TOM, BUT YOU CAN HAVE A ONE OR TWO KID FAMILY IN 1,300 SQUARE FEET.
I THINK THAT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL.
IT'S NOT AGAIN, IT'S NOT FOR FAMILIES WITH FOUR OR FIVE KIDS, BUT IF YOU ARE A MARRIED COUPLE AND YOU HAVE ONE KID, I MEAN YOU COULD CERTAINLY MAKE IT WORK.
YOU CAN MAKE IT WORK WITH TWO.
AND THEN YOU KNOW WHAT? WHEN YOU AND YOUR FAMILY DOES GROW, YOU MOVE UP.
YOU MOVE UP TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN MIAMI BEACH.
[01:15:01]
MAYBE YOU PURCHASE A SINGLE-FAMILY HOME.IT'S NOT NECESSARILY FOR EVERYONE.
IT'S TO ACCOMMODATE A MISSING MIDDLE, ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE THAT ALREADY WORK IN MIAMI BEACH.
I MEAN, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, AT 5 O'CLOCK, 9 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND 5 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT, THERE'S TRAFFIC, RIGHT? AND THEY'RE JUST LEAVING THE BEACH.
WHY ARE THEY LEAVING THE BEACH? I MEAN, YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO WORK AT THE FOUNTAIN BLUE, YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO WORK AT MOUNT SINAI, YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO WORK AT THE LOWE'S, YOU HAVE THE WHOLE INDUSTRY.
THEY'RE LEAVING BECAUSE THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE.
THEY'RE LEAVING BECAUSE THEY WANT SPACE.
THEY WANT MORE SPACIOUS APARTMENTS.
IT IS BOTH, BUT IT'S HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY FOR YOUR SPACE? EXACTLY.
WORKERS, I'LL KEEP USING MY DAUGHTER'S MOTHER AS AN EXAMPLE.
IT'S NOT BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING IN MIAMI BEACH THAT SHE COULD AFFORD TO PAY FOR.
IT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR WHAT YOU'RE PAYING.
AND I THINK WE'RE SAYING THE SAME THING.
AFFORDABILITY IS ALSO WHAT YOU'RE GETTING FOR THAT PRICE.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US BUMP UP THE MINIMUM UNIT SIZE A LITTLE BIT, MAYBE TO 600 SQUARE FEET, AND THE MAXIMUM TO MAYBE 1,400 OR 1,500.
ONLY SO THAT WAY WE DON'T GET A BUNCH OF SMALL UNITS.
YEAH, SO WE LEAVE ALL THESE OPTIONS ON THE TABLE OVER THE NEXT MONTH.
BUT AS WE SPEAK WITH DEVELOPERS AND STUFF, WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
I KNOW YOU'RE NOT PART OF THIS COMMITTEE, BUT I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO LOOK AT IT AND ACCOMMODATE THAT.
I THINK IF WE NEED TO BUMP IT UP, THAT'S FINE.
I ALSO WANT TO DEFER TO THE EXPERTS ON THE MATTER, TOM.
HOW DOES STAFF FEEL ABOUT INCREASING THE MINIMUM SIZE TO 600? BY THE WAY, AND THE ONLY REASON I LIKE 500 IS BECAUSE MY FIRST PLACE THAT I PURCHASED IN MIAMI BEACH WAS 520, 550, AND IT WAS A GREAT FIRST STARTING POINT FOR ME AS LIKE A YOUNG ADULT AND A FIRST-TIME HOMEOWNER.
AND I THINK THAT IS ATTAINABLE.
BUT AS FAR AS THE MAXIMUM, HOW DOES STAFF FEEL ABOUT IT? I MEAN, IT'S OUR GOAL, AS YOU CORRECTLY STATED, WAS TO.
ENSURE THAT THESE DON'T BECOME LARGE LUXURY TYPE UNITS.
I THINK INCREASING IT TO 14 OR EVEN 1500 IS REASONABLE BECAUSE IN 14 TO 15, LIKE 1300, YOU'LL STILL BE ABLE TO GET ONE, TWO, THREE PERSON FAMILY IN THERE VERY EASILY.
ONCE YOU GET OVER 1500 FEET, I THINK AT THAT POINT IT DOES START TO BECOME MORE OF THE LARGER LUXURY TYPE UNITS THAT DOES IMPACT THE NUMBER OF UNITS YOU CAN HAVE.
KEEPING THE FIVE HUNDRED FEET AS A MINIMUM BECAUSE AS YOU SAID IT DOES PROVIDE FOR MORE VARIETY WHAT WAS THE OTHER POINT MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM BUT THIS IS SOMETHING WE CAN WORK BETWEEN NOW AND FIRST READING COMMISSION ...
COMMISSIONER BHATT DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANTED TO ADD YES I'LL TAKE A POINT OF PRIVILEGE IF I MIGHT.
YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY SAID $3,200 PER MONTH FOR A CONDO.
AS A POINT OF REFERENCE, MY MORTGAGE WHEN I LEFT MY PARKVIEW ISLAND TOWNHOUSE WAS AROUND $3,200, INCLUDING INSURANCE, WHICH IS, AS WE ALL KNOW, SUPER EXPENSIVE HERE.
IT WAS A FOUR-BEDROOM, THREE-AND-A-HALF BATHROOM.
22 SQUARE, 2200 SQUARE FOOT, JUST UNDER, TWO-STORY TOWNHOUSE WITH FOUR PARKING SPACES.
AND YOU'RE ON THE WATER, RIGHT? WATERFRONT, 30 FEET, NO FIXED BRIDGES TO OPEN WATER.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS GETTING FOR 3200 SQUARE FEET, FOR $3200 A MONTH FOR A MORTGAGE.
TWO BEDROOMS, DRY LOTS SHOULD NOT COST THAT MUCH MONEY HERE.
700 SQUARE FEET, 60-YEAR-OLD BUILDINGS.
BUT THAT'S WHAT NOT ADDING SUPPLY DOES.
SO JUST FOR POINT OF REFERENCE, AND I WILL MISS THAT TOWNHOUSE EVERY DAY UNTIL I DIE.
I ALSO WANT TO JUST SAY, JOE, YOU AND I HAVE BEEN FRIENDS SINCE I WAS ON THE PLANNING BOARD, AND YOU WERE JUST A WELL-INFORMED.
VERY SMART RESIDENT WHO WOULD SEND ME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT AS I WAS PONDERING AND WE BECAME FRIENDS THAT WAY AND NOW LOOK AT US HERE.
IT'S INSANE THAT I THOUGHT ANYBODY THAT WAS ELECTED WOULD ACTUALLY READ THESE LIKE 15 PAGE DIATRIBES ON PENSION FUNDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT IS A PRIVILEGE AND REALLY FUN TO DO THIS TOGETHER BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING YOU AND I HAVE BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME.
[01:20:01]
AND YOU KNOW, THREE OF US ARE TWO AND A HALF YEARS INTO IT, AND IT HAS BEEN A BUMPY ROAD.I THINK WE CAN SAY THAT FAIRLY.
AND I AM REALLY PROUD, DAVID, OF YOUR WORKING ON THIS UNTIL IT CAN GET TO A PLACE THAT I THINK MOST PEOPLE WILL FEEL GOOD ABOUT.
AND I LOVE THE IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, SLOWING THIS DOWN JUST SLIGHTLY, NOT DELAYING MONTHS, BUT HAVING SOME MORE CONVERSATIONS TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE DETAILS RIGHT.
AND WHAT YOU GUYS MAY NOT KNOW, AND MONICA, YOU MAY NOT KNOW ALSO, IS THAT SOLBROS AND BERNARD ZYSKOVIC ARE MEETING WITH ERIC CARPENTER NEXT WEEK TO TALK ABOUT POTENTIALLY DOING A SORT OF A HOLISTIC MASTER PLAN THAT TAKES THIS KIND OF THING INTO ACCOUNT.
AND WHAT YOU TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF GREENIFYING CERTAIN STREETS AND, YOU KNOW, PROPER, HOLISTIC, COMMUNITY BUILDING, URBAN PLANNING WITH ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES.
LIKE HOW DO WE CONNECT WASHINGTON DIRECTLY TO FLAMINGO? CAN WE MAKE SOME GREEN SPACES? HOW DO WE CONNECT IT TO LINCOLN ROAD? CAN WE MAKE SOME MORE GREEN SPACES? I THINK THIS IS COMING IN, SINCE YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS.
I'M REALLY, AND I AGREE WITH MONICA ABOUT MAYBE THE SIZING CAN BE TWEAKED SLIGHTLY TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT CUTTING ANYBODY OFF.
BUT I'M VERY HAPPY TO SAY AND PROUD TO SAY THAT I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THIS WITH THE CAVEAT THAT WE KEEP HAVING THE CONVERSATIONS.
JUST REALLY, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THOSE I'S ARE DOTTED, THE T'S ARE CROSSED, AND WE MEASURE TWICE AND THROW ALL MY...
I GIVE YOU A LOT OF CRAP, BUT I WILL DEFINITELY THROW YOU FLOWERS.
YOU DON'T GIVE ME A LOT OF CRAP, COMMISSIONER.
LISTEN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK ALL OF US HERE HAVE THE BEST INTENTIONS FOR MIAMI BEACH.
WE JUST WANT TO MAKE THE BEST USE OF OUR TIME HERE FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN.
WE WANT TO MAKE THE BEST USE OF OUR TIME UP HERE AS A FUTURE FOR OUR FAMILY, OUR FRIENDS' FAMILY, OUR NEIGHBORS' FAMILIES, AND THEIR FUTURE.
AND I THINK WE'RE ON THE RIGHT PATH.
I ALSO HAVE A MEETING WITH SAUL AND ZAY.
SPEAKING OF PUBLIC INPUT, I THINK IF THERE'S ANY PUBLIC COMMENT THAT I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYONE IN ZOOM TO SPEAK, BUT I'M SURE.
OH, MY GOSH, YOU GUYS, I KNOW YOU DON'T WANT ME.
FIRST, I WANTED TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR HEARING RESIDENTS' CONCERNS ABOUT HEIGHT AND KIND OF MODIFYING HOW YOU DID THAT.
THAT GOES NOTICE, SO THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING SOME OF THE CHANGES AROUND HEIGHT, AND I APPRECIATE THAT.
I JUST HAVE TWO QUICK THINGS I WANTED TO SAY.
I'LL TAKE LESS THAN 90 SECONDS.
THERE IS A CONCERN OF THESE KIND OF LARGE BLOCKS THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED ON WASHINGTON AVENUE IN THE PAST 10 YEARS WHERE IT FEELS LIKE THE STOREFRONTS ARE ALL EMPTY.
AND I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT A MILLION TIMES.
THERE'S A PARKING GARAGE, WHICH DOESN'T GO UP VERY HIGH, BUT STILL IS A BIG KIND OF BLOCK DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN FIFTH AND SIXTH.
I'M UNCLEAR HOW TO, IT FEELS LIKE WHEN WE ARE BUILDING THESE KIND OF LARGE BUILDINGS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FINANCES OF THAT IS, BUT THE STOREFRONTS A LOT OF TIMES REMAIN MORE EMPTY THAN JUST LIKE THESE SMALLER.
TINY LITTLE ART DECO BUILDINGS THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A HUNDRED YEARS.
YOU KNOW, JUST TO SPEAK TO THAT, AND WE'LL GIVE YOU PLENTY MORE TIME TO SPEAK, CHARLES, BUT THEY'RE HOTELS, RIGHT? AND THEY'RE TRANSIENT USE, AND YOU DON'T HAVE A FULL-TIME 365 RESIDENT BASE TO SUPPORT THE BUSINESSES DOWN BELOW.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, OUR ECONOMY IS VERY DEPENDENT ON SEASONS, RIGHT? SO IN SUMMER MONTH, IF...
THEY HAVE A 50% OCCUPANCY, THAT MEANS THERE'S 50% OF THE PEOPLE IN THAT PHYSICAL STRUCTURE TO GO SUPPORT THE BUSINESSES DOWN BELOW.
AND SO YOU CAN'T HAVE A BUSINESS THAT IS SUSTAINABLE WHERE IT'S JUST BASED ON A SEASON, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE PUTTING A LEASE FOR 10 YEARS.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THE FLUCTUATIONS ARE GOING TO BE WHEN IT COMES
[01:25:01]
TO TRAVEL.IN MY OPINION, WHY THOSE STOREFRONTS ARE VACANT, IT'S BECAUSE THERE'S NOT A BUSINESS WHO IS WILLING TO RISK CATERING TO A TRANSIENT NATURE WHERE IT MAY BE, YOU KNOW, ONE YEAR IT'S VERY SLOW HERE.
