HomeMy WebLinkAboutCRA-R-19-0004 Exhibit ACity of Miami OMNI CRA
Assessment of Need
For Extension of Time Frame
for the District
PMG
Associates,
Inc. 3880
NW 2 Court
Deerfield Beach,
Florida 33442
(954) 427-5010
1 I Page
SECTION 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 HISTORY AND PURPOSE
This document represents the analysis of the Assessment of Need for the extension of the time
frame for the OMNI Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) in the City of Miami. This
assessment is based on Miami -Dade County Board of County Commissioners Resolution #R-611-
15 which requires an assessment that demonstrates that slum and blight still exist within the
designated Community Development Agency. This report is part of a formal request to extend
timeframe of the OMNI CRA for an additional 15 years. The Finding of Necessity (FON) for the
original OMNI CRA was completed in 1987 and the district has received several updates and
expansions over the years.
EXHIBIT 1-1 — OMNI CRA BOUNDARY MAP
Source: Miami -Dade County
The provisions of R-611-15 are not specifically a requirement of a Finding of Necessity FON) as
expressed by Florida Statutes 163, Part III section 163.340 (7)(8). This section of the statutes
defines the requirements to declare an area as exhibiting the conditions of slum and blight. The
provisions of R-611-15 mirror the requirements of the State Statutes as referring to slum and blight.
This resolution identifies the requirements of the Assessment of Need identical to those of section
163.340 (7)(8).
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This analysis will be conducted in the same manner as the FON for a CRA area.
The OMNI CRA has made significant improvements over the years and will use the extension of
time to further the progress in the CRA area.
SUCCESSES OF THE OMNI CRA
Dorsey Library
Built in 1941, Dorsey Memorial Library was the first City -built library in Miami, and one of the
only libraries to allow black patrons to sit and read. Although it had various uses for many years,
it has sat empty since the 1980s due to a funding shortfall. Although it has been declared an historic
structure, it has not been preserved or protected, and it has not fulfilled its mission as a free and
public library. In 2016 the Omni CRA pledged $850k to leverage the City's commitment to
rehabilitate this historic structure, and has met with the community to determine character of use,
and the nature of what a 21s' century library serving the neighborhood from an historic building
would entail.
Citizen's Bank Building
Omni CRA is under contract to purchase the historic Citizen's Bank building on 14th Street and
Miami Avenue, to rehab and turn into an active and lively retail, dining or cultural venue. With
paired Corinthian columns and arched entrances, this Neoclassical building is sited on a major
intersection in the Omni CRA. The prominent Citizens Bank represents a fashionable architectural
trend in 1920s South Florida of classically -inspired building designs. Constructed during the Land
Boom years, this building is a reminder of a time when local architects were seeking to create a
visual identity for the young city.
The Miami Entertainment Complex ( MEC )
The recently completed Miami Entertainment Complex (MEC) features two fully operational
sound stages of 15,000 square feet each with a 50-foot roof as well as about 15,000 square feet of
offices, editing suites and even a school for when kids need to be on set. The MEC is now called
VIACOM INTERNATIONAL STUDIOS, after its Operating Film and Television production
firm. Viacom shoots much of its Latin American television at these studios and employs hundreds
of workers when they are filming a show. They have also brought the community of local
filmmakers and media creatives in for tours of the facility and technical workshops.
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A review of the projects identified in the 2010 Redevelopment Plan update follows:
Completed Projects
• Baywalk
o Woman's Club
o Museum Park
• Streets
o NE 2nd Ave.
o NE/NW 14th Street
o Bayshore Drive
• Port Miami Tunnel (paying Debt Service)
• Neighborhood Greenspace
o Land Acquisition
o Fire Station 92 Park
o PAC North
o PAC South
o Margaret Pace Park
o Museum Park
■ Environmental remediation
■ Construction of Park
• Historic Preservation
o Trinity Cathedral
• Port Miami Tunnel (paying Debt Service)
• Viacom Studios (MEC)
• Neighborhood Greenspace
o Land Acquisition
o PAC North
o PAC South
o Margaret Pace Park
o Museum Park
■ Environmental remediation
■ Construction of Park
• Historic Preservation
o Trinity Cathedral
o Dorsey Library
On -Going Projects
• Zoning Strategies
o Zoning Amendments
o Workforce Housing Incentives
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o Parking Reductions
• Historic Preservation
o Miami City Cemetery
o Fire Station No. 2
o Citizens Bank
Planned Projects
• Miami Herald Properties
o Infrastructure & Streetscapes
• Biscayne Park Properties
0
• School Board Project
o New School Facilities
o Workforce and Affordable Housing Development
o Arsht Center Parking
o Entertainment District Expansion
o Student Housing
• Design Guidelines
o Media Entertainment District Noise Abatement Guidelines
o PAC Area Guidelines
o Biscayne Boulevard Design Guidelines
o NE 2nd Ave Design Guidelines
• Streetscape Improvements
o NE 1st Ave
o N. Miami Ave.
