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BISCAYNE BOULEVARD
HISTORIC DISTRICT
MIMO BISCAYNE ASSOCIATION, INC.
February 12, 2008
Honorable Mayor Manuel Diaz n
INTO
City of Miami SUOMI I I U
3500 Pan American Drive Miami, FL 33133-5595 F)UBLIC RECORDRe: Miami 21/Height Limits
M ITEM �� � �ON
Dear Mayor Diaz:
Please be advised that the following is the approved position of the MiMo Biscayne Association relating to Miami 21
and the height limits along Biscayne Boulevard within the MiMo Historic District
MIMO BISCAYNE ASSOCIATION PROPOSED POSITION RELATING TO MIAMI 21:
The MiMo Biscayne Association supports the Miami 21 concept and urges the City to move forward in their efforts to
update Miami 21 with the changes promised the community. Chapter 23, the blueprint of regulations and incentives for
historic districts, including MiMo Biscayne Boulevard needs to move forward and be approved to allow adaptive reuse
of the current historic structures and relax the parking requirements so that projects within the District can move forward
during the current delay in the approval of the Miami 21 legislation.
Minto Biscayne Association supports a building height compromise within Miami 21 for the Biscayne Boulevard
Historic District. We support a height limitation of 53 feet. However, construction on a case by case basis can allow up
to a maximum of 70 feet in height in areas not abutting single family residences if parking for the building along with
additional parking the for the general public is included within the structure. As part of this compromise, MiMo
Biscayne Association urges the Miami City Commission to create buffer zones of less than the height limitations for new
construction abutting single family districts. Those buffer zones shall be compatible with the heights of the single
family homes.
The MiMo Biscayne Association's recommendation is based upon the recognition that all new infill construction in the
MiMo historic district shall be reviewed and approved by the City of Miami's HEP Board. Such approvals shall be based
strictly upon design compatibility with the existing architecture and the surrounding built environment.
Approved by a vote of Membership on February 11, 2008
We would appreciate appropriate consideration be given to our position.
Sincerely,
Fran Rollason, President
C: Commissioners J. Sanchez, M. D. Samoff, M. Spence -Jones, A. Gonzalez, T. Regalado
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reguldr hasis io explore nye challenge of revualmng the: historic Qrea ac a iiazire desthiation, ']'/re triols ire hav- esrab/ishec/ ni nr�ar our reals include
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686 N. E. 74* Street, Miami, Florida 33138 305 758-6144 email: MiMo-on•BiBo@comcast.net Vi v.MiMoBoulevard.org
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Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Miami, F11
Re: 35' Height Restriction Proposal.
If MWF57-75T&1�,Fji::
At the request of my friend and colleague Dean Lewis I am writing this opinion letter to express my views
regarding the 35' height restriction proposed and dernanded by some neighbors in the Immediate area.
zones of C-1 in different areas of the City and the lesser Intensfty areas of R-1 and R-2.
The oversight at some point decades ago of not planning for the growth of the C,11 zones and the demand for
parking could have being easily solved then and now by creating transition zones that will not pay higher taxes
until they are bought and developed by the purchaser.
The answer is not limiting to 35 feet the areas that flank Biscayne Boulevard or for that matter other major
avenues and streets that have a right of way of more than 70 feet to lower heights than 8 or 10 stories.
Any avenue or street with such a right of way should be able to withstand contextually structures of a height one
to one and half its width, without fear of creating an urban atrocity or an undesirable urban fabric.
The solution is easy and many have proposed and endorsed it. The implementation Is also easy to achieve
urbanistically, legally and financially. The problem lays In the political tug of war those neighbors with certain
particular interests and views are creating with elected officials and the presare they are applying, in my view
2950SN2714MMO Side 110 K4Wrd6FWd8 33133 T.(305) 5905000F(305)590504
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to achieve in what my opinion is a very selfish goal, will bring an Urban disparity in Biscayne Boulevard and
other areas, that will be no better than the lack of vision of not implementing transition areas decades agD.
f W1 fig
Urban Context we all deserve, owners, neighbors, planners and elected olftials.
