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Home My WebLink AboutSubmittal - Aky Fernandez - Letter to CommissionersAky Fernandez Architect Chair and Members City of Miami Commission 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, FL, 33131 April 28th, 2022 RE: PZ.8 - TOD Parking reductions from process of waiver to process of exception Dear Chairperson & Members of the Commission, I am writing to you on my behalf and the behalf of small builders like me in my steadfast opposition to this amendment. After hearing what some of you had to say at last March's commission hearing. I took it upon myself to do some research and dive deeper into this topic. Your very valid parking concerns can be addressed by stricter parking enforcement on swales and residential only on street parking decals. This letter is meant to serve as an outline of the following documents: 1- Miami 21 Task Force Report dated 10/21 2- Miami 21 Zoning Code- CH 2 - Intent 3- Miami Forever Carbon Neutral Plan It highlights all the instances where this amendment directly opposes the recommendations and principles of these documents. Documents that were created by teams of experts selected by you. Miami 21 Task Force Report • Affordability While amending the Code will not solve this problem on its own, planning staff and stakeholders understand that updating the regulatory process to support housing options across a wide range of price points is essential. A.3 - Decrease parking requirements overall to support the general provision of affordable housing. A.4 - Provide parking reductions for small affordable housing projects, as the AFFORDABILITY smaller the project the more burdensome the parking requirements. RA,' -t--ENVae,.. CxYwniS.s-1,9-Q ��.~ °�� Fernandez ~°� ez Architect o A.5 '/Q|ovv parking reductions as of right for Affordable Housing projects. o A.11 A||ovx centralized parking that affordable housing projects can utilize ma"off'aitn" parking. o 411O'Allow centralized parking that affordable housing projects can utilize o /i12 Increase aquen* footage threshold for small building parking exemption, e.g. from 10,000 to 20,000 sf habitable space. o A.21 ' Provide e cheer table in Miami 21 for Affordable Housing incentives. o /i22-Encourage and create flexibility insmall scale development (uoneidere definition for small scale development). o A.34 Allow Development toutilize public parking garages and on street parking permits in lieu of required parking. o &35 Encourage T3street parking by resident only permit at no cost, to empower parking reductions for other tnanneot zones with no concern for spillover parking. A.36 - Do not require payment in lieu for parking reductions. o A.37 Increase Density inT4and T5without increasing building volume, especially within TODs. n A,48 /U|ovx density transfers along Corridors, not just TODn re0mnj|eno of different zoning tnanaecta. increase TOD and TO radius distance from 1/4 to 1/3 mile. A.52 -Allow full range of TOD incentives in Transit Corridors. o A.53 - Create incentives for nnmaU'oom|e development, such as waiving Waiver process; expediting permitting; reducing plan deliverable requirements; and eliminating standard comments. Also, a||om/ anme|| mites (20,000 of maximum) in T5 and TG to develop without parkinG, and to ne|| unused density ona market rate benefit, onsmall sites cannot achieve allowable Density. o A`58 Create Density bonuses citywide for proximity toTransit Corridors and TODs regardless of proximity to T3. Ak. � Fern��n�ezArchitect o A.60 -Encourage Density along Transit Corridors. o A.61 Create specialized T3 zoning that a|koxxo triplexes and quodxop|nxeo. Allow T4 affordable housing abutting T3 to be approved byException. o A.62 Encourage a wider range of housing types, e.o]�] R eUovv ancillary unit, T3'L allow dup|euen. T3'0 a||uvx triplexes and quodp|oxeo. o A.63 Add incentives to preserve naturally occurring affordable housing. 0 Service o Planning Department Resources should be sufficient to ensure a forward -thinking approach to issues and opportunities that is reflective of o modern' dynamic, and ambitious City, and to provide high -quality services for residents and businesses looking toinvest and develop. o E.17Remove unnecessary Waivers: • Parking reduction for elderly housing oradaptive reuse. " Dominant Setbacks. ° Shared access inadjoining lots. • Remove parking requirements in TOD. w Assessment u F4 Provide incentives to build unnmUer projects within the neighborhood context, to revitalize existing structures, complete neighborhoods, and eliminate empty lots within them with exception ofNROo.8APo, and large-scale projects. Such aa5O% FAR increase, setback, and lot coverage relief, and other similar VVynxvoodNorte (NRD-2)standards. o F5 Verify that K8iorni 21 is consistent with the K8|anni Dade Long Range Transportation Plan and implement the needed policies in the zoning code. Miami 21 Article Two- General Provisions 3 s�. �m�� Fernandez Architect * 212|ntent o c.The development goals include: ff 1. Maintaining the future growth capacity ofthe City core to ensure its preeminence as the tnenoit-oriented, pedestrian -friendly focus for the nsgion`o economic, civic and cultural activities ° 2. Rebuilding the Citvh commercial Corridors to function as K8ixed-Uoe, tnanoit-oriented, mm|keb|e centers for adjacent Residential Neighborhoods ° 3. Ensuring that private Development contributes to increased infrastructure capaoity, and through building embellishes pedestrian -friendly public realm ofhighest ambient quality = 4. Establishing rational process for successional growth inareas identified for density and growth o 2. Rebuilding the City's commercial Corridors to function as Mixed -Use, transit -oriented, xva|kebio centers for adjacent Residential Neighborhoods. 