o NE 17th Street
• Historic Preservation
o Vera Building
o City of Miami Cemetery
• Streetscapes & Walkability
o Improved Sidewalks
o Lighting
o Landscaping
o Street Furniture
• Potential FEC crossings
• Water and Sewer Upgrades
• Infrastructure
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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DISTRICT
The population of the OMNI CRA area is estimated at 8,509 in 2018. There are 4,416 dwelling
units in the area. The entire City of Miami maintains a population of 467,872 within 205,175
dwelling units. Other facilities in the study area include:
Parks
• Museum Park
• Omni Park
• Dorsey Park
• Biscayne Park
• Margaret Pace Park
Schools
Phillis Wheatley Elementary
Important Facilities
• Philip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
• Perez Art Museum
• Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
• Art Miami
• Dorsey Memorial Library
• City of Miami Cemetery
• Viacom Studios
1.2 METHODOLOGY
The Assessment of Need as defined in R-611-15 will follow the provisions of State Statutes
concerning the determination of slum and blight. Consistent with State Law, process examines
the character of the area and measures statistics and other documentation to determine if the
conditions of slum and blight have been met, as described in Florida Statutes 163. Part III section
163.340 (7)(8). This analysis will examine each of the criteria and determine if the OMNI CRA
area meets these conditions.
The analysis of the conditions that exist in the OMNI CRA area was conducted using data available
from documented sources throughout the community. Agencies within the City of Miami and
Miami -Dade County were contacted and data was supplied to examine the characteristics of the
community. Additional research was conducted through field observations and photographic
evidence to underscore the findings.
Each of the criteria as established by State Law will be discussed separately and the data sources
used for the analysis will be described in each section.
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1.3 LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
The requirements of the determination of slum and blight are established in Section 163.340 of the
Florida Statutes and are described as follows:
Slum Determination 163.340 (7)
"Slum area" is defined as an area having physical or economic conditions conducive to disease,
infant mortality, juvenile delinquency, poverty, or crime because there is a predominance of
buildings or improvements, whether residential or nonresidential, which are impaired by reason of
dilapidation, deterioration, age, or obsolescence, and exhibiting one or more of the following
factors:
(a) Inadequate provision for ventilation, light, air, sanitation, or open spaces;
(b) High density of population, compared to the population density of adjacent areas within the
county or municipality; and overcrowding, as indicated by government -maintained statistics or
other studies and the requirements of the Florida Building Code; or
(c) The existence of conditions that endanger life or property by fire or other causes.
Blight Determination 163.340 (8)
"Blighted Area" is defined as an area in which there are a substantial number of deteriorated, or
deteriorating structures, in which conditions, as indicated by government -maintained statistics or
other studies, are leading to economic distress or endanger life or property, and in which two or
more of the following factors are present:
(a) Predominance of defective or inadequate street layout, parking facilities, roadways, bridges,
or public transportation facilities;
(b) Aggregate assessed values of real property in the area for ad valorem tax purposes have failed
to show any appreciable increase over the 5 years prior to the finding of such conditions;
(c) Faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy, accessibility, or usefulness;
(d) Unsanitary or unsafe conditions;
(e) Deterioration of site or other improvements;
(f) Inadequate and outdated building density patterns;
(g) Falling lease rates per square foot of office, commercial, or industrial space compared to the
remainder of the county or municipality;
(h) Tax or special assessment delinquency exceeding the fair value of the land;
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(i) Residential and commercial vacancy rates higher in the area than in the remainder of the
county or municipality;
0) Incidence of crime in the area higher than in the remainder of the county or municipality;
(k) Fire and emergency medical service calls to the area proportionately higher than in the
remainder of the county or municipality;
(1) A greater number of violations of the Florida Building Code in the area than the number of
violations recorded in the remainder of the county or municipality;
(m) Diversity of ownership or defective or unusual conditions of title which prevent the free
alienability of land within the deteriorated or hazardous area; or
(n) Governmentally owned property with adverse environmental conditions caused by a public
or private entity.
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SECTION 2
SLUM CONDITIONS
2.1 ANALYSIS OF SLUM CONDITIONS
The conditions that define "Slum" as outlined in Florida State Statues 163.340(7) in the potential
CRA area are found in the following factors. In order for an area to qualify as having slum
conditions, the area must have at least one of three factors.
