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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNeighborhood Meeting Letter from Applicant with Supporting Docs'\VExss SEROTA HELFMAN PASTORJzA COLS & BoNISKE, RA. MITCHELL A. Sl RMAN NiNA L- BONISKE MITCHELL J. 5URNSTE N J AMIE ALAN COLE S TEPHEN J. HELFMAN GILBERTO PASTORIZA MICHAEL S. POPOK JOSEPH H. SEROTA S USAN L. TREVAF.THEN RICHARD JAY WEISS DAVID M. WO'UPIN LYNN M. DANNHE€SSER GNACIC G. 5EL VAL„E DOUGLAS R. GONZALES MELISSA P. ANDERSON* LILLIAN ARANG© DE LA HOG" JAMES E. BAKER JEFF P.H. CAZEAU RAQUEL ELEJASARRIETA CHAD FRIEDMAN ALAN L. GABRIEL' VIA HAND DELIVERY Ms. Teresita Fernandez City of Miami Hearing Boards 444 S.W. 2nd Avenue Miami, Florida 33131 ATTORNEYS AT LAW M MAM1-DA5E OFFICE 2525 PONCE GE LEON BOULEVARD SUITE 700 CORAL GABLES, PL0910A 3G 34 TELEPHONE 305-854-GB00 FACSIMILE 305-854.23E3 VaWW.WSH-LAW.COMJ BROWARD OFFICE 200 EAST SROWARD BOULEVARD a SUITE 900 FOPT LAUDERDALE. FLORIDA 3-33Qi TELEPHONE 954-763-4242 • -FACSIMILE 954-764-7770 'OF COUNSEL April 4, 2007 Re: Pinnacle Place; 5400 NE 4tn Avenue Dear Ms. Fernandez: GREGORY A,- HAiLE, JOHN J. KENDRICK L7 KAREN LIEBERMAN' JOHANNA M. LUNDGREN ANDREW W. MA/ MATTHEW H. MANDEL PAM; MAUSHAM ALEXANDER L. PALENZUEL A-MAURI YUMEOR P[hEiRD JOHN J. OUIC5 ANTHONY 4,.. RECIO SCOTT A. ROBIN GAIL C. SEROTA' JONATHAN C. SHAMRES ESTAELLITA 5. SIBILA EDUARDO M. SOTO MICHAEL L. ST1NES JOSE 5- TALAVERA STEVEN E. TAYLOR LAURA K. WENDELL" JAMES E. WHITE CLINTON A. WRIGHT 111" As you know, the captioned matter was deferred from the January, February, and March City Commission agendas at the request of Commissioner Spence -Jones so that the applicant could contact both commercial and residential neighbors regarding the parking reduction proposed in the application. The specific purpose of contacting the commercial neighbors was to explore the possibility of an agreement to accommodate potential overflow of parking on their properties pursuant to an off -site parking agreement. While Pinnacle Place, LTD (the "Applicant") has dutifully approached all of its commercial neighbors, including Florida East Coast Railroad ("F.E.C."), to explore the possibility, the Applicant's inquiries have not yet resulted in an off -site parking agreement and are unlikely to result in one due to a lack of interest on the part of said commercial neighbors and the expectation from some owners to receive lease payments for their surplus property from the Applicant. As an affordable housing development, any lease payment which would further burden the operating budget and erode annual cash -flow is untenable in this climate of rapidly rising costs, particularly in the areas of property insurance and ad valorem taxes. Furthermore, it is the Applicant's sincere belief that the development will not generate the need to accommodate overflow parking. The Applicant is requesting a parking reduction pursuant to Section 917.6 of the Zoning Ordinance to permit 180 parking spaces where the Zoning Code requires 251 spaces. This represents a reduction of 28.3% which is far less than the 50% the permitted by the Zoning Ordinance. The parking requirement in this underlying district is almost twice that of considerably more affluent areas of the City such as Brickell, Downtown, or Edgewater, where Ms. Teresita Ferna•ndez April 4, 2007 Page 2 residents are more likely to have the means to afford multiple cars. In fact, if this development were in one of those areas, the applicant could provide less parking than the proposed 180 spaces without having to seek approval at public hearing. It should be noted that this development is intended to serve residents in the "very low" and "low" income categories. At present, this means rents for a 1-bedroom range from $283- $566, a 2-bedroom unit ranges from $335-$675, and a 3-bedroom unit ranges from $380-8773. The Applicant has already entered into a covenant committing the development to cater to these income categories for 15 years and will enter into a 50-year land use restriction agreement upon closing on tax credits from the Florida Housing Corporation later this year. The residents served by this development simply do not have enough disposable income to afford multiple cars. Indeed, this