YOU KNOW, YOU GOT ZIKA OR COVID, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S COMPLETELY DEAD AND YOUR BUSINESS IS JUST, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO RUN.
AND THAT'S WHY WITH A FULL-TIME RESIDENT BASE.
YOU'LL HAVE MAYBE A GROCERY STORE, A NICE COFFEE SHOP, A BAKERY.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD CATER TO A FULL-TIME RESIDENTIAL BASE.
AND I ALSO WANT TO JUST ADD TO THAT BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF IT, BUT THE OTHER PART, AND I THINK THIS IS WHAT YOU WERE SUGGESTING, IS THAT THOSE RETAIL SPACES ARE SO LARGE THAT A LITTLE BUSINESS CAN'T GET IN THERE.
AND WHEN THEY'RE BUILDING THESE BIG BUILDINGS, THEY DON'T MAKE LITTLE SPACES.
THEY JUST HAVE ONE BIG HUGE SPACE AND IT'S TOO BIG AND THAT'S WHY THE 1111 BLOCK IS ALSO VACANT.
BECAUSE THOSE STORES ARE TOO BIG.
I DON'T BRING THIS UP AS A REASON TO NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS KIND OF INCENTIVE PROGRAM.
I BRING IT UP WITH A IT'S SOMETHING I'VE NOTICED WITH THESE LARGE BUILDINGS, BECAUSE THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, SMALL BUILDINGS ONE BLOCK OVER WILL DO PERFECTLY FINE IN THEM, LIKE CAFE BASTILLE, WHICH IS IN THE 500 OR 600 BLOCK OF WASHINGTON AVENUE.
Y'ALL SHOULD DEFINITELY CHECK IT OUT.
IT'S IN A TINY LITTLE NOT REDEVELOPED PLACE, RIGHT? SO THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT WHEN THESE LARGE DEVELOPMENTS COME THROUGH, THE WHOLE BLOCK IS KILLED.
I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING WITH FULL-TIME RESIDENTS, BUT THERE ARE FULL-TIME RESIDENTS THAT LIVE IN MIAMI BEACH AS WELL.
SO, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THE SOLVE IS FOR THAT, I THINK IT SHOULD BE GOOD LUCK, I GUESS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SOLVE IS FOR THAT.
THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD POINT, TOM.
IS THERE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO TO, AND WE DON'T HAVE TO DO IT NOW, BUT MAYBE TO ADDRESS THE STOREFRONTS SO THAT IT IS UNIQUE TO...
DIFFERENT BUSINESSES THAT WANT TO GO OPEN UP INSTEAD OF JUST HAVING ONE VACANT OR NOT ONE VACANT BUT ONE LARGE STOREFRONT ON WASHINGTON AVENUE? YEAH THERE'S WAYS THAT WE COULD ADJUST THE DESIGN GUIDELINES THAT WE FOLLOW BECAUSE INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS IT'S VERY EASY TO CATER TO THAT UNIQUE IDENTITY BUT WHEN YOU HAVE A BRAND NEW BUILDING THAT HAS UNIFORM STOREFRONTS IT STARTS TO BECOME MORE CHALLENGING TO ESTABLISH THAT UNIQUE IDENTITY.
IN THE CASE OF GOOD TIME, FOR INSTANCE, YOU HAD MULTIPLE INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS, AND SO PEOPLE CAN CREATE THEIR IDENTITY, MUCH LIKE THE BALLET VALET GARAGE.
OPPOSITE THAT, BETWEEN 6TH AND 7TH AND COLLINS, THOSE WERE ALL INDIVIDUALLY RETAINED BUILDINGS THAT FORMED THAT STREET FRONT.
BUT I THINK MOVING FORWARD, IF WE HAVE A SITUATION WHERE A BRAND NEW, LARGER STORE STOREFRONT IS CREATED AT THE FIRST LEVEL, PERHAPS WE BUILD IN THE ABILITY TO CREATE THAT TYPE OF...
AND THAT WOULD PROBABLY ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONCERNS MY COLLEAGUES HAVE AS FAR AS THE ENTIRE BLOCK, RIGHT? BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S THE CONCERN, IS THEY DON'T WANT TO JUST SEE AN ENTIRE BLOCK OF ONE THING.
I MEAN, THE RESIDENTIAL COMPONENT OBVIOUSLY ABOVE IS FINE, BUT ON THE FRONT-FACING SIDE...
LIKE, WHEN I LOOK AT THE MOXIE, THERE'S NOTHING THERE, RIGHT? IT'S JUST EMPTY...
IT LOOKS NICE, IT'S VISUALLY APPEALING, BUT IT DOESN'T REALLY DO ANYTHING FOR PEOPLE WALKING BY.
AND THE SAME THING WITH THE GOOD TIME HOTEL, UNFORTUNATELY.
NOW THAT DID HAVE INDIVIDUAL SORT OF LOTS, BUT THEY'RE ALL VACANT.
AND IF I COULD, PART OF THE REASON FOR THAT IS BECAUSE OF THE UNCERTAINTY AND OVERHANG THAT ALWAYS EXISTED WITH THE BUILDING.
MIKE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE AWARE, IF THAT'S YOUR CLIENT, BUT THERE WERE TENANTS THAT WERE ON THE LINE TO SIGN, SIGNIFICANT TENANTS.
ASABUCO, THAT'S OVER IN WYNWOOD NOW, WAS GOING TO BE A RESTAURANT THERE.
BUT BECAUSE THERE HAD ALWAYS BEEN AN OPERATIONAL UNCERTAINTY, BECAUSE WE WANTED TO PROTECT THE NEIGHBORS, CHARLES, AND NOT LET THAT KIND OF ANYTHING GOES NIGHTCLUB ATMOSPHERE FESTER, PEOPLE SAW.
WHAT THE EVENTUAL OUTCOME OR FATE OF THE GOOD TIME COULD BE, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO BE A TENANT IN THE BOTTOM FLOOR SIGNING A 20-YEAR RESTAURANT LEASE WHEN THE OPERATIONS OF THE HOTEL WERE CALLED INTO QUESTION.
I THINK, I MEAN, I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS A LOT, AND AGAIN, I THINK THAT...
I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS A LOT.
I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS WHEN YOU HAVE A SMALL INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY OWNER WHOSE RENT CANNOT AFFORD TO USE AN EMPTY PLACE AS A TAX WRITE-OFF, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE LARGE
[01:30:01]
BUILDINGS THAT THE FIRST FLOOR IS JUST A SMALL COMPONENT OF THE INCOME FOR THAT BUILDING, IT'S BETTER TO JUST KEEP THE RENT ARTIFICIALLY HIGH AND THEREFORE WRITE THE EMPTY VACANT PLACES OFF AS TAX WRITE-OFFS FROM THE INCOME OF THE BUSINESS.AND SO THE POINT THAT I WAS MAKING IS THAT WHEN YOU BRING IN THESE KIND OF LARGE, BIG BUILDINGS, I'M NOT SURE HOW TO FIX IT.
UNFORTUNATELY, I CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX IT.
THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE TO LEAVE THESE PLACES OPEN BECAUSE IT'S ONLY A FRACTION OF THEIR INCOME COMING FROM RENTAL INCOMES ON THE COMMERCIAL SPACE.
AND IF YOU HAVE THE SMALLER, LIKE JUST YOU OWN ONE BUILDING AND THAT'S IT, AND YOU'RE RENTING IT OUT TO CAFE BASTILLE, THAT COST INCENTIVE IS DIFFERENT.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO TO TRY TO MITIGATE THAT.
BUT IF THESE LARGER BUILDINGS ARE COMING IN, THAT IS SOMETHING TO KEEP AN EYE ON.
AND JUST THE OTHER POINT I WANTED TO MAKE, AND THEN I'LL SIT DOWN AND THANK YOU GUYS ALL FOR ALLOWING, GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
IS IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT OF THIS GENERAL ALL OVER KIND OF THE FLAMINGO PARK NEIGHBORHOOD.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT 1600 WASHINGTON.
WE'VE GOT THE LINCOLN ROAD UPZONING.
WE HAVE UPZONING THAT HAPPENS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE ISLAND.
MODERATE UP ZONING ON WASHINGTON AVENUE.
I WOULDN'T CALL IT TREMENDOUS UP ZONING BECAUSE WE TOOK OUT THOSE EXTRA HEIGHT BONUSES.
TALKING TO A LOT OF MY NEIGHBORS, I KNOW THAT WE TALK A LOT ABOUT WHAT CAN BE DONE FOR MIAMI BEACH BETTER AND HOW DO WE LIVE IN A NICER TOWN.
I KNOW NO ONE IS ASKING FOR MORE.
I DON'T THINK ANYONE'S SAYING THAT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE.
I GET THAT WE'RE TRYING TO USE PEOPLE TO LIVE HERE TO FIX OTHER PROBLEMS THAT WE SEE AROUND TOWN, LIKE GET MORE FULL-TIME RESIDENTS, COULD POTENTIALLY REMEDY SOME OF THESE ISSUES THAT Y'ALL BRING UP.
BUT NO ONE IS SAYING WE NEED MORE PEOPLE BECAUSE ALREADY CERTAIN TIMES OF DAY YOU CAN'T MOVE AROUND, YOU CAN'T DRIVE PLACES.
YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE AT A STOP, WE'RE AT A STOP.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO LIKE BRING THAT BACK IS THAT WE'RE ALREADY THE EIGHTH MOST DENSELY POPULATED CITY IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.
FULL-TIME RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, BY THEM, JUST COUNTY FULL-TIME RESIDENTS, WHEN YOU BRING IN TOURISTS, WE ARE BY FAR THE MOST DENSELY POPULATED PLACE IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.
SO I DON'T KNOW THAT LIKE MORE PEOPLE NECESSARILY IS GOING TO FIX ALL OF THESE ISSUES.
I'VE LIVED HERE FOR A LONG TIME.
LINCOLN ROAD WAS FABULOUS WHEN I MOVED HERE.
SO THE BUILDINGS DIDN'T CHANGE BETWEEN NOW AND THEN, SOMETHING ELSE CHANGED.
AND SO I DON'T KNOW THAT ALWAYS TRYING TO RAISE DENSITY AND RAISE HEIGHT IS GOING TO SOLVE ALL THE PROBLEMS. SO THOSE ARE THE TWO POINTS I WANTED TO MAKE.
YEAH, CHARLES, I MEAN, JUST TO THAT POINT, AND YOU CAN SIT DOWN AFTER.
WE HAVE A HOUSING CRISIS, AND MIAMI BEACH IS THE ONLY CITY THAT LOST RESIDENTS.
WE'RE THE ONLY CITY THAT LOST RESIDENTS IN FLORIDA.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE COMMISSION MAGAZINE SAID CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE BECAUSE OF THE BASIC ECONOMICS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN SIT BACK AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE'RE AT CAPACITY, AND THEN LET TALLAHASSEE COME BY AND SAY, NOPE, YOU'RE NOT AT CAPACITY.
YOU KNOW, LOOK AT BRICKELL, LOOK AT DOWNTOWN FORT LAUDERDALE.
NOW WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE YOU GUYS MAKE IT WORK.
AND SO WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD IN A RESPONSIBLE MANNER WITHOUT HAVING SOMEONE ELSE TO TELL US.
HOW TO MOVE FORWARD AS FAR AS HOUSING STOCK.
BUT BEFORE WE GET ANY MORE ON THE SOAPBOX, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ WANTS TO COME ON.
COULD I JUST FOLLOW UP FOR FIVE SECONDS TO THAT POINT? AND CHARLES, WHAT YOU'VE SEEN HERE IS A COMMITMENT WHEN WE'RE GOING TO GROW, GROWING THROUGH RESIDENTIAL AS OPPOSED TO HOTELS AND TRANSIENT USAGES.
SO THE PAST 10 OR 15 YEARS, WE'VE SEEN GROWTH.
BUT IT'S BEEN ALL THROUGH TRANSIENT HOTELS.
WE DON'T WANT TO DO BOTH, RIGHT? WE'VE PUT THROUGH MEASURES WHERE WE SAID ENOUGH WITH THE INFILL HOTELS, WE HAVE ENOUGH.
SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO TRY AND DOUBLE DIP WHERE IT'S LIKE, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO KEEP GROWING THROUGH TOURISM AND THEN ALSO RESIDENTIAL.
WE KNOW THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY LESS IMPACTFUL WAY TO GROW.
SO WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP DOING IT THROUGH THE TRANSIENT USAGES.