(a) Inadequate provision for ventilation, light, air, sanitation, or open spaces;
The conditions of inadequate housing can be categorized through the determination of "Unsafe
Structures" as determined by the Florida Building Code. Data collected from the City of Miami
reveals that the OMNI CRA area has 11 "Unsafe Structures" designated within its borders. These
citations cover the full range of conditions including inadequate ventilation, substandard housing
and improper maintenance of the buildings. These 11 structures represent 1.38% of all structures
in the district.
City-wide, Miami has 1,328 cases of Unsafe Structures which represents .65% of the total number
of structures in the City.
The listing of Unsafe Structures is provided in Table 2-1
TABLE 2-1
LISTING OF UNSAFE STRUCTURES BY ADDRESS
124 NW 14 Street
1400 Biscayne Boulevard
1425 NE 2 Avenue
2115 N Miami Avenue
2127 N Miami Avenue
2141 N Miami Avenue
Examples of Unsafe Structures
555 NE 15 Street
1440 NW 1 Avenue
1558 NW 1 Avenue
1614 NW 1 Court
270 NW 23 Street
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Exhibit 2-1, 1558 NW 1 Avenue
Exhibit 2-3, 1425 NE 2 Avenue
Exhibit 2-5, 1440 NW 1 Avenue
Exhibit 2-2, 124 NW 14 Street
Exhibit 2-4, 2141 N. Miami Avenue
Exhibit 2-6, 1614 NW 1 Court
(b) High density of population, compared to the population density of adjacent areas within
the county or municipality; and overcrowding, as indicated by government -maintained
statistics or other studies and the requirements of the Florida Building Code.
Density patterns can be measured by the amount of developed acres of land or by the amount of
population per square mile. The City of Miami covers approximately 35.87 square miles within
its boundaries. Based on a population of 467,872, the density of persons per acre in the City of
Miami is 20.38.
For the OMNI CRA area, the population of 8,509 lives within approximately 503 acres for a
density of 16.92 persons per acre.
(c) The existence of conditions that endanger life or property by fire or other causes.
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A review of the data from the City of Miami Fire Rescue Department reveals that in 2017, the
Omni CRA area had a total of 2,117 calls for fire and emergency service. Based on the population
of 8,509, this equates to 274.06 calls per one thousand population. For the entire service area of
the City of Miami Fire Rescue during the same time, the population of 467,872 generated 100,583
calls for fire service, which is 214.98 calls per one thousand population.
The area under I-395 viaduct presents a clear health and safety concern and has been the site of
many homeless, drug- and prostitution- related policing and health department -related activities
with
2.2 RESULTS OF ANALYSIS
The OMNI CRA area meets criteria (a) and (c) of section 163.340(7) of the State Statutes.
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SECTION 3
BLIGHT CONDITIONS
3.1 ANALYSIS OF BLIGHT CONDITIONS
The requirements under State Statutes 163.340(8) for designation as "Blighted" note that the area
must have a substantial number of deteriorated, or deteriorating structures, in which conditions, as
indicated by government -maintained statistics or other studies, are leading to economic distress or
endanger life or property.
One method of illustrating "Blight" is through photographic evidence. Field observations were
used to examine the area and photographs were taken of the conditions. Exhibits 3-1 through 3-
20 are a representative sample of the conditions in the area.
Deteriorated Residential
moo
Exhibit 3-1
Deteriorated Mixed Use
Exhibit 3-2
Exhibit 3-3
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Deteriorated Commercial
of -
Exhibit 3-4 Exhibit 3-5
.i AL
Exhibit 3-6
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Deteriorated Fences
Exhibit 3-7
Exhibit 3-9
Deteriorated Drainage
Exhibit 3-11
Exhibit 3-8
Exhibit 3-10
Exhibit 3-12
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Deteriorated Roadways
Exhibit 3-13
Exhibit 3-14
Exhit 3-15
3.2 Blight Criteria Analysis (Must meet 2 of the 14 items)
Each of the 14 criteria will be examined in this section.
(a) Predominance of defective or inadequate street layout, parking facilities, roadways,
bridges, or public transportation facilities;
For economic purposes, the street layout should enable customers to reach businesses easily and
for trade among business to be conducted directly and efficiently. The most significant roadway
is Dixie Highway which bisects the district. The diagonal nature of the road separates the
commercial properties from the east and the west side of the Highway.