development qualified for state financing in part due to the site's proximity to public transportation (5 bus routes within 1/5 mile), grocery stores, and public schools. For the reasons cited above, the Applicant is sure that this development will not result in overflow parking. Nevertheless, at the Commissioner's direction, the Applicant sent the attached letters out to commercial neighbors on two occasions: March 1, 2006 and March 16, 2006. In addition, all neighboring commercial property owners were invited to a community meeting held primarily for residential neighbors at Toussaint L'Ouverture Elementary on March 15, 2007. Finally, specific telephone inquiries with F.E.C. resulted in the attached response from F.E.C. establishing that there are no present plans to use the rail corridor for commuter traffic and that the parcel is actively used for rail use and is not considered surplus property for lease or purchase by the Applicant. Of course, if the commuter line were to be established at that location in the future, such use would greatly benefit the Pinnacle Place development and further reduce residents' reliance on an automobile. Please see that this letter and the attached documentation are included in the record for the City Commission hearing, currently scheduled for April 26, 2007. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please call me if you have any questions. Very truly yours, Tony Recto TR/ms 676019 Attachments cc: Commissioner Michelle Spence -Jones Priscilla Thompson, Clerk Mitchell Friedman WEISS SE1 WTA HELI'MAN PASTQRIZA COLE & BONISKE, RA. FLAGLER REAL ESTATE SERVICES ONCOR INTERNATIONAL March 27, 2007 Michael Wohl Pinacle Housing Group 9400 South Dadeland Boulevard Suite 100 Miami, Florida 33156 Dear Michael: 355 Athambr Circle 9'" Floc: Coral Gabie$ rtorida 33134 T. 305.520.2300 F. 305.520.2350 www.codina,G4m You have inquired whether or not Flaglrr Development has an active project in the vicinity of N.,. 55L'' Street and Biscayne Boulevard. I've spoken to our people internally and we do not have a project in that area. Please be advised that the railroad right of way in that section adze City of Miami is used currently for rail operations and is not surplus property nor planned to be developed in the near future. Please let me know if you need further information. Sincerely, Jack Lowell JL:p:k 7-7/4 Subsidiary of Flagies Development Group G:lCgtlir.aVinwoRDQACicILET TER51Wchi3-27-07.ccc March 1, 2007 F E C RAILWAY C/O T B BENNETT 1 MALAGA ST ST, AUGUSTIN'E, FL 32084 Re: PINNACLE PLACE P INN A C L E HDUSNG GROUP Dear Neighbor: I write to you on behalf of Pinnacle Place, Ltd., the owners of the property located at 5600 NE 4th Avenue. We are in the preliminary process of developing our property with a 137-unit multifamily development that will serve the affordable housing needs of the surrounding community. Our parent company, Pinnacle Housing, has over 10 years experience developing and operating affordable housing, developments in Miami -Dade County and throughout the state of Florida. We intend Pinnacle Place to be as great a success as our other developments in the City of Miami. As you no doubt have been made aware, we currently have an application pending before the City Commission to reduce the number of parking spaces required for this development. We are asking for this reduction of parking because our experience with our other developments, such as the very successful Pinnacle View near Edgewater and Rayos del Sol in Little Havana near the Orange Bowl, have demonstrated the our clientele normally use considerably less parking than is normally required by the City. The City's Code recognizes the reduced need for parking in affordable housing developments and sets forth a special application process to formally reduce those parking requirements. That is the process we are in right now, Our application seeks to provide 180 parking spaces to serve the 137 units. In addition, we are financing public street and sidewalk improvements along NE 4th Avenue and 56th and 57th Streets that will add 15 on -street spaces. Our experience with our other developments shows that to serve this development we would need less than 140 parking spaces. We are confident that our plan will not impose or infringe upon the neighborhood. However, at the request of your District Commissioner Michelle Spence -Jones we are contacting our commercially zoned neighbors to inquire about the possibility of leasing parking spaces at night in the event that we need overflow parking. That is the purpose of this letter. We would like to invite you to contact me regarding this possibility at your earliest convenience. I am available at 305-854-7100. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. Sincer chell Friedman DEVELOPMENT ' CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT 9400 S. DADELAND BIND., SUITE 100, MIAMI, FLORIDA 33156 TEL [305] 854.7 00 FAX [305] 559.9858 WWW.FINNACLEHDUSING.COM :March 1, 2007 H E RLTY 11T LLC 5550 NE 4 AVENUE MIAMI, FL 33137 Re: PINNACLE PLACE PINNA CLE HOUSING GROUP Dear Neighbor: I write to you on behalf of Pinnacle Place, Ltd., the owners of the property located at 5600 NE 4th Avenue. We are in the preliminary process of developing our property with a 137-unit multifamily development that will serve the affordable housing needs of the surrounding community. Our parent company, Pinnacle Housing, has over 10 years experience developing and operating affordable housing developments in Miami -Dade County and throughout the state of Florida. We intend Pinnacle Place to be as great a success as our other developments in the City of Miami_ As you no doubt have been made aware, we currently have an application pending before the City Commission to reduce the number of parking spaces required for this development. We are asking for this reduction of parking because our experience with our other developments, such as the very successful Pinnacle View near Edgewater and Rayos del Sol in Little Havana near the Orange Bowl, have demonstrated the our clientele normally use considerably less parking than is normally required by the City, The City's Code recognizes the reduced need for parking in affordable housing developments and sets forth a special application process to formally reduce those parking requirements. That is the process we are in right now. Our application seeks to provide 180 parking spaces to serve the 137 units. In addition, we are financing public street and sidewalk improvements along NE 4th Avenue and 56th and 57th Streets that will add 15 on -street spaces. Our experience with our other developments shows that to serve this development we would need less than 140 parking spaces. We are confident that our plan will not impose or infringe upon the neighborhood. However, at the request of your District Commissioner Michelle Spence -Jones we are contacting our commercially zoned neighbors to inquire about the possibility of leasing parking spaces at night in the event that we need overflow parking. That is the purpose of this Letter. We would like to invite you to contact me regarding this possibility at your earliest convenience. I am available at 305-854-7100. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION ' MANAGEMENT 9400 S. DADELAND BLVD., SUITE 100, MIAMI, FLORIDA 33156 TEL [305] 854.7100 FAX 305] 859.9856 WWW.PINNACLEHOUSiNG,COM March 1, 2007 PINNAC L E HOUSNG GROUP HOWARD SC:IIMMEL &W MARLENE 5255 COLLINS AVENUE MIAMI BEACH, FL 33140-2572 Re: PINNACLE PLACE Dear Neighbor: I write to you on behalf of Pinnacle Place, Ltd., the owners of the property located at 5600 NE 4th Avenue. We are in the preliminary process of developing our property with a 137-unit multifamily development that will serve the affordable housing needs of the surrounding community. Our parent company, Pinnacle Housing, has over 10 years experience developing and operating affordable housing developments in Miami -Dade County and throughout the state of Florida. We intend Pinnacle Place to be as great a success as our other developments in the City of Miami. As you no doubt have been made aware, we currently have an application pending before the City Commission to reduce the number of parking spaces required for this development, We are asking for this reduction of parking because our experience with our other developments, such as the very successful Pinnacle View near Edgewater and Rayos del Sol in Little Havana near the Orange Bowl, have demonstrated the our