I HEAR THAT, BUT WE ARE AT THE SAME TIME MAKING A LOT OF CHANGES TO OUR CODE LIKE WITH 1250 WEST AVENUE WHERE WE'RE ALLOWING LARGER BUILDINGS TO COME IN WITH LESS DENSITY, RIGHT? SO WE TALK A LOT ABOUT INCREASING HOUSING DENSITY ON THE ISLAND, BUT THEN OUR ACTIONS ACTUALLY AREN'T REALLY DOING THAT IN ALL OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
THERE'S LOTS OF NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE, I THINK YOU GUYS WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT REDUCING DENSITY IN SOME OTHER PLACES.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE, OKAY, WE NEED MORE HOUSING AND THEN, BUT IF A DEVELOPER WANTS TO BUILD LUXURY HOUSING, WELL, THEM HOW DO WE DO THAT?
[01:35:01]
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF THAT.AND THIS IS WHY WE'RE DOING IT AS AN OVERLAY, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SITE-SPECIFIC.
WE WANT TO MASTER PLAN THIS FOR THE NEXT 20, 30 YEARS SO THAT A DEVELOPER DOESN'T HAVE TO COME TO US.
I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO SPEAK TO DEVELOPERS ANYMORE.
I WOULD RATHER JUST SAY, HEY, THIS IS YOUR SANDBOX.
THIS IS, YOU CAN BUILD YOUR CASTLES HERE, ANYTHING YOU WANT.
BUT THESE ARE OUR RULES, AND YOU HAVE TO PLAY WITHIN THE RULES.
INSTEAD OF HAVING A DEVELOPER COME TO ME AND SAYING, HEY, I'M GOING TO SELL YOU THIS SANDBOX THAT ME AND MY FRIENDS ARE GOING TO PLAY IN.
SO, COMMISSIONER BUDD? YEAH, AND JUST TO BUILD ON THAT, CHARLES, I HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.
THE PROBLEM ALSO IS COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT THAT TALLAHASSEE NOW HAS LIVED LOCAL.
SO THEY SAY, GIVE US WHAT WE WANT, OR WE'RE GOING TO PUT IN THIS MONSTROSITY.
AND SO WE'RE STUCK BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE.
THERE'S NO SINGLE SOLUTION TO ALL THIS, SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK WITHIN THE CONFINES OF WHAT WE'RE GIVEN.
I MEAN, THERE'S A SENATE BILL 180, WHICH PRECLUDES US FROM MAKING ANY CHANGES TO OUR CODE, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IN DECADES PAST, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DOWNZONE WHEN DEVELOPMENT GOT TOO OUT OF HAND IN CERTAIN WAYS.
WE'RE ALL DOING THE BEST WE CAN WITH REALLY UNPLEASANT AND UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES.
SO IT'S IMPERFECT, BUT WE'RE TRYING.
BUT WHAT I WOULD SAY, AND THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS YOU SENT ME, I DON'T KNOW, LIKE A MONTH AGO OR WHENEVER IT WAS, WERE INCREDIBLE.
AND, TOM, I KNOW YOU SAID THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WE COULD PUT IN POTENTIALLY TO REQUIRE BUILD-OUTS OF RETAIL SPACE.
OBVIOUSLY, ANYBODY WHO'S COMING IN TO RENT SPACE OR LEASE SPACE LONG-TERM IS GOING TO WANT TO DO THEIR OWN THING.
WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHS I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT TO BRING THEM TO THIS MEETING, IT LOOKED LIKE AN UNFINISHED CONSTRUCTION SITE.
AND SO IF THEY'RE AT LEAST FINISHED SO THAT THERE'S FLOORING AND ELECTRICAL AND CEILINGS AND WALLS THAT ARE FINISHED TO SOME BASIC LEVEL STANDARD, THEN WE COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE SPACES AND USE THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE ON OUR BOOKS, LIKE THE POP-UP.
RETAIL OR THE POP-UP ART SPACE THAT JOE AND ALEX HAD BROUGHT IN, YOU KNOW, THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WITH STAFF, AND WE CAN ACTIVATE THOSE SPACES WHILE THEY FIND LONGER-TERM TENANTS, BECAUSE SURE, THEY CAN CARRY THE CARRYING COSTS OF LOSING THE RENT BECAUSE IT'S THEIR TAX WRITE-OFF, BUT THE MORE OF THOSE SPACES THEY GET ACTIVATED ON THE DAY-TO-DAY BASIS, THE BETTER IT IS FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND THEN WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL COME IN AND BE A FULL-TIME THING.
SO AS WE, YOU KNOW, IN THIS INTERVENING SORT OF INTERSTITIAL ...WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND WHERE WE GO FORWARD, IF WE CAN LOOK AT AMENDING THAT LANGUAGE A LITTLE BIT, TOO.
COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ HAS HIS HAND UP, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A FEW MORE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ON STAGE.
AND SO I'M OUT OF TOWN OTHERWISE.
WHERE ARE YOU, ALEX? I AM IN JAPAN.
ABOUT 13 HOURS AHEAD OF YOU GUYS.
IT'S LITERALLY 1.45 IN THE MORNING.
I JUST WANT THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO SEE.
SEE THAT COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ IS LITERALLY IN JAPAN AND HE'S STILL DIALED IN FOR OUR CITY AND THAT REALLY SHOWS LIKE COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE.
DID YOU HAVE ANY GOOD SUSHI YET? YEAH, YEAH SOME SOME PRETTY GOOD SUSHI AND ALSO SOME PRETTY GOOD LESSONS IN URBAN PLANNING SEEING SEEING HOW PEOPLE LIVE VERY CLOSE TO WHERE THEY WORK AND WHERE THEY SHOP AND HOW HOW HOW SHORT THEIR YOUR COMMUTES ARE BECAUSE THEY LIVE.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO BRING UP BECAUSE THERE ARE TWO TRUTHS HERE.
WASHINGTON AVENUE NEEDS IMPROVEMENT.
WE CAN'T CONTINUE WITH THE QUALITY OF RETAIL OR LACK OF RETAIL THAT WE'VE SEEN THERE OVER THE YEARS.
AND WE ALL KNOW THE SMOKE SHOPS AT THE TWO PARLORS, THE T-SHIRT SHOPS, THE LIQUOR STORES, THE CONVENIENCE STORES THAT PROLIFERATE AND GO BLOCK AFTER BLOCK.
AND SO WE NEED TO SEE THAT IMPROVED.
WE ALSO SEE BLOCK AFTER BLOCK BLOCKS OF JUST SEEMINGLY ABANDONED RETAIL SPACES THAT WE KNOW FROM THE TERMS OF PUBLIC SAFETY WHEN RETAIL IS NOT ACTIVATED, IT CREATES OPPORTUNITY.
FOR NOT JUST NEGLIGENCE AND PROPERTY OWNERSHIP, BUT IT ALSO CREATES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CRIMINALITY TO MOVE IN.
SO WE CLEARLY NEED TO SEE WASHINGTON AVENUE IMPROVE WHILE ALSO THE OTHER TRUTH BEING THAT WE WANT TO PRESERVE THE CHARACTER OF SOUTH BEACH AND THE CHARACTER OF THE ART DECO DISTRICT, WHICH IS IMPORTANT.
[01:40:02]
CANNOT MOVE FORWARD.ON SOMETHING ON WASHINGTON AVENUE THAT TAKES AWAY FROM THE CHARACTER OF THE CORRIDOR.
I WANT US TO BE MINDFUL ALSO OF THE POTENTIAL OF LAND SPECULATION.
I DON'T WANT US TO CREATE THIS BLANKET ZONING THAT IS AUTOMATIC ON EVERY PROPERTY OWNER ALONG THE ENTIRETY OF THE OVERLAY, AND THAT THEN CREATES THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE OF LAND SPECULATION BECAUSE NOTHING COULD BE WORSE TOWARDS AFFORDABILITY IF NOW THE LAND IS ARTIFICIALLY RAISED IN VALUE THROUGH LEGISLATION, NOT NECESSARILY BECAUSE THE LAND OR THE PROPERTY HAS BEEN IMPROVED ITSELF, BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE APPROVED CERTAIN ZONING REGULATIONS AS OF RIGHT FOR ALL PROPERTIES ALONG THE CORRIDOR.
HAVE WE BEEN ABLE, WE HAD A SUNSHINE MEETING A FEW WEEKS AGO.
AND IN THAT SUNSHINE MEETING, WE CHATTED ABOUT SOME GUARDRAILS.
AND ONE OF THE GUARDRAILS THAT WAS DISCUSSED IN THAT SUNSHINE MEETING WAS THAT IF LEGISLATION LIKE THIS WERE TO MOVE FORWARD, HOW DO WE DO IT IN A WAY THAT WE SET A CAP? ON THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF UNITS THAT COULD BE BUILT ALONG THE ENTIRE CORRIDOR USING THIS LEGISLATION SO THAT WE DON'T ALL OF A SUDDEN GIVE THIS ASS OF RIGHT ZONING AND THEN YIELDS YOU KNOW THAT DOMINO EFFECT OF OF LAND SPECULATION HAS THAT BEEN BAKED INTO THE LEGISLATION TOM I KNOW WE SPOKE ABOUT THAT AT THE SUNSHINE HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT PUTTING A, HOW DOES STAFF FEEL ABOUT PUTTING A SORT OF STOPGAP? I THINK A STOPGAP, AS LONG AS THE STOPGAP IS HIGH ENOUGH WHERE IT WON'T RESULT IN JUST ONE OR TWO PROJECTS BEING ABLE TO COME FORWARD, BUT IT WOULD STILL ALLOW FOR A MEANINGFUL NUMBER OF PROJECTS.
AND THE COMMISSION WOULD ALWAYS HAVE THE ABILITY TO INCREASE THAT CAP IF THEY SAW FIT.
THAT WAS INTRODUCED AND THEN LO AND BEHOLD THE INCENTIVES END UP BEING SUCCESSFUL AND THERE'S SOME GOOD PROJECTS INTRODUCED WE GET CLOSE TO THE CAP AND THEN SOME MORE WANT TO COME FORWARD THAT THE COMMISSION THINKS IS GOOD THEY WOULD ALWAYS HAVE THE LATITUDE OF INCREASING THAT CAP AND IT WOULD BE LIKE THE MANDATORY DATE TO GET A BUILDING PERMIT OF 2032 THIS WOULD BE ANOTHER MEASURE TO TO ENSURE THAT THE INCENTIVES DON'T RESULT IN OUT-OF-CONTROL DEVELOPMENT.
IS THAT SOMETHING WE CAN WORK ON BETWEEN NOW AND POSSIBLY THE FIRST READING OF COMMISSIONER PENN? SURE.
WE COULD COME UP WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND COMMISSIONER PENN DOES BRING UP AN EXCELLENT POINT ABOUT LAND SPECULATION.
AND THEN WE DISCUSSED THIS, YOU AND I.
REALLY, THE WAY WE ARE TRYING TO PREVENT LAND SPECULATION IS BY PUTTING A SUNSET PERIOD, CORRECT? CORRECT.
WHERE? IF YOU DON'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS BY 2032, THESE INCENTIVES, IT SUNSETS AND IT GOES BACK TO WHERE IT IS TODAY.
SO THIS IS IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN JUST SPECULATE BECAUSE AUTOMATICALLY SOMETHING HAS BEEN AVAILED.
YOU HAVE A SUNSET PERIOD, AND YOU HAVE TO GET A BUILDING PERMIT.
AND THEN EXPLAIN FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, I MEAN, WE'RE PRETTY EDUCATED ON THIS, BUT TO GET A BUILDING PERMIT OF, LET'S SAY BESIDES THE COSMOPOLITAN, HOW MUCH MONEY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT FOR THESE DEVELOPMENTS TO INVEST IN? THE BUILDING PERMIT LEVEL IS A SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL INVESTMENT.
YOU'RE WELL INTO THE MILLIONS.
ANYBODY CAN SPEND $50,000, A FEW HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS EVEN, TO GET A LAND USE BOARD APPROVAL THAT IS OTHERWISE GOOD, PARTICULARLY WITH STATE EXTENSIONS.
HOWEVER, IF SOMEBODY IS REQUIRED TO OBTAIN A FULL BUILDING PERMIT, THEY NOW HAVE TO INVEST IN THEIR DESIGN PROFESSIONAL'S TIME TO PREPARE AND SUBMIT WORKING CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS.
THEY HAVE TO PAY SIZABLE IMPACT FEES, AND THEY HAVE TO OBTAIN THE BUILDING PERMIT.
AND ALL OF THAT GOES WELL ABOVE AND BEYOND JUST A LAND USE BOARD ORDER.
IN OUR EXPERIENCE, YOU'RE THE REAL DEAL.
IF YOU COME IN FOR A BUILDING PERMIT, PAY YOUR FEES.
THAT'S SOMEBODY WHO'S REALLY GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT AS OPPOSED TO SOMEBODY WHO JUST SPENDS SOME MONEY WITH PRETTY PICTURES TO GET A LAND USE BOARD.