Sirxwely,
Submitted into the public
record in connection with
item PZ.5 on 10-22-09
Priscilla A. Thompson
--City Clerk
MSOV2nhAvenue SuNI10 Mian d,ftrida 33133 T(305) 590-50M F (305) 59¢504
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_DOV_E-R,'K(YH_L & PARTNERS
t o w n p I a n n i n g
August 31, 2009
To whom it may concern,
Some residents hav6 expressed angst about the possibility of multi -story buildings along portions
of Biscayne Boulevard, They *have fought to put a,,35'heightlimit in place on all new
development -along one of Miami's main corridors. A Wheight limit'is adefacto.two-story.limit,
as itis difficult to fit more than two stories in such an envelope, especially if generous floorto
ceiling heights. are, used in the commercial storefronts, or in upper floor apartments and offlces.
el 00
As a practicing town planner.and designer,'I ani toirripelled,t6explain that two story buildlngs.aee
an inappropriate, and unsustainable use of land along a major corridor such as Biscayne
Boulevard. Below I answer the question:: Why art, muN4Wm mixed use buildings along
Biscayne. Boulevald the responsible thing to do?
I.. They are good for the environment SustainabiliN depends. upon creating an
.environment Where mixed Uses -,are encouraged. Neighborhoods that.feature an
abundance of vertically mixed-use,multi-sto , ry buildings (including walk-ups, mid-riset,
and high-rises) have the: lowest -per capitaemissions of greenhouse -gases due to reduced
vehicle miles traveled, higher -energy efficiencies, lower consumption of water and
utilities, and potentially, a higherdegree of social cohesiveness. Conversely, sprawl
development (low slung, disconnected,. single -use development),,procluces the highest
per caoita.greenhouse:gas emissions and is most consumptive of natural, resources and
utilities.
2. They make vibrant places. Most great.stre6t and boulevards -that are Vibrant
settings for economic and social interaction have complex layering of uses - Vertically.
This would -be -made difficult by a rule to eestridititilldings to two floors,,and is`
,inappropriate, in a major metropolitan context.
3. They preserve natural areasand agriculture. A dense. and walkable Biscayne
Boulevard benefits the entire region. Keeping South Honda's "Eastward Ho!" Receiving
Area as dense and compact as possible means reducing the development pressure on'
.sensitive- and strategic agricultural and wilderness areasIothe, west, both inside:and
outside the'UDS.
4. They reduce crime. Neighborhoods that feature an abunclance.of mixed'use, multi
-
story ,buildings ,are safer, as,different parts of the, building are inhabited and activated at
different -times of the day. This;is one of the pillars of natural surveillance, and it is a
powerful crime deterrent..
5-. They jUStleell 900d. The ideal spatial enclosure ratio that is found on walkable streets
sh uld produce a street section that is. taller than it'is Wide. Biscayne Bdulevard is about
80' - 100' wide. 35' buildings would be incapable of forming thisdegree of, spatial
enclosure. The need for spatial enclosure is recognized by many experts as a common
and necessary feature of most walkable environments. Themider the,street, the taller
the "stre ' etwall" should be-in,order to,creAte the c6ro
rrect,pportion. This'is across -
cultural and cross -climate pattern in urban design, though hotter cultures and
geographies generally'have a more vertical proportion (i.e. higher- buildings framing a
narrower space),
6. They make transit feasible. Neighborhoods
eigh . borhoods t hat feature multi-stoty, mixeclw-use
Widings.are transit -ready. That is to say, their density and mixture of uses.make it
possible for transit.officials to -decrease, headways. (increasing frequency of'servioe) and
make upgrades to, traiisiL it, corridor's where the ridership projections are likely to justify
Submitted into the public
record in connection with
item PZ.5 on 10-22-09
Priscilla A. Thompson
City Clerk
9
the investment. Suppressing heightsand density is orfe: of the surest, ways to 'scare
officials from pursuing public transit upgrades or allocating increasingly scarce transit
funds;
For these and other reasons, let us inake sum that any height regulations are rooted not in
emotion, butinstead on, precedent and careful study of the great. and livable cities that we
admire. By doing.so, we will be,clearty guided as to the environmental, funcbonal, and,aesthkic
benefits of creating 6 dense, transit-ready,'mixed-use city fabric.
Sincerely,
Andrew Georgiadis
Project Director
Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning
1571 Sunset Drive, (:oral Gables: Florida 33143, TelephoneI.305):666-0446 Fax (305)666-0360
Submitted into the public
record in connection with
item PZ.5 on 10-22-09
Priscilla A. Thompson
City Clerk_
_Z/
iVl N/to AssociMion Boardl,
1 -do not support the proposed drastic change in the -City of Miiamil ZonCc,ing de, th�,rt
would limit developinent height to 35' to the area currently zoned SD -9, located hriithe
fessional opinion to place such a strict .upper east side of Biscayne Blvd. JA my prof
arbitrary height limit would not -only discouragegood design and limit potential
'redevelopment -of this, area, it will also create a monotonous skyline, devoid of variety in
potential users.