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EXHIBIT 3-16
TYPICAL GRID PATTERN IN DISTRICT
Source: Google Maps
Public Transit is provided through thirteen Miami -Dade Transit System fixed routes that serve the
area. In addition, the MetoMover system runs through the district with three stations located within
the boundaries
(b) Aggregate assessed values of real property in the area for ad valorem tax purposes have
failed to show any appreciable increase over the 5 years prior to the finding of such
conditions;
Data from the Miami -Dade County Property Appraiser's Office was obtained to examine the
change in Taxable Value for the properties located in the OMNI CRA area and compare them to
the entire City's experience.
TABLE 3-1
CHANGE IN TAXABLE VALUES - POTENTIAL CRA AREA AND CITY OF MIAMI
Source: Miami -Dade County, City of Miami
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(c) Faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy, accessibility, or usefulness;
Most of the streets in the district are in a grid pattern that form square or rectangular blocks. The
exception is US 1 which runs diagonally through the area generating odd shaped parcels.
However, this situation is not extremely prevalent and does not pose a significant problem..
(d) Unsanitary or unsafe conditions;
The City of Miami Building Code Division has determined that 11 buildings in the potential area
are "Unsafe Structures" and have cited these properties for the condition of the buildings. Table
2-1 lists the properties designated as Unsafe Structures.
(e) Deterioration of site or other improvements;
Listed in Table 3-2 are the necessary improvements to the infrastructure within the potential area
boundaries. These improvements total approximately $12.6 million.
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TABLE 3-2
PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT NEEDS (estimates)
Item
Install Sidewalk
LF Road
17052.9
Quantity
9474
Unit
SY
Cost
75
Total
$ 710,537
Install Curb and Gutter
16454.6
16454.6
LF
35
$ 575,911
Replace Driveway Turnouts
11796
SY
75
$ 884,665
Asphalt Overlay
39675.2
88167.1
SY
50
$ 4,408,353
Drainage Structures
24
EA
5000
$ 120,000
Drainage Pie
3500
4000
LF
150
$ 600,000
Road Rebuild
4200
9333.3
SY
100
$ 933,333
Side Street Parking
4600
10222.2
SY
75
$ 766,667
Striping
45000
90000
LF
5
$ 450,000
Street Lights
14
EA
15000
$ 210,000
Design and Contingency 30%
$ 2,897,840
TOTAL IMPROVEMENTS
$ 12,557,307
Source: Florida Technical Consultants
(f) Inadequate and outdated building density patterns;
Density patterns can be measured by the amount of developed acres of land or by the amount of
population per square mile. The City of Miami covers approximately 35.87 square miles within
its boundaries. Based on a population of 467,872, the density of persons per acre in the City of
Miami is 20.38.
For the OMNI CRA, the population of 8,509 lives within approximately 503 acres for a density of
16.92 persons per acre.
Because of the faulty parking and roadways in the area, as well as a number of institutional uses
and large office uses such as the Miami -Dade County School Board, there is a predominance of
blighting surface parking lots that are difficult to develop.
(g) Falling lease rates per square foot of office, commercial, or industrial space compared
to the remainder of the county or municipality;
Lease rates have not been declining and are generally on a par with other similar areas of the City
of Miami. Three data sources were used to determine the lease rates and the real estate activity in
the area. These sources are:
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• Trulia.com
• MLS
• Loop.net
Additionally, the information was verified through field investigation.
(h) Tax or special assessment delinquency exceeding the fair value of the land;
The Miami -Dade Tax Collectors Office is the source of the Tax Delinquency figures for all of
Miami -Dade County including the potential area. Data representing the tax delinquencies for the
past year were acquired and analyzed for this study.
One of the questions regarding the designation of blight is if the area has property with tax
delinquencies that exceed the fair value of the properties within the boundary. The analysis
indicates that there are only a few delinquent tax files in the area.
(i) Residential and commercial vacancy rates higher in the area than in the remainder of
the county or municipality;
Overall, there are relatively few vacancies in the potential area and these rates are not more
extensive than through the remainder of Miami -Dade County. Three data sources were used to
determine the vacancy rates and the Real Estate activity in the area. These sources are:
• Trulia.com
• MLS
• Loop.net
Additionally, the information was verified through field investigation.
(j) Incidence of crime in the area higher than in the remainder of the county or
municipality;
Crime data was obtained from the City of Miami Police Department who maintains statistics for
municipal boundary. Data from Part 1 and Part 2 crimes that encompass the OMNI CRA area as
well as the entire City were obtained to determine the incidence of crime.
For the past year, the total number of Emergency and Priority calls for the potential CRA area was
derived from the posted statistics. To better compare these numbers, they were divided by the
population to arrive at a per capital figure of calls per one thousand population. Table 3-3 provides
the analysis.