2.1.3.1 The City - Guiding Principles o b. Growth strategies should encourage Inf ill and redevelopment o o. New Development should be structured to reinforce a pattern of Neighborhoods and urban centers, focusing growth at transit nodes rather than along Corridors. o tThe City should include mframework uftransit, pedestrian, and bicycle systems that provide alternatives to automobile use. o h. Affordable and Workforce Housing should be distributed throughout the City to nnotoh job opportunities and to avoid concentrations ofpoverty. o i.The City should expand and enhance transit opportunities and 0 2.1.3.2 The Community -Guiding Principles Ak. Fernandez Architect o a. Neighborhoods and urban centers should be the preferred pattern of Development and Tnannect3bnea emphasizing single use should bethe exception. o b. Neighborhoods and Urban centers should be compact, peUontrion-oriented, and Mixed -Use. Density and Intensity of Use should relate todegree oftransit service. o i. Within Neighborhoods, a range of housing types and price levels should accommodate diverse ages and incomes. Miami Forever Carbon Neutral Plan ° CH1:Introduction o The Come for Action Human -caused (9H8 emissions from activities like burning fossil fuels to produce electricity or driving our cars are the primary contributors to g|nbo| climate change. 70% of global carbon dioxide emissions (the primary human - caused greenhouse gas) come from cities, which means |ooe| governments must beleaders /n their commitment to ambitious actions that drastically reduce emissions toavoid the worst impacts ofclimate change. o net zero emissions by 2050 o The City set en interim target ofGU% reductions below 2018 levels by 2036 0 CH 2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Context o Miami accounted for the total annual (3H8 emissions resulting from operating our buildings and vehicles, providing potable water, and treating our vvmotem/otur. Citywide emissions totaled approximately 3.3 million MT C(}2o in 2018, and as shown in Figure 2.1 the majority oonne from on -road transportation (e.g, cars and trucko), oonnnnenoia| building energy use (e.g., stores and offices), and voaidende| building energy use (e.g., homes and apartments). o 43%oftotal Carbon emissions come from passenger and freight vehicles, totaling 1,405,761 metric tons of CO2 a year. �� "~� Fernandez ..-�U��uu�u��z Architect o Miami has set along-term target ofnet zero emissions by2000|n accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement. The City often uses - the tornncarbonneutre|todeooribothiaQoe|aswoU. * OH3tMiami's 8HGActions o Getting Around Miami Objective: 15% |ono private vehicle trips compared to 2018 levels by 2035. o Reduce daily expenses and provide savings (e.g., utility costs, travel costs, etc.) to residents o Aathe energy, buildings, and transportation sectors produce 88% of the citve total emissions, Miami has focused its current efforts on actions in these sectors since they will have the largest immediate impact. o In 2018, approximately 85% of total passenger trips in Miami were token in private gas and diesel vehicles. These passenger trips alone generate 32% of total city-wide emissions. The first step to reducing transportation emissions is to reduce the number of nni|ea traveled in private cars by facilitating o transition to other nnodon of transportation, like K8etvorai|' K8etrobuo, tno||ey, walking, rolling, or biking. To facilitate this shift, we must utilize land use and transportation planning to integrate ]obn, housing, and other daily uses with anefficient transit and ao1h/e transportation k�g., vxe|Nng, biking, a -scooters) network. To achieve the stated QHQ reductions for this goo|. Miami has established m objective for o 15% reduction from 2018 levels of private vehicle trips toother forms oftransportation by2035.This goal is in alignment and will work in concert with the Miami -Dade County Climate Action Strategy goal for a 10% shift ovxoy from single occupant vehicles by2O3O. o Getting Around Miami Objective: 15% |eao private vehicle trips compared to 2018 levels by 2035. o Phase 2: 4-6 Years: " G'5 Build upon existing transit -oriented development policies in K8ionni21 to increase residential denaity, acooeo to goods and services, and decrease single -occupancy vehicle use focusing on oroeo surrounding K8otronai| stations. 6 Aky Fernandez " "^ez Architect ° Transit -oriented development Ol]DA in a type of urban development that centers community's around public transit. Miami's existing TOD policies could be enhanced to include increased inc|uaionary zoning and mixed -use zoning near K4etnorai| stations, increased density within o certain distance of a Metporail station, fnao commuter parking lots outside the downtown area with shuttle service into the oity, increased investments in green space and parks near &0etrormi|stations, etc ° G'8: Establish parking disincentives, such as parking maximums and dynamic parking prices, to -discourage the use ofsingle occupancy gas vehicles. w Expansion of parking moxinounna through TOOa and Parking Management Districts will discourage the use of vehicles in downtown anyoo. Dynamic parking prices can maximize revenue (potentially to fund other 8HG Plan actions) and can encourage mode switching inareas close totransit. 7