The current SD-9,'which was precisely and carefully drafted to protect the residential
,.neighborhoods to therear, has built in flexibility which will provide buffers of between
25' , --*tb .40', depending on whether the adjacent neighbors are zoned R1/R2 or R3/R4, in
Addition to a 45 degree setback angle. The maximum height facing'Biscayne Boulevard
being 85'to 90' depending on type of use. That will result in buildings with a maximum
height, of'8 to 10 stories, in the front, facing a 1,00' wide right of way, and 2 to 4 stories in
the 'rear, fading the neighbors..
These design parameters will create a variety in architectural styles, uses and massing.
There will be some sites that, because of their size or unusual geometry, and therefore
lintited parking, which will be developed to four or five stories and others will be
developed to approximately ten stories maximum.
These different heights, encourage residential developments on the taller sections of the
Buildings, because of views and security, and commercial, developments on the shorter
buildings. An ideal scenario for making sure cities and neighborhoods thrive and survive,
'V
because different uses feed on each other, and reduce dependence on the automobiles.
I believe this proposed major Change, which -is not envisioned in the current code or
Miami 21, will. be detrimental to the future of this significant and important
neighborhood, and therefore respectfully oppose it.
3�.6 AftarCcfaj Gz-161cs. j.3-1416
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From: belmede760@aol.c.om
Date: I Mon, 3 ) I Aug 2009 18:06:07 -0400
Td: <rollason@igi ide. net>
sqbject:.Re: 35 ST height limit for -Biscayne
We're are unable to attend the meeting, but can furnish you with this quote:
"'Four story height limit riot,!"
"One of the more destructive influences on imagination and honest confrontation of
urbanism in our times of extreme overpopulation is the notion that buildings over four
stories degrade humanity and should be banned. A major principle behind ecological
cities is that higher living organisms are complex, three-dimensional entities and an apt
modelfibuthe eitystrueture, another one of those principles in nature thdt.should be taken
seriously."
Ecocities: Rebuilding Cities in Balance with Nature by Richard Register Page 202
Ant-olin G. Ca_rbonelll, R.,A..
Meader RQ_6idGn*t
(Submitted into the public
record in connection with
item PZ.5 on 10-22-09
Priscilla A. Thompson
City Clerk
Page 1 of 2
Ftan Rollason
From: Ernie Carnbq [ecambo@cpfinv.com]
,Sent: 681.28/2009,1:26 PM
To: rnannjdiaz@ci.rniarniAus
Subject: RESIDENT OF THE UPPER EAST SIDE, VOTE NO TO 35 FEET
Mayor Manny Diaz, and the Honorable Commissioners
The. City need's a comprehensive plan like Miami 21, however the Biscayne Corridor will lose FAR value
if the 35 foot amendment is passed, it is not scare tactic, but a fact that the "as of right" building envelope
will shrink. If the FAR shrinks, the amount of inhabitable units will shrink accordingly, assuming a i5% Common
mon
Area Factor and 1,000 SF per unit, effectively you will be left a larger common area and signifantly less FAR
which will lead to dysfunctional business plans and valuations,
in 1999,1 moved to Bay Point, within the first 45 days, a gentlemen jumped my 8 foot wall, for an attempted
breaking and entering, he was cracked out, my wife was home with my then 10 month old son.
Ten years later, we have a. more functional boulevard, The City and the County spent S35MM to create the "gateway",
that gateway should be lined with ground level retail and apartments on top. You need to get up higher for units at the
2"2° and 3r, floor have historically been unattractive because of noise. Another level of parking because of the property
depth
will be required, and then what, you will at 24 feet? You will be left with a parking garage sandwich? Retail, Parking,
'and.so.me expensive units on top of a flawed business model.
Without more eyes ball in the street, the Boulevard will not prosper. The entitlements are the
future of the boulevard and a promise of a better tomorrow for a more prosperous and vibrant
area.
Without that option, what will the future hold for those landowners? They will see no exit on Biscayne and be forced to
litigate to recover their investment-. irrespective of the financial markets, ability to develop, the potential promise
would be eliminated, and that is government encroaching on not just property rights, but capital, retirement,
education, public works, police and fire, for those potential ad valorem tax revenue will never be realized, and that is
just flat out irresponsible ofthe:City Ao impose their will ori these landowners and beneficiares of the next generation;
Regards,
Ernie Cambo
4255 Lake Road
Miami, FL 33137
ernie cambo
principal
cpf investment group
2977 mcfariane road #302
miaml, fi 33133
305.460.6262 main
I05.460.6263 fax
Submitted into the public
record in connection with
item PZ -5 on 10-22-09
Priscilla A. Thompson
City Clerk