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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #67 - Discussion ItemSTREET AND ALLEY VACATIONS DISCUSSION ITEM ISSUES Pz 10 • Vacations of streets and alleys can have profound impacts on the function and appearance of the entire city. • The City has routinely approved most applications for vacations of streets and alleys with little scrutiny given to the long-term implications of the vacation. • Implications of vacations are often not apparent. For example, vacating a street or alley can create a mega -block that allows a building that is out of character with the height, bulk and scale of the surrounding neighborhood. Vacations can encourage the demolition of small-scale historic buildings on the property. • Applications to vacate streets and alleys are increasing. • There is little clear benefit to the public by the vacation of streets and alleys under the present system of review. In many cases, in fact, vacation harms the public. CURRENT PROCESS • Applications are filed with the Public Works Department and are reviewed by the Plat and Street Committee, which considers the criteria set forth in Section 55-15 (c) of the Miami City Code. • The applicant is not required to submit information about the proposed use of the street or alley or an analysis of the impact and benefit to the public. • Once the Plat and Street Committee makes a recommendation, vacations are reviewed by the Zoning Board. The City Commission may approve or deny the vacation. RECOMMENDATIONS - GENERAL • The City should adopt a policy that actively discourages street and alley vacations, and encourages more rigorous review with a design -based framework. • Vacation requests should be treated as the exception and not the rule, and applicants should be required to make a solid case for vacation. • Prior to review by the Plat and Street Committee, each proposal to vacate a street or alley should be evaluated on two sets of criteria: 1) the functional and urban design implications for the surrounding nine -block area, and 2) the public benefits that would be provided. z 1 • City vacation policies should acknowledge that a negotiated set of public benefits is intrinsic to any approval and mitigation of impacts alone is not enough. Instead, the potential merits of a proposed vacation must demonstrate significant long-term benefit to the public to justify the vacation. • Public benefits must exceed those the applicant would have provided without a vacation request, must outweigh the loss of public right of way created by the vacation and must constitute true PUBLIC benefit. • Benefits might include a rededication of an improved street or alley back to the City, public open space, streetscape improvements, bicycle paths, affordable housing, historic preservation, etc. • A consistent set of criteria would help ensure thorough and thoughtful assessment of vacations by those charged with their review. Applicants would benefit also by having a clearer and more predictable sense of what is important to the City. • The City may wish to consider exceptions for single family and duplex neighborhoods. A new mechanism permitting temporary closures of improved alleys with 100% consent of all property owners could be instituted. RECOMMENDATIONS -DESIGN CRITERIA The Planning and Zoning and Public Works Departments have begun to develop a set of design criteria, which cover a full range of functional and urban design concerns, to guide the review and analysis of vacation proposals. I. Impact Analysis ■ Urban Design - Is the vacation advisable given urban design impacts? What does an urban design analysis of the surrounding nine -block area reveal? ■ Community Support - Is there specific support for the vacation in a neighborhood plan or is there some other form of demonstrated local need? ■ Function - Is the existing street and alley grid intact or already broken? How well does the existing alley or street perform? What are impacts to the long-term flexibility of the transportation network? • Consequence - What might be the 10 year consequence of the vacation for the City? • Options - Are there other options to a full vacation that might work and preserve use of the street or alley? • Services - Is the alley needed for utilities, loading, access to parking or other services? Might it be in the future? How would these needs alternatively be served? ■ Light, View and Air - What is the impact on views, light and air? ■ Access - Does the street provide access to the bay or the river? ■ Height, Bulk and Scale - What are the resultant changes in height and bulk on the block? What is the impact on the form and orientation of buildings on the block relative to surrounding blocks? �y) 2 II. Analysis of Public Benefit as Proposed by Applicant ■ Open space - Is it in optimal location and of good quality? Does it feature through block connections and other linkages to existing sidewalks? ■ Public use - Is it clearly open and welcoming to the public? Is it accessible at all times of day? ■ Streetscape amenities - Do they comply with the City's urban design guidelines and/or guidelines established by neighborhood plans? ■ Neighborhood benefits - Do they respect the neighborhood's character? Do they offer public features beyond those already required or those being used to qualify for other kinds of development bonuses? Do they offer an improvement to existing conditions and are they better than what would result in as -of -right development? Do they fulfill localized benefits desired by a community or neighborhood? Do they enhance the identity of the neighborhood? ■ Historic preservation - Does it recognize and reinforce City regulations or recommended policies? Does it incorporate a City designated historic site? ■ Bulk and scale - Does it avoid outcomes that would change the bulk and scale of the area? Would additional FAR accrue to the proponent? • Public benefits - Are they any better than those the applicant would have provided anyway? Are they better than the net loss of public right-of-way created by the vacation? Are they truly PUBLIC? NEXT STEP • If directed by the City Commission, the Planning and Zoning and Public Works Departments will refine the above -listed criteria and develop procedures to Implement the new policy. • The Departments will prepare the necessary amendments to the Miami City Code for adoption by the City Commission. 6.,