TABLE 3-3
POLICE CALLS PER CAPITA
Source: City of Miami Police Department
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(k) Fire and emergency medical service calls to the area proportionately higher than in the
remainder of the county or municipality;
A review of the data from the City of Miami Fire Rescue Department reveals that in 2017, the
OMNI CRA area had a total of 2,117 calls for fire and emergency service. Based on the population
of 8,509, this equates to 274.06 calls per one thousand population. For the entire service area of
the City of Miami Fire Rescue during the same time, the population of 467,872 generated 100,583
calls for fire service, which is 214.98 calls per one thousand population.
(1) A greater number of violations of the Florida Building Code in the area than the number
of violations recorded in the remainder of the county or municipality;
The City of Miami Code Enforcement Division is responsible for overseeing the monitoring and
enforcement of the Building Codes and other regulations regarding the use of property. Data for
the past year was obtained and reviewed to assess the number of Code violations within the OMNI
CRA boundary and the total for the City of Miami.
Table 3-4 lists the figures and analysis for the Code violations in the area.
TABLE 3-4
CODE VIOLATION
Area Violations Parcels Percentage of Parcels
OMNI • . Area• 1 '
City of • 1
Source: City of Miami Code Enforcement
(m) Diversity of ownership or defective or unusual conditions of title which prevent the
free alienability of land within the deteriorated or hazardous area,
Currently there are 26 Vacant Parcels in the OMNI CRA area. Most of these properties are
designated for Single Family Residential use. The ownership of these parcels is diverse and does
not provide an apparent opportunity to assemble properties.
(n) Governmentally owned property with adverse environmental conditions caused by a
public or private entity,
The entire area is within the City of Miami Brownfield area as defined by Miami -Dade County.
However, there are no specific sites described as environmental hazards in the area.
3.3 RESULTS OF ANALYSIS
The OMNI CRA area meets the following criteria of section 163.340(8) of the State Statutes.
201Pa_e
• Deteriorated Structures
• Section b, Taxable Value lagging behind the City results
• Section d, Unsanitary or unsafe conditions
• Section e, Deterioration of site or other improvements
• Section j, Incidence of crime in the area higher
• Section k, Fire and emergency medical service calls to the area proportionately higher
• Section 1, A greater number of violations of the Florida Building Code
• Section m, Diversity of ownership or defective/unusual conditions of title
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SECTION 4
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
4.1 SUMMARY
Sections 2 and 3 of this report identify the criteria for designation as "slum" and "blight" based on
Florida Statutes. Each of the criteria was examined individually to assess the conditions and
determine if the requirements under State law has been satisfied. Tables 5-1 and 5-2 the criteria
for slum and blight found in the potential area.
TABLE 4-1
SLUM CRITERIA
TABLE 4-2
BLIGHT CRITERIA
Criteria Description
ed Strictures
iW"
Meets criteria
(a)
Predominance of defective or inadequate street layout
Does not meet criteria
(b)
Assessed values of real property in the area have failed to
show any appreciable increase
Meets criteria
c
Faulty lot layout
Does not meet criteria
(d)
Unsanitary or unsafe conditions
Meets criteria
e
Deterioration of site or other improvements
Meets criteria
(f)
Inadequate and outdated building density patterns
Does not meet criteria
(g)
Falling lease rates per square foot of office, commercial, or
industrial space
Does not meet criteria
(h)
Tax or special assessment delinquency exceeding the fair
value of the land
Does not meet criteria
(i)
Residential and commercial vacancy rates higher in the area
than in the remainder of the City
Does not meet criteria
Incidence of crime in the area higher
Meets criteria
(k)
Fire and emergency medical service calls to the area
proportionately higher
Meets criteria
1
A greater number of violations of the Florida Building Code
Meets criteria
(m)
Diversity of ownership or defective/unusual conditions of
title
Meets criteria
(n)
Governmentally owned property with adverse
environmental conditions
Does not meet criteria
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This summary notes that the potential area meets two of the three of the "Slum" criteria and 7 of
the 14 specific "Blight" criteria. In addition, the potential area has a substantial number of
deteriorated structures as evidenced by Exhibits 2-1 through 2-6, and 3-1 through 3-15.
4.2 RECOMMENDATIONS
The OMNI CRA area meets the criteria established under Resolution R-611-15 that the area
continues to meet the standards of slum and blight under Chapter 163.340 (7))8) of the Florida
Statutes". The area meets two of the three of the criteria to be designated as slum (one is required),
and seven of the criteria to be designated as "blight" (only two are required). The area also meets
the "blight" requirement of existence of deteriorated structures.
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