AND I LIKE, I'M CERTAINLY OPEN TO EXPLORING SORT OF A STOPGAP OF WHERE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I DON'T WANT TO STOP THE FIRST
[01:45:04]
TWO PROJECTS.I WANT TO MAKE IT, I WANT TO INCENTIVIZE THIS TO REALLY START.
BECAUSE YOU ONLY HAVE SIX OR SEVEN YEARS, RIGHT? TO GET THAT BUILDING PERMIT.
BUT BETWEEN NOW AND FIRST READING, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION COMES UP WITH.
OKAY, WE CAN COME UP WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.
I DON'T KNOW, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ, IF YOU HAD ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD, BUT WE HAVE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
YEAH, YEAH, AND I JUST WANT TO ADD AND BUILD ON THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AND I WANT THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND BY PUTTING A CAP.
ANY CONCERN ABOUT OVER DEVELOPMENT, WE ARE ABLE TO CONTROL ANY CONCERN ON OVER DEVELOPMENT BY SAYING, OKAY, WE'RE CREATING THIS LEGISLATION, BUT BY PUTTING A CAP, IT IS NOT AS A RIGHT TO EVERY PROPERTY.
IT'S ONLY TO THE PROPERTIES WHO BUILD.
UP TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF UNITS AND ONE ONCE ALONG THIS CORRIDOR WE HAVE HIT THAT AMOUNT OF UNITS IT KIND OF FORCES THE LEGISLATION TO SUNSET AT THAT AT THAT POINT SO IT ENSURES THAT THIS LEGISLATION YIELDS SOME HOUSING FOR WASHINGTON AVENUE TO HELP WASHINGTON AVENUE BUT IT DOESN'T YIELD OVER DEVELOPMENT.
AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE NUMBERS THAT WE HAD THROWN OUT THERE DURING THE SUNSHINE MEETING WAS EXPLORING A CAP OF 250 UNITS.
I THINK WE WOULD BE VERY FORTUNATE IF WE WOULD HAVE 250 UNITS COME INTO OUR CITY ALONG ANY CORRIDOR, SPREAD OUT ALONG ANY CORRIDOR, TO MEET THE HOUSING NEEDS OF OUR RESIDENTS.
BUT I THINK SOMETHING LIKE THAT IS MODEST.
AND IT JUST ENSURES THAT ALL OF WASHINGTON AVENUE DOESN'T GET REDEVELOPED.
NO, WE'RE JUST CREATING AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF UNITS.
AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE WAY THAT WE HELP PRESERVE THE CHARACTER OF THE AREA.
ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS, MR. CHAIR, THAT I WANTED TO PUT OUT THERE IS ANOTHER WAY THAT AFFORDABILITY IS ADDRESSED, AND I'M NOT SURE IF I MISSED IT.
EARLIER IN THE CONVERSATION IS ALSO LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF AMENITIES AND THAT'S SOMETHING I WANT TO BE MINDFUL OF UH BECAUSE THE MORE AMENITIES UH THAT ARE ALLOWED TO BE HAD IN EACH ONE OF THESE PROJECTS AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PROJECTS UH COULD BE BUILT WITHIN THAT CAP I WOULD IMAGINE PROBABLY ONLY A HANDFUL OF PROJECTS COULD BE BUILT WITH WITHIN THAT CAP BUT MAKING SURE THAT THAT THEY DON'T HAVE SO MANY AMENITIES THAT THEN THE MARKET RATE FOR THE FOR THAT PROJECT INFLATES, THAT THE COST OF THE RENTS INFLATE TO A POINT THAT PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO AFFORD IT THE WAY THAT WE WOULD WANT THEM TO.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WORKED INTO THE LEGISLATION, IF IT HASN'T ALREADY, LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF AMENITIES AS A WAY TO CONTROL WHAT THE MARKET RATE IS SO THAT REALLY DOES SERVE THAT MISSING MIDDLE MARKET IN OUR CITY.
OKAY, WE COULD CERTAINLY WORK ON BETWEEN NOW AND READING AND EVEN BETWEEN FIRST READING AND SECOND READING.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER? YES, AND ACTUALLY COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ HAS HER HAND UP TOO.
AND THEN WE HAVE THREE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
OKAY, LET'S HEAR FROM COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ.
I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO THE DISCUSSION AND I FIGURE SINCE I THINK EVERY COLLEAGUE HAS COMMENTED, I'D LIKE TO JUMP IN AS WELL.
A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED HERE AND THE THINGS THAT STOOD OUT TO ME THE MOST WERE THE SUNSET PERIOD INCREASING THE UNIT SIZE, THE CAP ON THE NUMBER OF UNITS.
ALSO, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY ADMINISTRATION CAN FOR SURE TELL US THAT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
STRUCTURE, OUR STORMWATER AND SEWER DRAINS ALLOW FOR THIS INTENSITY ON THAT STREET.
AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THIS CONVERSATION CONTINUE TO EVOLVE BECAUSE IT'S DEFINITELY CHANGED A LOT SINCE THE SUNSHINE MEETING A FEW WEEKS AGO.
AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING SOME OF THE OTHER CHANGES.
AND ALSO JUST AS A SIDE NOTE, WE ARE NOT THE ONLY CITY THAT HAS HAD DECLINES.
PETE AND TAMPA HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED.
DECLINES THROUGHOUT THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.
WASHINGTON AVENUE NEEDS HELP AND LOOKING TO DO SOMETHING TO MAKE IT BETTER.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS, FOR STAYING ENGAGED WITH THE INPUT.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ALL, BECAUSE WE WANT TO BAKE THIS CAKE AND MAKE IT TASTY.
[01:50:01]
ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ZOOM.OUR FIRST CALLER IS MITCH NOVICK.
I'VE BEEN A LANDLORD FOR COMING ON 40 YEARS.
I LIKE THIS PLAN, AND I WOULD URGE YOU TO EMBRACE IT.
I DID NOT LIKE THE WASHINGTON AVENUE PLAN FROM AROUND A DECADE AGO, WHICH SOUGHT TO INCENTIVIZE HOTEL USE.
AND ON A SIDE NOTE, NOR DO I LIKE THE BOONDOGGLE $100 MILLION LUMMIS PARK PLAN, WHICH PROPOSES TO PICK UP OCEAN DRIVE AND MOVE IT ONTO THE VESTIGES OF THE ORIGINAL LUMM PLANTATION AS PART OF A $20 MILLION MONEY GRAB.
TO MOVE THAT MONEY INTO PRIVATE HANDS.
WHEN I ARRIVED HERE, WASHINGTON AVENUE, COLLINS AND OCEAN WERE THRIVING WITH RESIDENTS.
I THINK HINDSIGHT AND REALITY IS VERY CLEAR.
IT'S THE INCOMPATIBLE MXC ZONING WHICH TURNED THIS NEIGHBORHOOD INTO WHAT HAS BECOME A TAX STRAINING VOID AND AN EMBARRASSMENT.
AS FAR AS AFFORDABILITY, YOU NEED TO LOOK WITHIN.
IT'S THE POLICYMAKERS OF YOURSELVES AND YOUR PREDECESSORS WHICH HAVE BROUGHT US HERE.
THE ENDLESS UTILITY WATER BILLING RATE HIKES, THE FACT THAT OUR BUDGET HAS DOUBLED TO A BILLION DOLLARS, IT'S UGLY.
AND I WOULD, AGAIN, I LIKE THIS PLAN AND IT'S THIS PLAN WOULD BRING ABOUT NECESSARY AND SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE.
OUR NEXT CALLER IS JOHAN MOORE.
BY THE TONE THAT THE CONVERSATION HAS TAKEN IN RECENT WEEKS, AS PROVEN BY TODAY, I VERY MUCH APPRECIATED THE COMMISSIONER'S REFERENCE TO NEEDING TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF AFFORDABILITY IN SOME FASHION.
BUT I'M TAKEN BY CHARLIE'S COMMENT ABOUT THE INCREASED TRAFFIC, AND NOT ONLY HIS.
I REMEMBER COMMISSIONER ROSEN-GONZALEZ WAS VERY AGITATED ABOUT THE TRAFFIC.
IT'S NOT JUST THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS WE HAVE, BUT THE TYPE OF RESIDENTS WE HAVE.
THERE WERE POSSIBLY OVERCROWDED, BUT OFTEN MULTI-GENERATIONAL, LARGE WORKING-CLASS HOUSEHOLDS, ESPECIALLY CONCENTRATED IN SOME OF THE MORE AFFORDABLE NEIGHBORHOODS, SUCH AS FLAMINGO PARK, AND THEY HAD VERY FEW CARS PER CAPITA.
NEWER RESIDENTS TEND TO HAVE MORE CARS, AND THIS BRINGS ME TO THE NEED TO DO MORE ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, AND I WANT TO PUT IN A PLUG.
FOR THE COMMISSION TO CONSIDER COMMISSIONER MATEO SALINAS' CABLE CAR, AERIAL CABLE CAR IDEA.
IT WOULD ENABLE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON THE MAINLAND EASIER ACCESS TO THE BEACH AND IT WOULD RELIEVE THOSE PRESSURES AS A COMPANION TO THE WASHINGTON AVENUE RESIDENTIAL PROJECT AS IT HAS DEVELOPED.
SO I WILL EXPRESS MY CAUTIOUS SUPPORT FOR THIS AND I HOPE THAT OTHER COMMUNITY CONCERNS THAT MAY BE OUTSTANDING WILL BE HEARD AS YOU ALSO VERY WISELY ENGAGE WITH DEVELOPERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS PENCIL IS OUT FOR THEM.
OUR LAST CALLER IS ANDRES ACION.
THANK YOU AND CONGRATS TO ALL OF YOU.
I THINK THAT THIS IS A GREAT INITIATIVE.
I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A FEW STATS.
JUST FROM THE REAL ESTATE PERSPECTIVE.
THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF ACTIVE UNITS THAT ARE ONE BEDROOMS THAT ARE BETWEEN 500 AND 900 SQUARE FEET RIGHT NOW ACTIVELY ON THE MARKET, THERE IS OVER 400 OF THEM IN MIAMI BEACH.
AND THE AVERAGE RENTAL ASKING PRICE IS $2,575 AT AN AVERAGE OF 660 SQUARE FEET.
AND THAT'S A RANGE BETWEEN 500 AND 900 SQUARE FEET UNITS.
AND RENTED IN THE PAST 365 DAYS UNDER 3,500, THERE'S OVER CLOSE TO 2,000 UNITS.
AVERAGE 685 SQUARE FEET, ALSO AVERAGE PRICE $2,356 FOR THE RENTED UNITS.
AND I'M HAPPY TO GIVE YOU GUYS
[01:55:01]
THOSE STATS.I JUST DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO THINK THAT THERE'S ONLY $5,000 APARTMENTS THAT ARE ONE BEDROOMS IN MIAMI BEACH.
THERE IS ALSO ATTAINABLE UNITS CURRENTLY ON THE MARKET AND THEY RENT OUT EVERY SINGLE DAY.
BUT I THINK THAT THE INITIATIVE IS FANTASTIC AND IT'S GOING TO HELP OUT WASHINGTON AVENUE OVERALL GREATLY.
WAS THERE ANYONE ELSE? NO ONE ELSE ON ZOOM.
OKAY, SO WE'LL CONCLUDE ZOOM AND THEN WE'LL END OFF WITH KEVIN.
I THINK I'D FEEL REMISS IF I DIDN'T SPEAK UP, BUT I CAME HERE TODAY TO MOSTLY LISTEN AND LEARN.
KEVIN KRUGER, A NINE-YEAR RESIDENT AND COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AGENT.
AND I ACTUALLY SPOKE WITH TOM AND COMMISSIONER SUAREZ AT YOUR TOWN HALL IN WASHINGTON AVE ON THE 13TH.
WASHINGTON BLOCK QUESTION WHERE MY DEVELOPER CLIENT HAD ACTUALLY HAD AN OPEN MARKET OFFER THAT WAS NEARLY ACCEPTED BEFORE THAT PROPERTY WENT OUT FOR AUCTION.
SO HE DIDN'T PARTICIPATE IN THAT, BUT HE WAS READY TO DO, I THINK THERE WERE MICRO UNITS WITH URBAN ORIGINALLY.
SO I FEEL LIKE THAT'S A SWING AND A MISS THAT I WISH IT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED BECAUSE AS A COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AGENT, I SEE THE VALUE IN MIXED USE.
SO I APPLAUD YOU GUYS FOR DOING THAT.