clientele normally use considerably less parking than is normally required by the City. The City's Code recognizes the reduced need for parking in affordable housing developments mnd sets forth a special application process to formally reduce those parking requirements. That is the process we are in right now. Our application seeks to provide 180 parking spaces to serve the 137 units. In addition, we are financing public street and sidewalk improvements along NE 4th Avenue and 56th and 57th Streets that will add 15 on -street spaces. Our experience with our other developments shows that to serve this development we would need less than 140 parking spaces. We are confident that our plan will not impose or infringe upon the neighborhood. However, at the request of your District Commissioner Michelle Spence -Jones we are contacting our commercially zoned neighbors to inquire about the possibility of leasing parking spaces at night in the event that we need overflow parking. That is the purpose of this letter. We would like to invite you to contact me regarding this possibility at your earliest convenience. I am available at 305-854-7100. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT 9400 S. DA 'ELAND BLVD., SUITE 100, M]AMI, FLORIDA 3315E TEL [305] 854.7100 FAX [365] 859.9858 WVVW.PINNACLi HOUSING.COM March 1, 2007 PINNACLE HOUSING GROUP O & P EN -VESTMENTS CORP % OLGA M GONZALEZ 2325 BISCAYNE BAY DR MIAMI, FL 33181-2411 Re: PINNACLE PLACE Dear Neighbor: I write to you on behalf of Pinnacle Place, Ltd., the owners of the property located at 5600 NE 4th Avenue. We are in the preliminary process of developing our property with a 137-unit multifamily development that will serve the affordable housing needs of the surrounding community. Our parent company, Pinnacle Housing, has over 10 years experience developing and operating affordable housing developments in Miami -Dade County and throughout the state of Florida. We intend Pinnacle Place to be as great a success as our other developments in the City of Miami. As you no doubt have been made aware, we currently have an application pending before the City Commission to reduce the number of parking spaces required for this development. We are asking for this reduction of parking because our experience with our other developments, such as the very successful Pinnacle View near Edgewater and Rayos del Sol in Little Havana near the Orange Bowl, have demonstrated the our clientele normally use considerably less parking than is normally required by the City. The City's Code recognizes the reduced need for parking in affordable housing developments and sets forth a special application process to formally reduce those parking requirements. That is the process we are in right now. Our application seeks to provide 180 parking spaces to serve the 137 units. In addition, we are financing public street and sidewalk improvements along NE 4a' Avenue and 56th and 57th Streets that will add 15 on -street spaces. Our experience with our other developments shows that to serve this development we would need less than 140 parking spaces. We are confident that our plan will not impose or infringe upon the neighborhood. However, at the request of your District Commissioner Michelle Spence -Jones we are contacting our commercially zoned neighbors to inquire about the possibility of leasing parking spaces at night in the event that we need overflow parking. That is the purpose of this letter. We would like to invite you to contact me regarding this possibility at your earliest convenience. I am available at 305-854-7100. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. Sincer itchell Friedman DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION ' MANAGEMENT 9400 S. DADELAND BLVD., SUITE 100, MIANH, FLORDA 33156 305] 854.7100 FAX [305] 859.9858 WWW.?INNADLEHIOUS1NG.COM March 1, 2007 P NNACLE HOUSING GROUP MARTIN BLATT &W PATRICIA PO BOX 370 525 MIAMI, FL 33163-0370 Re: PINNACLE PLACE Dear Neighbor: I write to you on behalf of Pinnacle Place, Ltd., the owners of the property located at 5600 NE 4th Avenue. We are in the preliminary process of developing our property with a 137-unit multifamily development that will serve the affordable housing needs of the surrounding community. Our