PEDESTRIANS SHOP RETAIL, RIGHT? SO IF WE, YOU KNOW, YOU SCOOT TO WORK, JOE WALKS TO WORK, I CITY BIKE TODAY.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS A WALKABLE CITY.
IT'S KIND OF LIVING UP TO COMMISSIONER BHATT'S BLUE ZONES, RIGHT? AND I THINK WE CAN DO IT.
AND I REALLY LIKE THE HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT.
AGAIN, LISTENING AND LEARNING, I THINK A LOT OF US ARE.
AND APPRECIATE COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ JUMPING IN FROM ACROSS THE WAY AS WELL.
THAT WAS AN INSIGHTFUL PERSPECTIVE.
JUST FOR ANYBODY LISTENING, TO BE CLEAR, NONE OF THIS IS MICRO-UNITS.
WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT MICRO-UNITS OR CO-LIVING SPACES.
THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT.
WE'VE GOT 500 OF THOSE UNITS PLUS IN NORTH BEACH.
IN FACT, WE'RE INCENTIVIZING THE MICRO-UNITS THAT WAS APPROVED AT THE OLD RISHI KAPOOR SITE TO NOT BE MICRO-UNITS.
SO I JUST DON'T WANT ANYONE TO MISUNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT MICRO-UNITS AND CO-LIVING SPACES BECAUSE IT'S NOT.
YES, AND THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR THIS DISCUSSION AND FOR THE PUBLIC COMMENTS.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO BRING UP IS I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY WITH PEOPLE WHO DO OWN SMALLER LOTS ALONG WASHINGTON AVENUE THAT HAVE OWNED PROPERTY FOR GENERATIONS, PEOPLE THAT MIGHT OWN PROPERTY FREE AND CLEAR.
BUT, BUT, AND SO AND SO THEY WON'T HAVE THE CARRYING COST OF LAND ACQUISITION.
AND AS WE DISCUSSED IN THAT SUNSHINE MEETING, THERE IS A, I BELIEVE THE BULK OF THE PARCELS ON WASHINGTON AVENUE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THEM THE BULK OF THE PARCELS ON WASHINGTON AVENUE.
THERE ARE LOTS THAT RANGE IN SIZE FROM 6500 SQUARE FEET TO 7500 SQUARE FEET TO 10,000 SQUARE FEET.
AND I THINK THAT ALLOWING THIS LEGISLATION, AND I WOULD LIKE TO PUT IT OUT THERE FOR THE COMMITTEE'S CONSIDERATION, ALLOWING THIS LEGISLATION TO ALLOW SMALLER LOTS TO BE A PART OF IT, I THINK COULD HELP INCENTIVIZE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TYPE OF BOUTIQUE-STYLE BUILDING, NOT THE BUILDINGS THAT COVER THE SPAN OF AN ENTIRE BLOCK, BUT ALLOW OPPORTUNITY FOR SMALLER LOTS, SMALLER PROPERTY OWNERS.
TO GET THEIR EXISTING PROPERTY AND ADD RESIDENTIAL ON IT.
AND HOPEFULLY THAT CAN ENCOURAGE THE TYPE OF SMALLER BOUTIQUE BUILDINGS THAT WE SAW BUILT IN THE CITY, YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE EIGHTIES AND EARLY NINETIES THAT CONTAINS A LOT OF OUR OF OUR RENTAL HOUSING IN MIAMI BEACH, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT ANOTHER IMPORTANT CORRIDOR LIKE WEST AVENUE, WEST AVENUE HAS A LOT OF THOSE TYPES OF BUILDINGS ON THOSE SMALLER PARCELS.
I DON'T KNOW IF THE LEGISLATION ALREADY IS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF THE MINIMUM LOT REQUIREMENT WAS AMENDED FOR THAT.
WE DIDN'T MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS TO THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE REQUIREMENT.
CURRENTLY, THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE IS $13,000.
BUT IF IT'S THE WILL OF THE COMMITTEE, WE CAN CERTAINLY MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT TO THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE BEFORE FIRST READING.
AND I THINK ALSO WHAT COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ AND I DON'T MEAN TO PUT WORDS IN HIS MOUTH, HE'S CERTAINLY ONLINE TO SPEAK, BUT IF IT'S AT A CERTAIN SIZE, MINIMUM SIZE, AND IT'S A SMALLER
[02:00:02]
FOOTPRINT, MAYBE THERE IS DIFFERENT REGULATIONS FOR PARKING, FOR EXAMPLE, WHICH MAKES IT MORE PALPABLE FOR THAT TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT THAT COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ, AND I'M FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF.SO MAYBE BETWEEN NOW AND FIRST READING STAFF CAN WORK ON THIS AND PERHAPS COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ AND I AND ALL OF US HAVE A QUICK SUNSHINE MEETING TO DISCUSS THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE REQUIREMENTS FOR WHAT THOSE REGULATIONS.
YEAH, MR. CHAIR, IF YOU LOOK AT FLAMINGO PARK, FLAMINGO PARK, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE SMALL LOTS.
YOU HAVE SMALL LOTS WITH BOUTIQUE BUILDINGS.
OBVIOUSLY, IN FLAMINGO PARK, ESPECIALLY MORE TOWARDS THE HEART OF FLAMINGO PARK, THE HEIGHTS ARE LOWER.
YOU KNOW, YOU USUALLY SEE TWO, MAYBE THREE-STORY BUILDINGS TOWARDS THE CENTER OF FLAMINGO PARK.
AS YOU GO TOWARDS THE EDGE, TOWARDS WASHINGTON AVENUE, YOU SEE THOSE HEIGHTS, THEY START TO GO UP.
STORY BUILDINGS ON SMALLER LOTS, BUT THEY USUALLY DON'T HAVE PARKING.
I DON'T MIND FOR THE UNITS NOT TO HAVE PARKING BECAUSE THAT WILL DRIVE AFFORDABILITY.
AND IT ALSO ADDRESSES THE NEED OF HOUSING FOR THE WORKERS WHO LIVE IN MIAMI BEACH.
IF YOU DON'T PROVIDE PARKING, YOU ENSURE THAT THE HOUSING BECOMES AVAILABLE TO WHOM? TO THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN OUR CITY.
SO, SO THANK YOU FOR FOR FOR CONSIDERING THAT BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS OPPORTUNITY THERE.
NOT EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE HAS TO BE THE MASSIVE PROJECTS THAT.
AGGREGATE LOTS AND THAT INCREASED LAND VALUE THAT IN TURN MAKES RENT MORE EXPENSIVE.
IF WE LOOK AT THE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY OWNED A LOT AND ALLOW THEM TO TO DEVELOP ON IT, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DO IT WITHOUT.
THE COST OF LAND AGGREGATION AND YOU'LL END UP WITH MORE BOUTIQUE STYLE BUILDINGS ON THOSE SMALLER LOTS.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION ON THAT.
MR. CHAIR? YES. THE ORDINANCE, AS YOU'RE PROBABLY AWARE, INCLUDES A PROVISION WHERE THERE IS NO MINIMUM OFF-STREET PARKING REQUIREMENT.
SO REGARDLESS OF THE SIZE OF THE LOT AND DEVELOPMENT, YOU'RE NOT REQUIRED TO PROVIDE OFF-STREET PARKING.
IT HAS ANOTHER PROVISION THAT ALLOWS FOR PARKING TO BE PROVIDED NOT TO EXCEED 20% OF THE NUMBER OF OFF-STREET PARKING SPACES REQUIRED UNDER THE REQUIREMENTS OF PARKING TIER ONE.
SO I THINK THAT WITH REGARD TO THESE SMALLER LOTS, BECAUSE THE PARKING REQUIREMENT WOULD BE MUCH LOWER, THAT THAT ALLOWANCE FOR 20% SHOULD SUFFICE UNLESS YOU WANT TO JUST PROHIBIT PARKING.
NO, I THINK IT'S GOOD TO HAVE THE OPTION.
I ALSO, ONE OTHER PROTECTION I'D LIKE TO HAVE IS ANY DEVELOPMENT THAT IS THAT THAT DOES MOVE FORWARD POTENTIALLY WOULD BE EXCLUDED FROM ZONE TWO PARKING SO THAT IT DOESN'T INCUR ADDITIONAL PRESSURE ON UM ANYONE WHO HAS WHO IS IN FLAMINGO PARK AND I KNOW THESE ARE ALL KIND OF FLUID AND THEY'LL EVOLVE OVER THE NEXT MONTH WITH OUR TALKS BUT TO COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ'S POINT MAYBE THAT COULD ACTUALLY BE BIFURCATED UH IN LOT SIZE RIGHT, WE MAY NOT HAVE AN ISSUE IF A SMALL BOUTIQUE BUILDING ON A 6,000 SQUARE FOOT LOT THAT HAD TWO OR THREE UNITS COULD AVAIL THEMSELVES OF DISTRICT 2 PARKING OR ZONE 2 PARKING, BUT WE WOULDN'T WANT A LARGER LOT THAT MAY HAVE 40 UNITS TO BE ABLE TO PARK IN DISTRICT RIGHT, WE COULD HANDLE TWO OR THREE BOUTIQUE BUILDING UNITS, BUT MAYBE NOT THE LARGER UNITS.
BE EXACTLY WHAT FLAMINGO PARK RESIDENTS ARE WORRIED ABOUT WITH NOT HAVING PARKING.
I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA IN PRINCIPLE TO ADVISE.
SO WHAT WAS THE AMENDMENT, IF YOU DON'T MIND ME MENTIONING? AND IT'S NOT EVEN AN AMENDMENT, JUST PUTTING IT OUT THERE FOR DISCUSSION, BECAUSE I THINK ALL OF THESE ARE FLUID THINGS THAT WE WANT TO SEE.
DO A SANITY CHECK, IF YOU WILL, OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.
BUT IF WE HAD SOME OF THE SMALLER LOTS, LIKE COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ MENTIONED, LET'S SAY UP TO 06,000 SQUARE FEET OR WHATEVER THAT MAY BE, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO PARK IN ZONE 2.
HOWEVER, IF YOU HAD THE LARGER LOTS THAT ARE GOING TO HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE UNITS, WE WOULDN'T WANT THEM TO AVAIL OF THE ON-STREET PARKING.
AND IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE A WAY TO FURTHER INCENTIVIZE THE TYPES OF SMALLER BOUTIQUE DEVELOPMENTS THAT COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ IS PASSIONATE ABOUT AND WANTS TO SEE INCLUDED, WHICH I THINK IS A GOOD IDEA AS WELL.
LIKE WHAT WE DO IN ZONE 26, WHERE WE'VE GOT SOME BIGGER BUILDINGS WHO, DEPENDING ON WHERE THEY FELL, IT'S NOT QUITE AS CUT AND DRY AS THAT, BUT YEAH.
[02:05:01]
DIRECTOR OF PARKING CITY OF MIAMI BEACH.IT'S ALWAYS AN INCREDIBLY DELICATE BALANCING ACT.
YOU KNOW, I PROBABLY TALK ABOUT ZONE 2 MORE THAN ANY OTHERS JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE AN INTERN.
ZONE 2 IS MORE THAN 5,000 PERMITS ISSUED, ONLY 3,000 PARKING SPACES IN THE ENTIRE ZONE.
AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS ALSO DO GET VISITOR PERMITS.
SO WE JUST CAME OUT OF A VERY HIGH-IMPACT WEEKEND.
AND SO EVEN IF HALF OF THOSE ZONE MEMBERS INVITE...
ONE SINGLE FRIEND OVER WITH A CAR.
WE NOW HAVE 5,000 PEOPLE WITH PERMITS AND ADDITIONAL 02,500 LEGALLY PARKED VISITORS IN A PLACE THAT DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH ON A NORMAL NIGHT.
SO IT CAN GET CHALLENGING ESPECIALLY WHEN WE DO HAVE LARGER EVENTS.
IF THERE IS ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO TAKE OFF MY PARKING HAT AND PUT ON KIND OF THE TRANSPORTATION SIDE THAT I'VE BEEN IN, NOT TO STEP ON OUR CURRENT DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION.
IF THERE'S INCENTIVES TO BE BUILT OR IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO BUILD BUILDINGS THAT FOCUS ON INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE VERY COMFORTABLE NOT HAVING A CAR AND WE CAN FOCUS ON THOSE MICRO MOBILITY SOLUTIONS I'M NOT SAYING SCOOTERS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE THEIR OWN I I THEY HAVE THEIR OWN LEVEL OF PROBLEMS WITHIN THE CITY BUT INDIVIDUALS THAT DO WANT TO UTILIZE UH THE THE INCREASINGLY UM AVAILABLE BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE'RE BRINGING TO THE CITY UM HOPEFULLY AS WE CAN CONTINUE TO GROW OUR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN THE THE CITY JUST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE THAT COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ AND I THINK SEVERAL OTHER INDIVIDUALS HERE ON THE DAY MAY HAVE ALREADY SAID IT.
PARKING IS AN ASSET THAT IS INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN.
WHEN IN REALITY, IT'S, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE, IT'S EITHER USED TO STORE A CAR THAT NEVER MOVES OR IT STAYS COMPLETELY EMPTY 16 OUT OF 24 HOURS.
AND SO THAT EATS UP EXTREMELY VALUABLE SQUARE FOOTAGE THAT CAN BE USED FOR APARTMENTS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
PRETTY CHALLENGING WITH THE CURRENT INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW TO BE ABLE TO SAY, HEY, WE CAN ABSORB THIS HERE OR THERE.
I KNOW THAT DIDN'T REALLY SOLVE ANYTHING, AND I'M REALLY SORRY ABOUT THAT.
YEAH, OKAY, SO I'D LIKE TO MOVE THAT.
CAN I SUMMARIZE WHAT YOU'RE DOING? SO THIS IS GOING TO MOVE IT BACK.
FIRST READING BEFORE THE FULL COMMISSION WITH THE FOLLOWING CHANGES AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF ANY OF THESE ARE MISSTATED ONE THE MAXIMUM UNIT SIZE WOULD BE INCREASED TO 1500 SQUARE FEET NUMBER TWO THERE WOULD BE A CAP SET ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF UNITS THAT WOULD BE PERMITTED AND WE DIDN'T WORK ON THAT BETWEEN NOW YEAH A NUMBER NOW.
YEAH, STAFF WILL WORK ON A NUMBER AND BRING THAT TO THE COMMISSION WITH A RECOMMENDATION.
NUMBER THREE WOULD BE ALLOWING THE SMALLER LOTS TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE INCENTIVES.
SO THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE WOULD BE REDUCED FROM 13,000 TO 06,500 SQUARE FEET.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE WOULD BE EXCLUDING NEW DEVELOPMENT FROM ZONE 2 ON-STREET PARKING PERMITS THAT MAY BE FURTHER EVOLVED AS THE COMMISSION.
COMMISSION DISCUSSES AT A FIRST READING.
YEAH, AND TOM, YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT THIS IN, BUT IF I COULD ASK YOU AND DEBBIE AND OTHERS TO PUT YOUR THINKING CAP ON, AND I REALLY LIKE WHERE COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ IS GOING WITH THAT WITH THE SMALLER BOUTIQUE STUFF, IF THERE ARE EVEN FURTHER THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO INCENTIVIZE THAT, KNOWING THAT WE'LL, MAYBE THE GOAL IS TO GET BOTH, AND THE SMALLER LOTS ARE PROBABLY HARDER TO GIVE A CATALYST TO.
SO, IF WE HAVE TO HAVE A BIFURCATION OF INCENTIVES, IF YOU WILL, AND THE INCENTIVES PERHAPS ARE GREATER TO THE SMALLER BOUTIQUE LOTS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD AT LEAST WEIGH AND ENTERTAIN.
YEAH, AND MR CHAIR, IF I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PUT IN IN THE AMENDED ORDINANCE, THE CAP ON THE AMOUNT OF UNITS FOR THE CORRIDOR.
WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS THE ADMINISTRATION IS GOING TO COME UP WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE CAP ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF UNITS AND BRING THAT TO THE COMMISSION FOR FIRST READING.
AND I'M JUST GOING TO BE CLEAR.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS A PROBLEM, NOT CREATE A PROBLEM.
AND I THINK OVERDEVELOPMENT IS A PROBLEM.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS CONVEYED A CAP THAT I FEEL THAT IS.
GOOD FOR WASHINGTON AVENUE, HAVING SPOKEN TO MANY PROPERTY OWNERS AND TO MANY DEVELOPERS, IS A CAP OF 250 UNITS FOR THE CORRIDOR.
[02:10:03]
AND I THINK, AS YOU MENTIONED, TOM, IF WE NEED TO REVISIT THAT IN THE FUTURE, BECAUSE WE'VE HAD SUCH SUCCESS WITH THIS PROGRAM, THEN WE CAN GO AHEAD AND REVISIT THAT IN THE FUTURE.BUT I DON'T WANT TO CREATE THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE OF LAND SPECULATION.
SO I DO WANT TO SEE A MODEST CAP SO THAT WE DO NOT END UP CREATING THIS PERCEPTION THAT WE'RE COMING IN AND GETTING WASHINGTON AVENUE AND DOING TO IT WHAT HAPPENED IN TOWN CENTER.
BECAUSE THAT IS FARTHEST FROM THE GOAL.
SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SEE A MODEST CAP AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS CONVEYED WELL AS TO WHAT IS MY INTENT REGARDING THAT.
THROUGH THE CHAIR, IF I MAY, TOM, TO THAT POINT, TO ALEX'S POINT, IS THERE ANYTHING IN HERE ABOUT TIME FROM APPROVAL TO PERMIT REQUIREMENTS? YES.
THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE SEEKING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE INCENTIVES MUST OBTAIN A FULL BUILDING PERMIT NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER.
SO WE STARTED THIS A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, RIGHT? SO IT'S OKAY WITH THE COMMITTEE.
IT WOULD PROBABLY EXTEND TO 2033 BECAUSE IT'S YEAH, THE INTENT WAS SIX YEARS.
YEAH, BECAUSE WHEN WE STARTED THIS, IT WAS A YEAR AND A HALF AGO OR A YEAR AGO.
WHY SIX YEARS, NOT FIVE YEARS OR SEVEN? THE REASON THAT WE HAD SUGGESTED SIX IS BECAUSE PEOPLE, IF THEY'RE GOING, THE EARLIEST THAT THIS WILL BE ABLE TO BE ADOPTED AT THIS POINT, ASSUMING THAT IT'S APPROVED BY THE COMMISSIONER FIRST READING, SAY IN JULY, WOULD BE SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER, WHICH MEANS THAT AT THAT POINT, SOMEONE CAN BEGIN TO GO INTO THINGS LIKE LOT ACQUISITION, ACQUIRING PROPERTY, MAKING LAND USE BOARD APPLICATIONS, GETTING LAND USE BOARD APPROVAL, AND THEN COMING IN FOR BUILDING PERMIT.
PROBABLY A GOOD TWO-YEAR PROCESS.
SO GETTING A FULL BUILDING PERMIT IS, EVEN IN THE BEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES, A MINIMUM OF ABOUT TWO YEARS FROM START TO FINISH.
AND SO THIS WOULD ENABLE PEOPLE TO SEE WHO'S MOVING FORWARD WITH IT AND WOULD GIVE PEOPLE SOME TIME.
SO SIX YEARS, I THINK, IS A BETTER COMPROMISE.
AND I THINK WITH COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ'S PROPOSAL OF A STOPGAP CAP, YOU KNOW, WE PROTECT OURSELVES FROM ANY SORT OF THIS.
AND JUST, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO SAY A CAP.
I WANT TO SAY MORE OF LIKE A STOPGAP.
LIKE SAYING, ONCE WE HIT THIS, WE CAN EVALUATE WHAT HAS BEEN APPROVED AS FAR AS BUILDING PERMITS AND THEN SEE WHAT HAPPENS OR SEE WHAT IS THE CURRENT CONDITION.
AND THEN WE CAN EITHER EXTEND OR SUNSET.
I'M GOING TO LET STAFF COME UP WITH A THOUGHTFUL, WHATEVER THAT VALUE IS.
SO, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE I END THE ITEM? NO, NO.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE.
I'M SORRY I'M NOT THERE IN PERSON, BUT GRATEFUL FOR THE DISCUSSION.
OKAY, SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND AS AMENDED? YEAH, BASED UPON WHAT I JUST READ INTO THE RECORD.
SO NOW THAT WE'RE STILL TALKING ABOUT AFFORDABILITY AND DEINCENTIVIZING TRANSIENT USE
[4. DISCUSS THE CREATION OF A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE PROGRAM FOR LANDLORDS FOR CONVERSION OF SHORT-TERM RENTAL PROPERTY TO LONG-TERM LEASES.]
AND MORE RESIDENTIAL USE, LET'S CALL NUMBER FOUR.OKAY ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS DISCUSS THE CREATION OF A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE PROGRAM FOR LANDLORDS FOR CONVERSION OF SHORT-TERM RENTAL PROPERTY TO LONG-TERM LEASES.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER BHATT WE JUST LOST THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT FOR A BIO BREAK.
THIS, YOU KNOW, WE ARE PRECLUDED FROM CHANGING LEGISLATION TO LIMIT SHORT-TERM RENTALS FROM WHERE THEY CURRENTLY ARE, BUT THERE ARE WAYS THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO INCENTIVIZE CONVERTING SHORT-TERM RENTALS INTO LONG-TERM RENTALS FOR TENANTS.
AND I, GOSH, THIS IS GOING BACK QUITE SOME TIME, BUT...
THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF EXAMPLES FROM OTHER CITIES THAT I SHARED WITH OUR STAFF.
SOME OF THEM WORKED, SOME OF THEM DIDN'T WORK, BUT I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE A REALLY INTERESTING CONCEPT FOR US TO EXPLORE WITH TOM AND NICK AND EVERYBODY ELSE'S INPUT ON HOW TO WORK AND WHAT WE
[02:15:01]
MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO.WE ACTUALLY, I DISCUSSED THIS AT LENGTH WITH AL BATARI, WHO'S OUR HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR.
AND THE LEASE TO LOCALS PROGRAM THAT WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE BACKUP THAT YOU PROVIDED DID HAVE SOME SUCCESS IN SOME OF THE CITIES THAT WERE ANALYZED AS PART OF THAT BACKUP.
WHEN ALBA TALKED TO OUR CONSULTANT...
REGARDING WHETHER OR NOT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD FIT FOR MIAMI BEACH.
THE GENERAL CONSENSUS IS THAT IT LIKELY WOULD NOT FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.
ONE, WE HAVE CERTAIN BUDGET CONSTRAINTS WITH REGARD TO BEING ABLE TO MANAGE A PROGRAM LIKE THIS.
NUMBER TWO, THERE'S ALSO THE COMPETITION THAT WE HAVE WITH THE NUMBER OF PROPERTIES THAT ARE PERMITTED BY STATE LAW TO HAVE TRANSIENT USES AND OUR INABILITY TO REGULATE THAT OUTSIDE OF.
SOME LIMITED ZONING DISTRICTS.
IN TERMS OF A LONGER TERM STRATEGIC OUTLOOK, THE ADMINISTRATION BELIEVES THAT FINDING PROGRAMS TO INCREASE LONG-TERM HOUSING IN THE CITY IS VERY WORTHWHILE AND DESIRABLE AND THAT PERHAPS WE COULD LOOK AT A DEDICATED FUNDING STREAM TO ACHIEVE THIS THROUGH PROGRAMS. THAT WOULD INCREASE THE STOCK OF LONG-TERM NON-TRANSIENT HOUSING EITHER AS PART OF NEW CONSTRUCTION OR THROUGH THESE TYPES OF CONVERSIONS THAT WERE CONTEMPLATED UNDER THE LEASE TO LOCALS.
SO A QUESTION FOR YOU IS THAT WE HAVE THE CRA IN NORTH BEACH WHERE THERE IS A FAIR AMOUNT OF TRANSIENT SPRS, NOT COUNTING THE NEW FANCY DEVELOPER ONES.
AND WE HAVE A CRA THAT MANDATES BY LAW THAT 10% OF THE REVENUES THAT COME IN HAVE TO BE USED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
COULD THAT, AND I DON'T SEE ANYBODY HERE FROM ECON DEVELOPMENT, BUT COULD THAT REVENUE SOURCE BE USED IN PART TO UNDERWRITE A PROGRAM LIKE THIS LEGALLY? BECAUSE IT WOULD KIND OF HIT ON ALL CYLINDERS.
I WANT TO DISCUSS THAT WITH STEPHEN ANTHONY, AND PERHAPS THAT IS AN OPTION, AND THERE MIGHT BE OTHER OPTIONS WITH REGARD TO UTILIZING THE CRA FOR THAT PURPOSE.
WE COULD CERTAINLY COME BACK TO YOU WITH MORE INFORMATION ON THAT.
YEAH, LET'S, THROUGH THE CHAIR, LET'S BRING IT BACK NEXT, WILL NEXT MONTH BE ENOUGH, OR DO YOU WANT TO COME BACK IN JULY? I THINK IN JULY WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO ECONOMIC PEOPLE.
TOM, YOU'RE JUST SAYING JULY BECAUSE YOU'RE LIKE, I AM OUT OF HERE.
WELL, NO, IT'S BECAUSE IT'S THE NEXT MEETING.