parent company, Pinnacle Housing, has over 10 years experience developing and operating affordable housing developments in Miami -Dade County and throughout the state of Florida. We intend • Pinnacle Place to be as great a success as our other developments in the City of Miami. As you no doubt have been made aware, we currently have an application pending before the City Commission to reduce the number of parking spaces required for this development. We are asking for this reduction of parking because our experience with our other developments, such as the very successful Pinnacle View near Edgewater and Rayos del Sol in Little Havana near the Orange Bowl, have demonstrated the our clientele normally use considerably less parking than is normally required by the City. The City's Code recognizes the reduced need for parking in affordable housing developments and sets forth a special application process to formally reduce those parking requirements. That is the process we are in right now. Our application seeks to provide 180 parking spaces to serve the 137 units. In addition, we are financing public street and sidewalk improvements along NE 4th Avenue and 56th and 57th Streets that will add 15 on -street spaces. Our experience with our other developments shows that to serve this development we would need less than 140 parking spaces. We are confident that our plan will not impose or infringe upon the neighborhood. However, at the request of your District Commissioner Michelle Spence -Jones we are contacting our commercially zoned neighbors to inquire about the possibility of leasing parking spaces at night in the event that we need overflow parking. That is the purpose of this letter. We would like to invite you to contact me regarding this possibility at your earliest convenience. I am available at 305-854-7100. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. Sincer 'tchell Friedman DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION ' MANAGEMENT 9400 S. DADELAND BLVD.; SUITE 100, MiAMi, FLORIDA 33156 TEL [305] 854.7100 FAX [305] 859.9858 WWW.PINNACLEHDUSING.COM PINNACLE HOUSING GROUP March 16, 2007 O&P INVESTMENT CORP % OLGA M GONZALEZ 2325 BISCAYNE BAY DR MIAMI, FL 33181-2411 RE: PINNACLE PLACE Dear Neighbor: I wrote to you on March 1, 2007 regarding the development of Pinnacle Place at 5600 NE 4th Avenue and to inquire about the possibility of leasing parking spaces at night in the event that the development generates the need for overflow parking. Since I have not heard from you, I wanted to send this letter to attempt once again to explore that possibility. As I said in my previous correspondence, we at Pinnacle Place, Ltd. have an application going before the City Commission to allow us to provide 180 parking spaces to serve the 137 units. Our experience with our other developments in the City is that the 180 spaces will more than adequately serve the needs of the development. Nevertheless, Commissioner Spence -Jones has asked us to explore possible alternatives in the unlikely event that overflow parking is needed. Please call me at 305-854-7100 if you have any suggestions or alternatives. Thanks again for your attention to this matter. Mitch Friedman Pinnacle Place ]DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT 9A00 S. DADELAND BLVD., SUITE 100, MIAMI, FLORIDA 33155 TEL [305] 854,7100 FAX [305) 859.9558 WWW,PINNACLEHDUSING.COM PINNACLE HOUSING GROUP March 16, 2007 HOWARD SCHIMMEL &W MARLENE 5255 COLLINS AVE MIAMII BEACH, FL 33140-2572 RE: PINNACLE PLACE Dear Neighbor: I wrote to you on March 1, 2007 regarding the development of Pinnacle Place at 5600 NE 4's Avenue and to inquire about the possibility of leasing parking spaces at night in the event that the development generates the need for overflow parking. Since I have not heard from you, I wanted to send this letter to attempt once again to explore that possibility. As I said in my previous correspondence, we at Pinnacle Place, Ltd. have an application going before the City Commission to allow us to provide 180 parking spaces to serve the 137 units. Our experience with our other developments in the City is that the 180 spaces will more than adequately serve the needs of the development. Nevertheless, Commissioner Spence -Jones has asked us to explore possible alternatives in the unlikely event that overflow parking is needed. Please call me at 305-854-7100 if you have any suggestions or alternatives. Thanks again for your attention to this matter. Mitch Friedman Pinnacle Place DEVELOPMENT CONSTRICTION MANAGEMENT 9400 S. DADELAND EL VD., SUITE IGO, PUMA], FLORIDA 33156 TEL [305] 854.7 E00 FAX L3051 859.9858 WWW.PINNACLEHOUS€NG.COM PINNACLE HOUSING GROUP March 16, 2007 HYE RLTY III LLC 5550 NE 4 AVE MIAMI, FL 33137-2551 RE: PINNACLE PLACE Dear Neighbor;. I wrote to you on March 1, 2007 regarding the development of Pinnacle Place at 5600 NE 4th Avenue and to inquire about the possibility of leasing parking spaces at night in the event that the development generates the need for overflow parking. Since I have not heard from you, I wanted to send this letter to attempt once again to explore that possibility. As I said in my previous correspondence, we at Pinnacle Place, Ltd. have an application going before the City Commission to allow us to provide 180 parking spaces to serve the 137 units. Our experience with our other developments in the City is that the 180 spaces will more than adequately serve the needs of the development. Nevertheless, Commissioner Spence -Jones has asked us to explore possible alternatives in the unlikely event that overflow parking is needed. Please call me at 305-854-7100 if you have any suggestions or alternatives. Thanks again for your attention to this matter, Mitch Friedman Pinnacle Place DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION ' MANAGEMENT 9400 S. DADELAND BLVD., SUITE 100, MIAMI, FLORIDA 33156 TEL [305] 854.7100 FAX [305] 859.9858WWW.PINNACLEHOUS?NG.COM PINNACLE HOUSING GROUP March 16, 2007 F E C RAILWAY C/O T B BENNETT 1 MALAGA ST ST. AUGUSTINE, FL 32084 RE: PINNACLE PLACE Dear Neighbor: I wrote to you on March 1, 2007 regarding the development of Pinnacle Place at 5600 NE 4' Avenue and to inquire about the possibility of leasing parking spaces at night in the event that the development generates the need for overflow parking. Since I have not heard from you, I wanted to send this letter to attempt once again to explore that possibility. As I said in my previous correspondence, we at Pinnacle Place, Ltd. have an application going before the City Commission to allow us to provide 180 parking spaces to serve the 137 units. Our experience with our other developments in the City is that the 180 spaces will more than adequately serve the needs of the development. Nevertheless, Commissioner Spence -Jones has asked us to explore possible alternatives in the unlikely event that overflow parking is needed. Please call me at 305-854-7100 if you have any suggestions or alternatives. Thanks again for your attention to this matter. Mitch Friedman Pinnacle Place DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT 9400 5. DADELAND BLVD., SUITE 100, M1AN1I, FLORIDA 33156 TEL 13051854.71000 FAX [3051859.9858 WWW,PINNACLEHQUS NC.COM HOUSING GROUP March 16, 2007 MARTIN BLATT &W PATRICIA P.O. BOX 370 525 MIAMI, FL 33163-0370 RE: PINNACLE PLACE Dear Neighbor: I wrote to you on March 1, 2007 regarding the development of Pinnacle Place at 5600 NE 4th Avenue and to inquire about the possibility of leasing parking spaces at night in the event that the development generates the need for overflow parking. Since I have not heard from you, I wanted to send this letter to attempt once again to explore that possibility. As I said in my previous correspondence, we at Pinnacle Place, Ltd. have an application going before the City Commission to allow us to provide 180 parking spaces to serve the 137 units. Our experience with our other developments in the City is that the 180 spaces will more than adequately serve the needs of the development. Nevertheless, Commissioner Spence -cones has asked us to explore possible alternatives in the unlikely event that overflow parking is needed. Please call me at 305-854-7100 if you have any suggestions or alternatives. Thanks again for your attention to this matter. Mitch Friedman Pinnacle Place DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT 9400 S. DADELAND BLVD., SUITE 100, MIAMI, FLORIDA 33156 TEL [305] 854.7100 FAX [305] 859.9858 WWW_PINNACLEHOUS1NG.COM