BECAUSE THERE'S A MEETING NEXT WEDNESDAY, BUT WE WOULD NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT WEDNESDAY.
SO THE NEXT MEETING AFTER THAT WOULD BE JULY.
AND WE'LL CALL YOU JUST SO YOU CAN FEEL LIKE YOU'RE PART OF IT.
AND ACTUALLY, I STILL TECHNICALLY WILL BE AN ADVISOR, SO I WILL BE HERE.
SO I'M NOT OUT OF THE WOODS JUST YET.
SO IS THAT OKAY, DAVID? YEAH, SURE.
SO WE'LL SHOW THIS AS CONTINUED TO JULY 15TH, AND WE'LL REACH OUT TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND GET SOME MORE INFORMATION AS TO WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED.
YEAH, I'M JUST, I MEAN, THAT'S ONE THING THAT POPPED TO MIND, AND I WANT TO KEEP WORKING ON THIS, BECAUSE JUST BECAUSE SOME CITIES HAD SUCCESS WITH IT AND SOME CITIES DIDN'T, AND IT MIGHT BE EXPENSIVE, BUT WE HAVEN'T REALLY EXPLORED IT FULLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT OTHER FUNDING SOURCES, WHAT OTHER FEDERAL GRANTS MIGHT BE ABLE TO, OR MAYBE NOT EVEN FEDERAL GRANTS, YOU KNOW, PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY GRANTS MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP UNDERWRITE THIS IF WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING SOURCE, BECAUSE IT IS A HUGE NEED, AND I WOULD MUCH RATHER INCENTIVIZE EXISTING BUILDINGS TO SORT OF SPRUCE UP THEIR BUILDINGS AND BECOME FULL-TIME RESIDENTIAL AGAIN THEN DEMOLISH AND BUILD NEW IT'S BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT IT'S BETTER FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS BETTER FOR EVERYBODY SO YOU KNOW BESIDES THE THE CRA MONIES LET'S SEE WHAT KIND OF YOU KNOW WHO DOES WHAT OUT THERE I DON'T KNOW MAYBE THEY'RE PRIVATE LIKE THE FORD FOUNDATION OR WHO KNOWS WHAT FOUNDATIONS ARE DOING RIGHT WHAT ABOUT ISSUES BECAUSE IT IS NOT JUST A LOCAL DISCUSSION ANYMORE IT'S NATIONAL I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE ARE DOING THINGS SO IF WE COULD EVEN ON A PILOT SCALE AND LIMIT IT TO YOU KNOW TWO NEIGHBORHOODS IN OUR CITY OR WHATEVER WE WANT TO DO TO PROVE THE CONCEPT AND THEN ROLL IT OUT WIDER I THINK THAT'D BE AMAZING PLEASE AND THANK YOU ALL RIGHT SO WE'LL KNOW THIS BY ACCLAMATION THAT WILL CONTINUE IT TO THE JULY MEETING GREAT ALL RIGHT,
[02:20:01]
SO JUST REAL QUICK, I WANTED TO SEE HOW SOME[2. DISCUSS AMENDING THE PROCEDURE FOR APPEALS OF DECISIONS OF THE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD ON DESIGN REVIEW APPLICATIONS, TO PROVIDE THAT APPEALS SHALL BE HEARD BY A DESIGNATED SPECIAL MAGISTRATE, CONSISTENT WITH THE PROCEDURE FOR APPEALS FROM THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD.]
OF MY COLLEAGUES FELT ABOUT THIS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ IS STILL ON, BUT LET'S DO NUMBER TWO REAL QUICK.NUMBER TWO IS DISCUSS AMENDING THE PROCEDURE FOR APPEALS OF DECISIONS OF THE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD ON DESIGN REVIEW APPLICATIONS TO PROVIDE THAT APPEALS SHALL BE HEARD BY A DESIGNATED SPECIAL MAGISTRATE CONSISTENT WITH THE PROCEDURE FOR APPEALS FROM THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD.
SO NICK, WHY DON'T YOU TEE THIS UP FOR US, BECAUSE THIS IS ALSO SOMETHING SUGGESTED FROM LEGAL TO KIND OF AVOID WHAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING IN THE LAST COUPLE OF COMMISSION MEETINGS.
SO THIS IS AN AMENDMENT TO THE LDRS THAT SPECIFICALLY RELATES TO APPEALS FROM DECISIONS OF THE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD.
THE STANDARD OF REVIEW FOR ANY APPEAL OF A DECISION OF A LAND USE BOARD IS A LEGAL STANDARD.
IT'S WHETHER THE BOARD'S DECISION WAS SUPPORTED BY COMPETENT SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE, WHETHER PROCEDURAL DUE PROCESS WAS PROVIDED, AND WHETHER THE BOARD FOLLOWED THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF LAW.
THIS IS THE SAME STANDARD THAT THE CIRCUIT COURT WOULD APPLY IF...
IF SOMEBODY APPEALED THE DECISION OF A LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAND USE BOARD ANYWHERE IN FLORIDA.
IT'S A STANDARD THAT'S BEEN SHAPED BY DECADES OF CASE LAW, BUT IT IS ESSENTIALLY A LEGAL STANDARD.
CURRENTLY, THE DRB IS THE ONLY ONE OF OUR FOUR BOARDS WHOSE DECISIONS ARE APPEALED TO THE CITY COMMISSION.
SO WHAT THIS ORDINANCE DOES IS IT WOULD MAKE APPEALS FROM THE DRB CONSISTENT WITH THE HPV.
IN THAT THE FIRST LEVEL OF REVIEW IS TO GO TO A SPECIAL MAGISTRATE.
OUR CODE HAS CERTAIN PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THAT SPECIAL MAGISTRATE, AND CURRENTLY OUR SPECIAL MAGISTRATE FOR THE HPB IS THE FORMER CHIEF LAND USE ATTORNEY FOR MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.
SO WE HAVE SOMEBODY WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN DOING THIS.
AS DRAFTED, THIS WOULD NOT APPLY TO DECISIONS OF THE DRB.
FOR APPLICATIONS ON THE CITY PROPERTY.
SO IF SOMEBODY WERE TO APPEAL A DECISION OF THE DRB FOR A CITY PROJECT, THOSE WOULD STILL BE REVIEWABLE BY THE CITY COMMISSION.
COMMISSIONER BHATT, WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF APPEALS.
IT KIND OF PUTS US IN A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION BECAUSE WE'RE SORT OF IN A QUASI-JUDICIAL SETTING.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS MOVING FORWARD APPROPRIATE FOR US TO BE SORT OF THE, CALL IT THE ARBITERS OF AN APPEAL.
YOU KNOW, TWO APPEALS WE'VE HAD IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, ONE WE'VE ALLOWED TO GO THROUGH, I THINK THAT WAS IN THE VENETIAN, AND THEN WE RECENTLY DEMANDED.
AND APPROVAL BACK TO THE DRB FOR RECONSIDERATION.
AND, I MEAN, LOOK, I FELT COMFORTABLE DOING THOSE, BUT I THINK MOVING FORWARD, I THINK A SPECIAL MAGISTRATE PROCESS IS THE WAY TO GO, AND THEN PERHAPS WITH A CIRCUIT COURT, AND THEN IT KIND OF REMOVES POLITICS FROM THESE.
NOT THAT POLITICS HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE LAST COUPLE ITEMS, BUT...
MOVING FORWARD, IT MOVES IT OUT.
SO I'D LIKE TO HEAR WHAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE TO SAY.
AND AGAIN, I'M NOT MARRIED TO THIS.
I THINK THIS WAS, I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA MOVING FORWARD, ESPECIALLY SINCE ALL OUR OTHER LAND USE BOARDS HAVE A SIMILAR PROCESS.
YEAH, SO I'M NOT SURE WHY THIS ONE IS THE ONE THAT DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME PROCESS.
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WAS A REASON FOR IT OR JUST NEVER GOT KIND OF CAPTURED IN THAT.
I, IN PRINCIPLE, AM VERY OKAY WITH THINGS BEING CONSISTENT AS A RULE OF THUMB.
AND I LIKE THE FACT THAT, NICK, AS YOU MENTIONED, THAT IF IT'S A GOVERNMENT SITE, THEN IT COMES TO US BECAUSE WE'RE GOVERNMENT.
AND I THINK WE SHOULD WEIGH IN ON THAT.
SO AS STATED, I'M FINE WITH THIS.
I DON'T KNOW IF COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ IS STILL ONLINE OR IS NOW EATING SUSHI.
DO YOU WANT TO MOVE IT TO THE COMMISSION? SURE.
OKAY, SO DO YOU WANT TO MOVE THIS TO COMMISSION AS A REFERRAL TO THE PLANNING BOARD? YES.
WE CAN'T JUST MOVE IT STRAIGHT FROM HERE TO PLANNING BOARD AND THEN COME TO COMMISSION? IT WAS NOT A DUAL REFERRAL, SO IT HAS TO GO BACK TO THE COMMISSION TO REFER IT TO THE PLANNING BOARD.
[02:25:01]
PLANNING BOARD IT COMES BACK TO COMMISSION?[5. DISCUSS DEVELOPING ALL OF THE WEST LOTS LYING ALONG COLLINS AVENUE BETWEEN 79TH STREET AND 87TH STREET INTO A PLANNED CITY PARK IN NORTH BEACH, INCLUDING THE FUTURE PROGRAMMING FOR THE WEST LOTS.]
FIRST READING.ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONER BHATT, I DON'T KNOW, IT'S UP TO YOU IF YOU WANT TO DO NUMBER SEVEN, JUST TO GET IT OUT OF THE WAY.
AND ALSO, MR. CHAIR, ON NUMBER FIVE, JOHN REBAR'S HERE.
HE INDICATED TO ME THAT THE ONLY UPDATE HE HAD WAS THE SAVINO AND MILLER.
YEAH, IT NEEDED TO BE HEARD AT THE LAST COMMISSION MEETING, BUT IT HASN'T.
YEAH, THAT WAS THE ONLY UPDATE HE HAD FOR NUMBER FIVE.
SO I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO DISCUSS THAT REAL QUICK AS WELL.
WE CAN JUST CLOSE THAT OUT, RIGHT? YEAH.
[7. DISCUSS HOLDING COMPANIES DOING BUSINESS WITHIN CITY LIMITS RESPONSIBLE FOR EDUCATING THEIR DRIVERS ABOUT THE PROHIBITION OF BLOCKING/DOUBLE PARKING IN THE RIGHT-OF-WAYS.]
THERE'S GOING TO BE PLENTY OF DISCUSSION AT COMMISSION.SO WE'LL SHOW NUMBER FIVE DISCUSSED AND CONCLUDED.
AND THEN NUMBER SEVEN, COMMISSIONER BHATT'S...
DISCUSS HOLDING COMPANIES DOING BUSINESS WITHIN CITY LIMITS RESPONSIBLE FOR EDUCATING THEIR DRIVERS ABOUT THE PROHIBITION OF BLOCKING AND DOUBLE PARKING IN THE RIGHTS OF ONE YEAH, SO WE'LL TAKE US THROUGH THE INS AND OUTS, BUT TANGENTIALLY WE'VE BEEN DOING EXACTLY THAT WE WILL HAS BEEN DOING EXACTLY THIS AND I THINK HE'S DEPUTIZED JANE KRUPP IN THE OCEAN VALLEY DISTRICT BECAUSE AND I DON'T WANT TO STEAL YOUR THUNDER, BUT YOU HAVE BEEN ACTUALLY SUCCESSFULLY REACHING OUT TO COMPANIES AND LOADING ZONES WHO ARE DOING THINGS INCORRECTLY AND ADVISING THEM.
AND THEY'RE LIKE, OH, YEAH, OKAY, WE CAN DO IT DIFFERENTLY AND BETTER.
SO THIS IS THE SAME KIND OF NOTION, BUT NOT SPECIFICALLY ONLY TO LOADING ZONES.
NO, SO WILL MCDONALD, DIRECTOR OF PARKING, ST.
SO I'LL SAY THAT WHAT WE HAVE REALLY FOCUSED ON, AND NOW THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, THE RECENT ORDINANCE CHANGED THAT NOW FREIGHT LOADING ZONES WILL BE 7 TO 3.
WE NOW HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TEETH WITH INSIDE OUR FREIGHT LOADING AND ALLEY LOADING ZONE PERMITS.
WE'VE ADDED A TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE WHICH CLEARLY OUTLINE WHAT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES ARE.
WE'VE ADDED A DRIVER ATTESTATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM THAT WE SAID THAT PART OF YOUR CONDITIONS OF USE IS YOU WILL HAVE EVERY DRIVER WATCH THIS VIDEO.
THE VIDEO THAT OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE FOR US THAT IS UP ON YOUTUBE AND IT'S AVAILABLE IN FRENCH CREOLE, IT'S AVAILABLE IN SPANISH, IT'S AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SO THIS IS JUST AND THE UNOFFICIAL DEPUTIZATION OF MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO HAVE SENT US PHOTOS AND CONTINUE TO SEND US PHOTOS.
AND I ACTUALLY LOOK AT IT AS A PHENOMENAL PARTNERSHIP BECAUSE WHAT I HAVE DONE IS I'VE REACHED OUT TO SEVERAL OF THESE AND TALKED TO THE TRANSPORTATION MANAGERS.
AND A LOT OF THEM ARE LIKE, HEY, GREAT.
WE DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT.
YOU GUYS ARE THE HARDEST PLACE TO DELIVER TO, I.E.
EVERY ONE OF THEM, WE'VE SENT THESE NEW UPDATES.
WE'VE SENT A LINK TO THE VIDEO.
AND NOW THAT THE ORDINANCE CHANGE HAS COME OUT, NOW THAT WE HAVE AUTOMOTIVE COMING ONLINE VERY SHORTLY IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, THAT WILL ACTUALLY SHOW OCCUPANCY, LIVE OCCUPANCY OF OUR FREIGHT LOADING ZONES OR VIOLATIONS TAKING PLACE.
BUT FOR THIS, IF THEIR DRIVERS CAN, ONCE WE GET THAT PUBLIC FACING, THEN THEIR DRIVERS CAN JUST LOOK ON THEIR TABLET AND GO, OH, THIS ONE HERE ON THE 100 BLOCK OF 10TH IS AVAILABLE.
AND THEY CAN MAKE A BEELINE RIGHT TOWARD IT.
SO THIS IS JUST KIND OF ANOTHER, I'LL JUST SAY, ANOTHER TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DEPLOY TO BE ABLE TO HOLD THESE COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE.
ONE THING I DO WANT TO SAY IS CHANGE TAKES TIME.
JUST LIKE A CULTURE CHANGE IN ANY ORGANIZATION, WHETHER IT'S HERE IN MIAMI BEACH OR THESE COMPANIES HAVE DELIVERY DRIVERS THAT HAVE BEEN DRIVING TO THIS BEACH FOR 15 YEARS AND DOING WHATEVER THEY WANT.
IT'S KIND OF A GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE BETWEEN SOME OF OUR PARKING ENFORCEMENT SPECIALISTS AND THESE DRIVERS.
YOU KNOW, I HEAR FROM THE DRIVERS, OH, THEY'RE FOLLOWING US.
AND IT'S LIKE, WELL, BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT YOU'RE JUST GOING TO STOP IN A LANE OF TRAFFIC SOMEWHERE.
THAT'S WHY THEY'RE FOLLOWING YOU.
BUT IRONICALLY, THEY DON'T STOP IN A LANE OF TRAFFIC WHEN WE'RE FOLLOWING YOU.
SO MAYBE THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
BUT I HAVE GOTTEN THE COMMITMENT FROM EVERYONE WE'VE REACHED OUT TO.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO TAKE IT ON FACE THAT THEY'RE BEING TRUE, THAT, HEY, WE WANT TO BE BETTER.
THESE FINES CUT INTO THEIR PROFIT, WHICH THEN CAUSES THEM TO RAISE THE COST OF THEIR GOODS, WHICH THEN THEY PASS THAT ON TO THE LOCAL BUSINESSES, WHO THEN RAISE THE COST OF GOODS THAT ARE SOLD HERE.
AND HOPEFULLY, IF WE CAN SOMEHOW REDUCE THIS, IT NOT ONLY MAYBE MAKES THEM NOT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO BE THE CAUSE OF THEM RAISING THEIR PRICES, BUT IT ALSO REDUCES TRAFFIC CONGESTION.
IT REDUCES, I'LL SAY, CONFLICTS AND INTERACTIONS WITH THESE DRIVERS.
AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, THESE DRIVERS, AND OUR PARKING ENFORCEMENT SPECIALISTS.
SO IT'S JUST ANOTHER TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX THAT I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO START SEEING INCREMENTAL CHANGE IN THE HABITS OF THE DRIVERS BECAUSE NOW I'M TALKING TO THEIR BOSSES.
DO YOU HAVE A WAY OF, OR I'M SURE YOU'RE DATA-DRIVEN, SO ARE YOU, WELL NOT YOU PERSONALLY, BUT YOUR DEPARTMENT IS DATA-DRIVEN.
I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE YOU ARE TOO, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT DO YOU HAVE A WAY OF TRACKING THIS, THE METRICS OF WHERE WE WERE BEFORE VERSUS BY EACH COMPANY?
[02:30:02]
THIS GUY WAS A REPEAT OFFENDER ALL THE TIME AND NOW NEVER.AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE SO THAT WE HAVE SOME COMPARISON AND ANALYSIS GOING FORWARD.
SO WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT WAYS OF DOING THIS.
ONE, SUPER HAPPY WE HAVE A DATA SCIENTIST THAT I STOLE OUT OF THE INTERN PILE.
AND I FOUGHT TOOTH AND NAIL TO GET HIM TO COME TO PARKING.
SO WE HAVE A DATA SCIENTIST THAT STARTED LAST WEEK.
AND HE'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE FOCUSING ON A FEW OTHER PROJECTS.
WE KEEP THE NAME OF EVERY COMPANY.
THAT WHEN WE WRITE A RIGHT-OF-WAY CITATION.
SO THAT IS EXTREMELY EASY TO SAY, HEY, WE STARTED AT THIS DATE.
NOW WE HAVE 90 DAYS OF DATA ON WHO WE'VE GIVEN RIGHT-OF-WAY VIOLATIONS TO VERSUS THE PREVIOUS 90 DAYS.
WE CAN ALSO LOOK AT MATCHING LICENSE PLATES WITH OUR CITATIONS.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOK AT SOME OF THE BIG PLAYERS, LIKE I KNOW WE SPEAK WITH FEDEX.
FEDEX HAS PERMITTED, I THINK, 55 OF THEIR TRUCKS TO COME TO MIAMI BEACH BECAUSE THEY NEVER KNOW WHICH TRUCK IS GOING TO BE ON WHICH ROUTE.
IT DOES GET A LITTLE BIT TRICKIER WHEN WE GO FOR THE CITATIONS, BUT THE RIGHT-OF-WAYS WE COLLECT THE DOT NUMBER, THE DRIVER'S NAME, AS LONG AS THEY DON'T DRIVE OFF.
WE COLLECT AS MUCH INFORMATION AS YOU CAN ABOUT THAT.
SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO SAY, HEY, FOR 90 DAYS WE'VE DONE THIS.
WE MADE CONTACT ON THIS DAY, AND THEY'VE DROPPED 20% OR 50%, OR THEY'VE GONE UP 20% BECAUSE THEY DON'T CARE.
SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO TRACK THAT, AND WE CAN THEN CHANGE THE CONVERSATION WITH THE COMPANY DEPENDING ON WHAT THAT DATA LOOKS LIKE.
SO TO THAT POINT, I MEAN, THIS IS THE CARROT, BASICALLY, EDUCATION.
IF THERE ARE FLAGRANT VIOLATORS, WHAT ARE THE STICKS? AND DO WE NEED TO DO ANYTHING ON THAT SIDE TO INCREASE FINES? SO, YES, THIS IS THE CARROT.
AND THE CARROT IS SEVERAL THINGS.
THE CARROT IS, HEY, WE'RE ACTUALLY REACHING OUT TO YOU NOW.
THE CARROT IS, HEY, WE'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, THE COLOR-CODED CURBS AND SHUTTING OFF THE PAYMENTS FOR THE FREIGHT LOADING ZONES.
AND NOW THAT WE HAVE AUTOMOTIVE, WE ARE GOING TO BE HAVING PROACTIVE. ENFORCEMENT IN THESE AREAS THAT'S GOING TO BE MUCH QUICKER THAN THE PREVIOUS STRUCTURE OF JUST DRIVING AROUND. SO WE WERE DOING ALL OF THESE THINGS TO TRY TO KEEP THESE ZONES OPEN. NOW IT'S UP TO THEM TO START COMMUNICATING THAT.
IF WE HAVE COMPANIES THAT DON'T ACT IN GOOD FAITH OR THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE ARE, I'LL SAY, A LITTLE BIT LESS RESPONSIVE THAN OTHERS, I'LL JUST SAY, WHILE THERE ARE GUARDRAILS, WE CAN'T JUST GO OUT AND DO WHATEVER WE WANT.
WE CAN WORK FOR EXAMPLE WITH OUR TOWING PARTNERS ON INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE MAYBE A TON OF OUTSTANDING VIOLATIONS OR OBSTRUCTION OF TRAFFIC IS ALWAYS A TOWABLE OFFENSE. SO IF WE HAVE SOMEBODY THAT'S A NOT ACTING IN THE BEST OF FAITH AND CONTINUES TO DO THESE VIOLATIONS THEN I'LL BE VERY I CAN SAY THAT IT'S VERY EASY TO KNOW WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH DOING DELIVERIES AND THE NEXT TIME THEY OBSTRUCT. BUT IS THAT REALISTIC BECAUSE THEY MIGHT SEE YOU COMING WITH A TOW TRUCK AND HIGHTAIL IT OUT OF THERE AND COME BACK? OR IS IT, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE IT'S NOT A PROBLEM. IT WOULD POSE A CHALLENGE, BUT AGAIN, IF THERE IS TRULY A COMPANY THAT IS JUST BLATANTLY FLIPPING THEIR NOSE AT THE CITY, THERE'S ALWAYS AN ANSWER. AND I'M SURE. HOPEFULLY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THAT. I FEEL THAT ALL OF THESE WANT TO BE GOOD PLAYERS AND GOOD NEIGHBORS.
AND ARE THE FINES THAT WE IMPOSE SUFFICIENT TO HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS? SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO ADJUST THE FINES. I THINK THE ORDINANCE THAT THE COMMISSION ADOPTED LAST WEEK IS THE MAXIMUM UNDER STATE LAW. YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, I'D LOVE TO SIT HERE AND SAY WE CAN, YOU KNOW, HIT THEM HARDER. YOU KNOW, BUT THE GIST OF THE MATTER IS THAT THE FINES WILL ONLY GO SO FAR. THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT WE CAN DO IF SOMEBODY IS TRULY FLIPPING THEIR NOSE AT US, BUT AGAIN, I HAVE FAITH IN THE OVERALL GOOD OF PEOPLE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO WORK WITH US... HE'S SUCH AN OPTIMIST. OKAY.
SOMEONE ASKED ME. YEAH. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE THIS FROM? YOU KNOW, CAN WE KEEP IT HERE AND HAVE YOU COME BACK IN LIKE SIX MONTHS OR WHATEVER YOU THINK IS A GOOD TIME FRAME JUST TO GIVE US AN UPDATE OF HOW EFFECTIVE IT'S BEEN? I THINK I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THIS IS. GOING TO DO AND I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO COME BACK AND BRAG A LITTLE BIT.
ABSOLUTELY. OKAY, SO WE CAN OPEN AND CONTINUE THIS TO...
YEAH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO A FUTURE DATE
[6. DISCUSS CONSIDER AN AMENDMENT TO THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS TO PERMIT A TEMPORARY SALES BUILDING WITHIN THE ALTON BEACH BAYFRONT OVERLAY IN A LIMITED CAPACITY WHEN CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS ARE SATISFIED (DUAL REFERRAL TO THE PLANNING BOARD).]
FOR ADDITIONAL UPDATES. THAT'S GOOD. OKAY. COMMISSIONER BHATT, I THINK WE'RE GOOD HERE.YEAH. WE'RE PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING EXCEPT... ITEM 6, WE CAN MOVE TO JUNE 3RD IF YOU WANT TO DO THAT. RIGHT. AND I WOULD HAVE CALLED IT, BUT COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE STEPPED
[02:35:02]
OUT. OKAY. SO WE'LL MOVE ITEM 6 TO JUNE 3RD. OH, YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. SO WE DON'T HAVE SO YOU'RE GOING TO BE OUT OF TOWN. YEAH. AND I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ IS ALSO GOING TO BE OUT OF TOWN. SO WE'RE GOING TO MOVE WE'LL JUST WELL, MAYBE WE POSTPONE IT TO ANOTHER DATE IN JUNE.YEAH. BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF WE WANT TO JUST FRONT LOAD EVERYTHING TO JULY. OKAY. LET'S JUST MOVE IT. AND I'LL HAVE TOM OR NICK REACH OUT FOR DATES. OKAY? YEP. OKAY. MEETING ADJOURNED.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, EVERYONE.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.